Slumbering Tsar: Forward - The Camp (Inactive)

Game Master Lord Manticore

Captain Artemis, twice have you recounted "attacks" on the region - one at the harbor, and now the occasional attacks originating from the wastelands and targeting The Camp - what manner of creatures are behind these attacks? Do these follow a pattern or reason, or simply caused by sheer viciousness and desire for destruction or mayhem?

Kallistiel frowns. "So you didn't have a contingency for the loss of the primary boat and thus we would be required to book our own passage, should we take the river, as you suggest... Really? Don't you have people for this?"

She sighs and then waves her hand dismissively. "Nevermind... Fine. Let's see what the Society thinks we need for this little outing."

"We do have people who handle this very matter, Kallistiel. The problem is that not a lot of boats go towards that area, and of those that do, they don't go very often. As you can imagine, the Worldwound is not an area for the cowardly or foolhardy. We found out about this next passage only an hour ago, just before we contacted you. Since you will likely get there before us, we ask that you take care of the final arrangements. That is all."

Clearly happy when the practical matters of their journey start being attended, Calendir listens attentively to all the questions posed, and answers received - when the chance presents itself he adds:

I agree with Azaraunt - it would be very helpful to obtain detailed maps of the region, if there are any available - I don't think we can just tackle this one without an extra measure of care, and having an active part in deciding how we will go about our overland travel can be as important as chosing between fighting and running.

On the other hand, do you believe it would be possible to put us in contact with regional savy scouts, either here or at the camp itself? I would gather as much information as possible regarding the creatures, natural or not that inhabit the wilds around the ruins of Tsar, or in any regions that we are expected to traverse, for that matter - information and knowledge may be our best weapon even before we set a foot on the road, and from having travelled with adventuring groups before, I know it can make all the difference in the world for one that needs to study their spells in the morning, or so my wizard friend Radamester, used to tell me...

It is a good thing that you have mentioned the weather Captain Artemis - travelling unprepared for the environment can be deadlier than facing a Troll stampede - you told us to expect warm weather but if possible I would take your suggestion on where to obtain more detailed information about it, since we do no know how long we will be on the road.

If it comes to the worse, I am certain enough that my skills will not allow us to starve in the wilds, but I would rather we would be prepared.

"We will get you more maps as we can, although to be fair, it is likely that you will need to create some maps of your own, as a Pathfinder would be expected. Some of these areas have not been touched by outsiders since the end of the siege. Also, as no one has successfully entered the city itself, we will not be able to provide a lot of intel for that, I am afraid.

"I will say that we can provide you with a scout, someone who has worked with us off and on for over a decade now. He is semi-retired, but he has agreed to help your party. I believe that this is fortuitous, for I have noticed that there is a distinct lack of, shall we say, 'breaking and entering' types amongst you. Our scout there can certainly help you with that endeavour for however long you wish to utilize his services. The name he is going by there is Simon, the denizens call him 'Simon the Hermit' as he has kept an almost monk-like existence there for the past five months. He knows you are coming, although he does not know who you are. Just mention that Artemis sent you and that will take care of it.

"You also asked about the attacks, did you not? I can say that there is no pattern between either the Camp and here. The attack on the harbor was by some raiders looking for some cargo to snatch. Their attack, I am assuming, was botched, and three boats went down in the harbor due to fire. As for the Camp, their attacks are random monsters and predators, usually vargouilles and other such foul creatures. I can tell you, however, that recently, there have been a pack of wolves in the area. From what Simon has told me, they have not attacked any of the denizens, although several different cattle and sheep have been slaughtered. The few times the wolves were found in the midst of their raid, the wolves very cannily ran off and was able to easily lose their pursuers. Simon has reason to believe that these may in fact be werewolves, but does not yet have any proof. Getting rid of this pack will definitely put you in good stead in the Camp, and might get you on the good side of the Usurer."

@Elen (messaging): Thank you Elen, I will take you up on that offer - I am eager to be on the road again, and sometimes it just gets the best of me... I grow restless...

Elen picks out a little silk bag of herbs from her pack, and when Kaffe service comes around to her, hands it to the server asking him to give it, along with a pot of near-boiling water and a mug to Calendir. She accepts Kaffe herself, and has the server fill a tiny, shot-glass-sized mug for Ally as well.

Bao is content that his Ring of Sustenance and Resistance to Cold enable him to ignore the basic needs of survival that concern his companions, so he focuses on the need of information and operational security.

He is surprised for the first time with this mission, when the dwarf says that there are a couple hundred residents of the Camp, almost as many as Gundrun. His eyebrows twitch up for a brief second. When a polite opportunity arrives in the conversation, he asks more questions, "Master Thurl, I've two more lines of questions. First, what is the current economy of the Camp to support one to two hundred residents? Are there farms or mines there to sustain them? If not, who is paying to keep and attract mercenaries there and sponsor scavenging of Tsar?

"Second, if Gundrun and the Camp already have many scavenging missions to Tsar, why were the passwords and magical fog necessary operational security? To protect your identity and location? Because news of our mission will reach Nerosyan in the time someone can return from Gundrun after our arrival there flying the Quadiran's Pathfinder pennant."

"To give you further detail on your first question, beyond the iron bits that I showed to you. A lot comes from the mercenary trade. There are at any time at least three mercenary groups in the Camp who are willing to offer their services to anyone willing to pay for scouting or escort services. Most times they come back, although any group so far attempting to enter the city have not come back. A fair number of groups die in the wastelands and some die near the gate. It is rumored, and all but confirmed, that there is some dragon, or some evolutionary offspring of such, that guards the gates into the city. Few have survived it to tell the tale, which is why we don't know exactly what creature sits there.

"Actually, in a roundabout way, that leads me to a request from the local merchant's guild. Apparently, someone had the crazy notion to attempt to create a trade route from Ustalov and points west, through the Worldwound, and end here in Nerosyan. It is known that the caravan used made it to the Camp (Simon informed us of this a fortnight ago), but no one has heard from them since. It has been asked that, if one of us could find word or evidence of the caravan's whereabouts, the guild would be most grateful. I leave it up to your party to determine their fates.

"On your second question, Macavity, there have been no 'organized' expeditions to Tsar before now. Most who there are either scavngers looking to find items on one battlefield or another, or treasure seekers, only caring about finding a 'big score.' The operational security we keep here is to keep the military, and specifically, the Queen from finding our location. We are tolerated here, not least because some of our number go out with the military patrols and help rid the world of a few more devils. But the Queen and her faction does not appreciate why we are the way we are. As long as we can remain under their sights, we can continue to work out of here. Otherwise..."

The Usurer... what a name to go by. I can see how he can control trade by minting his own money. That is a trick I am well familiar with, and the geography provides him with the remote location and dangerous journey to make it work. We will play by his rules for sundries, but will journey here for any substantial purchases.

Does Simon live here, or at the Camp? Contacting him soon will be a priority. Calendir, will you and Macavity see to that? I will see about making arrangements with the boat captain for passage, if you will accompany me, Ruul. We can convince him to give us a reasonable rate, I'm sure. Arazaunt, I am concerned about the effects of heat in the waste. Can you come upwith a solution for that? We will be getting some funds if a magical solution is required. Some of us are magically sustained. Lavinia, will you look into provisioning our group, and mounts. There are enough of us that dividing watches should allow our spell casting members the rest they require. Kallistiel, please look into ways to safeguard our campsite. The wolf pack is something we can deal with. Elen, please research werewolves and intelligent wolves.

The Usurer... what a name to go by. I can see how he can control trade by minting his own money. That is a trick I am well familiar with, and the geography provides him with the remote location and dangerous journey to make it work. We will play by his rules for sundries, but will journey here for any substantial purchases.

Does Simon live here, or at the Camp? Contacting him soon will be a priority. Calendir, will you and Macavity see to that? I will see about making arrangements with the boat captain for passage, if you will accompany me, Ruul. We can convince him to give us a reasonable rate, I'm sure. Arazaunt, I am concerned about the effects of heat in the waste. Can you come upwith a solution for that? We will be getting some funds if a magical solution is required. Some of us are magically sustained. Lavinia, will you look into provisioning our group, and mounts. There are enough of us that dividing watches should allow our spell casting members the rest they require. Kallistiel, please look into ways to safeguard our campsite. The wolf pack is something we can deal with. Elen, please research werewolves and intelligent wolves.

"Simon lives in the Camp, you can reach him there. Because of timing issues, we won't be able to get any additional information to him before you arrive, but assuming that you might be delayed somehow, we will send word to him anyway as a precaution. As for the heat, the wastelands surrounding Tsar, of which the Camp is moderately affected, is more or less dead. There are some crops grown in and around the Camp, enough to sustain themselves at any rate, but moving more than a mile to the north will defeat crops ninety-nine times out of a hundred. So many dead bodies and bad magic permeate that area it makes it all but impossible to grow anything natural there. It is warm time of year this far north, but we are porviding cold weather gear to each of you, just in case."

Calendir Elberen wrote:

@Elen (messaging): Thank you Elen, I will take you up on that offer - I am eager to be on the road again, and sometimes it just gets the best of me... I grow restless...

Elen picks out a little silk bag of herbs from her pack, and when Kaffe service comes around to her, hands it to the server asking him to give it, along with a pot of near-boiling water and a mug to Calendir. She accepts Kaffe herself, and has the server fill a tiny, shot-glass-sized mug for Ally as well.

Calendir thanks Elen with a nod and a mental "Thank you Elen" as he sips down on the tea, relaxing visibly if not only due to having his senses focused in fully taking in the herbal scent.

Guys, do we lack breaking and entering capabilities between me (stealth only) and Macavity?

I will see about making arrangements with the boat captain for passage, if you will accompany me, Ruul. We can convince him to give us a reasonable rate, I'm sure.

Ruul nods.

"I will help in whatever way I can."

I thought Macavity took trapper ranger specificallyto get DD and trap finding. We should be OK at B&E.

"There are a couple of other things that I should mention. First, General Zelkor, who was the leading man in that Siege, setup several contingency plans throughout the siege to help him at one point or another, or so the legends tell. One legend that we can prove is that Zelkor created a sort of tomb for a knight and several of his retinue, we believe that number was somewhere between twenty-five and fifty. At some point, this knight was supposed to re-awaken and resume attacks on the city. We know about the tomb because Simon reported seeing it with his own eyes. It's in the southeastern corner of the map here..." Artemis takes a pencil and places an X just down and right from the center of the "Ashen Wastes" quadrant.

"We believe that the tomb is around there, maybe three miles, more or less, from the Camp. We don't know why the knight never came out, but if you can find out, and even better, re-awaken him yourselves, you will likely find some good allies in a fight. Just be cautious, I can never say that enough.' Artemis gives everyone a moment to ponder on that before continuing.

"I should also mention that there are some of my kind wondering in the wastelands. A Thane, humans would call them princes, is looking for his King and Father, a stout dwarf who fought bravely in the Siege who went by the name of Kroma. It is said that King Kroma led a group of warriors on an attempt to break the gates early on in the siege. Like most, King Kroma did not return." Artemis pauses for a moment, before continuing in a lower tone. "I have no personal connection to the King or his son, the Thane. But, as a dwarf, I would consider it a personal favor if you were to help find his remains. A Dwarven King is much honored to have died in battle, but to be buried in that Gods forsaken land does him no justice."

I know that Macavity has B&E skills. But Artemis does not have access to your character sheets. He only knows you all generally, based on what he has been told.

Understood. Just making sure you weren't hinting at a glaring party deficiency.

Elen listens to the VC's description of "the Usurer" with a growing scowl on her face. After Numair speaks, she stands and says heatedly, "I suppose he pays those in his employ in this worthless slag as well, allows no other currency in the one store in the camp, which of course he owns, and which charges inflated prices for the necessities of life -- entirely due to the cost of importing them I'm sure -- but is more than happy to give employees 'generous' loans to allow them to setup their lives. And wages he pays them are just enough that their debt keeps growing and growing, a little bit here a little bit there... am I right? Tell me I'm not if you can do so truly, for I have seen this pattern many times in my travels, and I dare say I prefer honest slavery."

To Numair, she says, "I will work with the other scholars in this group to research them, quite happily." She gives Azaraunt and Lavinia a smile.

The Usurer... what a name to go by. I can see how he can control trade by minting his own money. That is a trick I am well familiar with, and the geography provides him with the remote location and dangerous journey to make it work. We will play by his rules for sundries, but will journey here for any substantial purchases.

Does Simon live here, or at the Camp? Contacting him soon will be a priority. Calendir, will you and Macavity see to that? I will see about making arrangements with the boat captain for passage, if you will accompany me, Ruul. We can convince him to give us a reasonable rate, I'm sure. Arazaunt, I am concerned about the effects of heat in the waste. Can you come upwith a solution for that? We will be getting some funds if a magical solution is required. Some of us are magically sustained. Lavinia, will you look into provisioning our group, and mounts. There are enough of us that dividing watches should allow our spell casting members the rest they require. Kallistiel, please look into ways to safeguard our campsite. The wolf pack is something we can deal with. Elen, please research werewolves and intelligent wolves.

Azaraunt is +12 stealth himself. And that is before invisibility. :) [ooc]

Any issues with heat can easily be overcome with proper desert clothing, if one is not wearing heavy armor. For those who need to wear encumbering armor we would need the minor spell Endure Elements. I can provide it if it becomes needed, but I do not anticipate needing it. If I did I would recommend a wand of the spell. I will assist Elen in the research intelligent wolves and lycanthropes in general. As to shelter, well I thought I had the perfect solution with the spell Shadowy Haven. Alas it can only hold 10 creatures, and even without mounts we are more than 10 when you consider companions.

[ooc]How many of us have companions? Me, Elen, Numair, Calendir. That makes our number 12. Did I miss anyone? Check out that spell. It is really nice. Quite an upgrade to ropetrick.

"Excuse me Numair, I'm not quite experienced at provisioning large parties, but I will try. I'll need to know how many of us have mounts and companions and whether or not there will be room for the mounts on the barge if we are able to secure passage. I will also need to know how much I have to spend." He better not think that I am also capable of cooking the provisions...

If you are still allowing some purchases for our character sheets, I could add an endure elements wand to mine.

At Elen's smile, Lavinia responds. "I shall be glad to share what knowledge I have of such creature. Werewolves aren't unknown in Ustalav."

Elen listens to the VC's description of "the Usurer" with a growing scowl on her face. After Numair speaks, she stands and says heatedly, "I suppose he pays those in his employ in this worthless slag as well, allows no other currency in the one store in the camp, which of course he owns, and which charges inflated prices for the necessities of life -- entirely due to the cost of importing them I'm sure -- but is more than happy to give employees 'generous' loans to allow them to setup their lives. And wages he pays them are just enough that their get keeps growing and growing, a little bit here a little bit there... am I right? Tell me I'm not if you can do so truly, for I have seen this pattern many times in my travels, and I dare say I prefer honest slavery."

To Numair, she says, "I will work with the other scholars in this group to research them, quite happily." She gives Azaraunt and Lavinia a smile.

"I am no fan of slavery myself, but my understanding is that the Usurer owns only his own blacksmith's shop. There is a market in the Camp that sells various sundries, but he has nothing to do with that. The currency issue is one he simply enforces, and as the denizens gave him the power to speak on their behalf to outsiders, this is what they deal with in return. Beyond that, I can't tell you much more."

Azaraunt is +12 stealth himself. And that is before invisibility. :) [ooc]

Any issues with heat can easily be overcome with proper desert clothing, if one is not wearing heavy armor. For those who need to wear encumbering armor we would need the minor spell Endure Elements. I can provide it if it becomes needed, but I do not anticipate needing it. If I did I would recommend a wand of the spell. I will assist Elen in the research intelligent wolves and lycanthropes in general. As to shelter, well I thought I had the perfect solution with the spell Shadowy Haven. Alas it can only hold 10 creatures, and even without mounts we are more than 10 when you consider companions.

[ooc]How many of us have companions? Me, Elen, Numair, Calendir. That makes our number 12. Did I miss anyone? Check out that...

That is a nice little spell, too bad the limitations put a damper on larger parties though.

If you are still allowing some purchases for our character sheets, I could add an endure elements wand to mine.

Yes, you'll have a couple of days game time to do that. Beyond a talk with the boatmaster, I'll probably fast-forward through a lot of the next few days to get us towards Gundrun.

Ok, adding that and a mapmaking kit too. I have knowledge geography so I may as well make some maps as we go. Good with the fastforwarding idea.

I am good with fastforwarding to Gundrun.

I am good with fastforwarding to Gundrun.

Here, here! :D

Don't know if i will be able to post decently during the next couple of hours, so here follow some details on Calendir's most likely actions:

Regardless of whatever B&E skills we may have, Calendir will approach Macavity outright whenever the chance is presented and declare his intentions to ascertain each ones abilities at doing so (i am mostly an outdoor infiltrator/tracker, but a closed locked door will stop me, unless I break it down :D From there, and if Macavity is keen on this discussion, we can debate together around the decision of taking the scout Simon along with us or not, and if not simply what information we would like to gather from him, if any. This conversation can take place during the boat ride.

"Any other questions that you can think of?"

I want to see what the presents are, then I'll adjust my inventory accordingly.

Elen breathes a sigh of relief when Thurl told her the situation in the camp was not, in fact, company-store slavery-in-all-but-name. She nods to him in acknowledgment and resumes her seat.

Macavity nods at Artemis's reply to his questions but is unsatisfied. He wonders to himself, What is this mercenary work? Someone has to pay to maintain and attract mercenaries. Otherwise, they leave. And if someone is paying, where does their money come from? What are they asking the mercenaries to do? What is their goal?

His grin increases mischievously at Artemis's statement of a lack of "breaking and entering skills." I guess Artemis does not have a complete evaluation of our skills. Mine, or anyone else. Interesting. He thinks to himself.

When another polite opportunity arrives for more questions, Macavity asks, "Master Thurl, I understand from your answer about the economy of the Camp is that the single paymaster is this Usurer who employs mercenaries. The paymaster pays these mercenaries to secure the Camp from attacks. The potential score of Tsar attracts more mercenaries to the Camp, and this currency exchange provides some income to the Usurer to pay for this security. Do I understand this correctly? I'm missing two things. Do you know what motivates the Usurer to keep him operating at the Camp, and where is the additional revenue to the Usurer to pay for these mercenaries unless the currency exchange is truly extortionary?"

@Shadow Haven: With 8 of us, 4 companions, and 8 mounts(less if we double up), it would take 2 castings. Even if I send Sharav to sleep in the Celestial realm at night, I don't think we can get the count under 10.

I am suitably attired for the desert, and many of us can withstand oppressing weather. I wish to ensure none of us die because we were fatigued from frostbite or heatstroke. Your spell sounds perfect, but I worry about depleting your spells each day on safeguards. We may need that power directly, especially if we intend to confront the dragon at the gate.

We shall look into all these matters, Artemis. The tomb, the wolves, the missing caravan, and the dwarven king. I will trust our scholars to investigate more on these creatures you've described. We will also map in detail, for when this land is reclaimed.

I am certain you will excel, Lavinia. Perhaps Calendir can assist you. Given the request from the guild, I will instead go there to see what more I can learn, leaving Ruul to secure our passage. Macavity, I am certain you have things to prepare for this mission, as Drovan often would, so I'll leave you to them. Let us return to the tavern and be ready to leave when the barge departs.

I don't think the Usurer pays the mercenaries anything. They're there for their own purposes and he just maintains the peaces by establishing some sort of order.

Ruul considers the task presented to him.

"I am no expert on seafaring vessels but I will secure us some sort of passage to Gundrun."

The minotaur glances at the dwarf.

"Perhaps we should see those provisions first."

When another polite opportunity arrives for more questions, Macavity asks, "Master Thurl, I understand from your answer about the economy of the Camp is that the single paymaster is this Usurer who employs mercenaries. The paymaster pays these mercenaries to secure the Camp from attacks. The potential score of Tsar attracts more mercenaries to the Camp, and this currency exchange provides some income to the Usurer to pay for this security. Do I understand this correctly? I'm missing two things. Do you know what motivates the Usurer to keep him operating at the Camp, and where is the additional revenue to the Usurer to pay for these mercenaries unless the currency exchange is truly extortionary?"

"My understanding is that the Usurer does not own any of these group, they are independent of the Camp.They likely repel attacks for the purposes of self-survival, and the Usurer pays them for that specific service. But I don't think there is any standing arrangement between those parties, so far as I know. As for the Usurer's motivations for being there, I have absolutely no idea. I understand that he has been there for years now. Perhaps he like the little bit of power that he wields in this world. Who knows."

@Shadow Haven: With 8 of us, 4 companions, and 8 mounts(less if we double up), it would take 2 castings. Even if I send Sharav to sleep in the Celestial realm at night, I don't think we can get the count under 10.

I am suitably attired for the desert, and many of us can withstand oppressing weather. I wish to ensure none of us die because we were fatigued from frostbite or heatstroke. Your spell sounds perfect, but I worry about depleting your spells each day on safeguards. We may need that power directly, especially if we intend to confront the dragon at the gate.

We shall look into all these matters, Artemis. The tomb, the wolves, the missing caravan, and the dwarven king. I will trust our scholars to investigate more on these creatures you've described. We will also map in detail, for when this land is reclaimed.

I am certain you will excel, Lavinia. Perhaps Calendir can assist you. Given the request from the guild, I will instead go there to see what more I can learn, leaving Ruul to secure our passage. Macavity, I am certain you have things to prepare for this mission, as Drovan often would, so I'll leave you to them. Let us return to the tavern and be ready to leave when the barge departs.

"Before you run off, Numair, perhaps you would like to see what the Society has put together for your expedition?"

I just suggested that!

But of course! Please, we are all eager to see what you have assembled

Good old wisdom 8. Ready to run a race without making sure his shoes are tied, so to speak.

"Follow me, everyone. I am sure that all of you have heard of Hogfather's Night, the old Sarkosis holiday to celebrate the start of winter? Well, if not, think of it as an excuse to give out presents." With that, Artemis stood up from the table and moved back into the main hallway, towards the frosted glass door. "I hope you like it, if changes need to be made, we have a couple of days before you leave for Gundrun to take care of them." With that, Artemis opens the doors. You see inside eight backpacks, almost empty it would appear.

"Also, each of you have been fitted with a light warhorse to take with you, as well as some provisions for them. The boats usually provide feed for the horses as part of the fee, don't let them steer you otherwise. Take a look inside the bags and let me know what you think."

Here is the breakdown of what the party, and certain member types (and one individual) will be getting:

Have a look everyone and mull it over (in the discussion thread if you want), let me know what, if any changes need to be made. I have to step out for a couple of hours to run errands on my lunch break. I'll be back soon.

I'm sure Ruul is pleased to be given a shaving kit. *snickers*

He'll be glad to have it when its blazing hot! Do minotaurs molt for the summer? Ooh... we could shave him like a french poodle! >.<

These are quite suitable. Everyone?

Ruul looks the contents of the pack over.

Not knowing precisely what he's looking at, the minotaur invokes a prayer to grant him the ability to read magical auras.

Detect Magic

"These are fine provisions", the minotaur says with a nod of thanks. "Though I'm not certain what this is for", he says holding up the tiny straight razor.

Heh.

Also, can Ruul get something a little bigger. A light horse is going to be very unhappy carrying him around.

"We are working on both the maps and a device that will allow you to teleport between two fixed locations, one being here, and the other, presumably, will be at the Camp."

"I presume that this 'fixed teleportation' will not be ready for some time? We could always use it to both avoid trading gold for iron, and get to a place that is likely, slightly more civilized than the Camp and that nearby village."

"Kallistiel, please look into ways to safeguard our campsite."

"What the hell do I know about camping, other than it's a filthy but necessary evil? If you think that I'll be building bulwarks and other fortifications, you can think again."

---

Looking through her pack, Kallistiel nods in appreciation at some of the higher quality items. "Acceptable."

@Shadow Haven: With 8 of us, 4 companions, and 8 mounts(less if we double up), it would take 2 castings. Even if I send Sharav to sleep in the Celestial realm at night, I don't think we can get the count under 10.

I am suitably attired for the desert, and many of us can withstand oppressing weather. I wish to ensure none of us die because we were fatigued from frostbite or heatstroke. Your spell sounds perfect, but I worry about depleting your spells each day on safeguards. We may need that power directly, especially if we intend to confront the dragon at the gate.

We shall look into all these matters, Artemis. The tomb, the wolves, the missing caravan, and the dwarven king. I will trust our scholars to investigate more on these creatures you've described. We will also map in detail, for when this land is reclaimed.

I am certain you will excel, Lavinia. Perhaps Calendir can assist you. Given the request from the guild, I will instead go there to see what more I can learn, leaving Ruul to secure our passage. Macavity, I am certain you have things to prepare for this mission, as Drovan often would, so I'll leave you to them. Let us return to the tavern and be ready to leave when the barge departs.

There is also the matter of a certain special hammer that needs to be found and returned to its guardian. I for one have agreed to see to this.

Lavinia can't but snicker a bit when Ruul holds up the razor. "That is a razor that men use to shave off their unwanted facial hair."

She'll then turn around to Numair. "Perhaps you should actually find out what peoples strengths are before you assign duties. I can tell you now that I have little experience camping and even less at cooking. My education has been of a more scholarly bent."

Ruul looks at the tiny blade wondering how a man would use it to trim proper fur but eventually shrugs and stows it in the pack again.

"Why don't you come with me Lavinia and we can see to those tasks together", the bull says with a hearty rumble.

When I saw the men's shaving kit I was almost afraid to look at the gift for the women. Good thing they got the sewing kit as only women can sew. :P

hmm. I would like to hold onto one of these Field Scrivener’s Desks. This will be very useful to both prepare spells and to either scribe new scrolls or craft items.Very useful. I must still ask for at least one scroll of Teleport to assure that we can get back here if something very bad happens.

Had I known the house rules in advance, teleport would have already been in my book. What would you think about allowing us prepared casters to have picked up a small number of spells above what we can already cast in our previous adventures. This often happens in my experience. You were generous in allowing Stat bonus plus a d6 for other levels. How about d6 for the next level up? Or even d6-1?

Lavinia does have actual skill ranks in sewing. Embroidery to be precise. It is a proper passtime for a Lady. :)

"That sounds like a good idea Ruul. Not only might the barge's owner prefer dealing with a human, I have no idea how much to get you in the way of provisions." Lavinia clearly means no offense when she makes those comments.

"Especially an attractive human", Ruul says with a nod in agreement.

Did we need to do anything else here or are we clear to take care of those errands?

Elen looks over at Azaraunt. "We have the resources in the shared team funds he is offering to purchase scrolls of teleport, which sounds like a good investment to me. At the very least I would like to study such a spell, though I fear it will remain out of my comprehension for some time yet."And yours too, it's a level 5 for wizard and witch.

"As for cooking, I can handle that, though I'm not what you'd probably call a master chef, I've picked up enough over the years that I won't cause any poisoning. I'll want to buy some better tools though."

I am not sure what funds we will need tp book pasage or to live on once we get there, but we should have plenty for a scroll. We could buy one scroll. I could put it into my book with a spellcraft check I can take 10 on. I believe you can learn (teach to familiar) spells out of my book. Once in my book or known by your familiar we can cast the spell per house rule 3 unless I am mistaken. Use a 4th level slot and make a spellcraft check of 21. For me out of combat this means not rolling a 1.

Ruul looks the contents of the pack over.

Not knowing precisely what he's looking at, the minotaur invokes a prayer to grant him the ability to read magical auras.

Detect Magic The haversack (your pack is radiating more strongly than the others), desks, and everburning torch are all detecting.

Heh.

Also, can Ruul get something a little bigger. A light horse is going to be very unhappy carrying him around.

That can probably be arranged.

VC Artemis Thurl wrote:

"We are working on both the maps and a device that will allow you to teleport between two fixed locations, one being here, and the other, presumably, will be at the Camp."

"I presume that this 'fixed teleportation' will not be ready for some time? We could always use it to both avoid trading gold for iron, and get to a place that is likely, slightly more civilized than the Camp and that nearby village."

---

"It is taking longer than we thought, but we should have the box ready by the time you leave."

When I saw the men's shaving kit I was almost afraid to look at the gift for the women. Good thing they got the sewing kit as only women can sew. :P

hmm. I would like to hold onto one of these Field Scrivener’s Desks. This will be very useful to both prepare spells and to either scribe new scrolls or craft items.Very useful. I must still ask for at least one scroll of Teleport to assure that we can get back here if something very bad happens.

Had I known the house rules in advance, teleport would have already been in my book. What would you think about allowing us prepared casters to have picked up a small number of spells above what we can already cast in our previous adventures. This often happens in my experience. You were generous in allowing Stat bonus plus a d6 for other levels. How about d6 for the next level up? Or even d6-1?

"That can be arranged Azaraunt. We will make sure that you have two available by the day of departure."

Do you mean, to gain spells for your current level, or to have gained just a small number from prior adventures across all levels?

A witch can only teach her familiar spells from scrolls or another witch's familiar. Also, I didn't see the house rule as saying we could cast spells of higher levels thanwould we have slots for, although we can add them to our book/familiar.

I am not sure what funds we will need tp book pasage or to live on once we get there, but we should have plenty for a scroll. We could buy one scroll. I could put it into my book with a spellcraft check I can take 10 on. I believe you can learn (teach to familiar) spells out of my book. Once in my book or known by your familiar we can cast the spell per house rule 3 unless I am mistaken. Use a 4th level slot and make a spellcraft check of 21. For me out of combat this means not rolling a 1.

You have the right of it.