"Well, I guess we should take the doctor's wagon. I really don't feel like returning with just an empty prisoner wagon to remind of the fact that we lost our prisoners. Plus I'm sure the doctor has a good many items in there that we shouldn't just leave laying out here in the middle of the wilderness."
"Yeah. And I hope that b*+!~ does show up. She'll make a nice pelt on the wall. ... if we had walls." Grethel says, looking around ruefully as she finishes speaking.
"Let's get settled and then we can get back here and arrange a mother and son reunion..."
Mornings are one of the few times Hans can be found in a truly good mood. Today is no different. With the warmth of the sun on his face and his eyes still raw but healed, he can look once more on the sunrise and be thankful for another day.
Hans claps Vort on the back with a gentle smile, not of a gladiator's victory but of a friend and comrade. "By the way, good job last night."
He then walks over to the rest of Mardigan's corpse and kneels next to the headless body and whispers a prayer. "Holy Redeemer, as the sun rises again with Your blessings, may Your cleansing flames burn away the transgressions of this sinner as he passes to his final judgment." He bows his head for a moment in silence, then stands and walks away. Hope he enjoyed his freedom. And this thought, though tinged with sarcasm and perhaps not entirely worthy of the faith, also makes him smile.
"Doctor, I suppose it's up to you, but I'd imagine there's something to be salvaged in all that gear. I agree with Alexandria, but I'm just wondering if you see any advantage to taking the prisoners wagon instead?"
"If it's flames you want, dear brother, I'm happy to oblige you," Grethel offers with a smile.
Vort picks up various beakers, flasks and tweezers scattered along the camp perimeter to return to the Doctor's wagon.
He nods his head in thanks to Johannes, but inside feels quietly disappointed in his own fear in the face of last night's blood moon.
After searching the doctors wagon for any additional supplies the party decides that the doctors wagon fulfills the most need at the moment. The doctor tells the group to hide the other wagon as best they can. To maybe come back for it later. The party climbs into the wagon. with the PC with the best ride taking the individual horse. The party then makes its way toward the town of Ranvargo. Those that have been there before tell the others what to expect.
As the dawn gives way to day, Hans's mood gradually shifts back to his usually glum and dark affect. "It's been so long, I can't say I remember much of Ranvargo. Anyone have ideas as to what we can expect?"
OOC:
1. Are we likely to get a warm welcome?
2. Who is in charge of the city?
3. If we had the prisoners, would we be taking them to the prison first or checking in with someone in the town?
4. Do we have a place to stay or will we need to rent rooms?
The doctor answers Johannes questions.
1. Are we likely to get a warm welcome? "Bah, last time I was here Ranvargo was such a backward town that not many really paid us no mind, Except the sheriff of course; not in the good way, but who can blame him with the Prison just a couple of miles away."
2. Who is in charge of the city? "I suspect good Ol' Hearthmount is still in charge. however there is a small council of influential people that also hold sway."
3. If we had the prisoners, would we be taking them to the prison first or checking in with someone in the town? "Ya probably best not to bring up we just let some dangerous prisoners go in the area. Dang, I was hoping to get to the prison first before going to town."
4. Do we have a place to stay or will we need to rent rooms? "Zokar, is a good friend of mine and the professors, I expect he will keep a few rooms open at the Laughing Demon."
Vortigorn will continue working on his fetish made from a fragment of Rufus'(?) skull.
.
"What, if anything, should we say about why we had to leave behind a wagon and if we saw any sign of the brothers or not? Should we give warning that their mother is in the area?"
"They won't know we had another wagon, will they? Not sure why we need to tell them anything, since they'll just probably blame us. If you're really worried, we can say we heard Rufus and his mother are in the area, so we came here to make sure they don't hurt anyone before we capture them. It's sort of true, even," Grethel says. "And if the peasants complain..."
He hands glows briefly with a ruddy fire before it is quickly extinguished.
While he helps identify salvageable items and repack the wagon, Hans listens to his sister's thoughts and then adds, "Doctor, obviously I'll defer to you, but Grethel makes a good point. We probably should hunt them down. Perhaps even now, before we go to Ranvargo."
the doctor response to Johannes, "If he took one of our horses there is no tellin where he could be. I would prefer not to spilt up the group again in which case he would be able to outpace us, Same goes for the mother. Assuming she can change into a wolf."
"I would definitely argue against splitting the party up too. So I guess we just head on to the town then since there is little chance of catching up to either of them at this point."
"Town it is. But once we've had a chance to rest, we feed those two to the fire," Grethel says emphatically.
"No argument there. Fire is better than a hanging anyway, less chance of something coming back."
"Speaking of fire, Grethel, I'm thinking perhaps burning that body would be for the best. There's probably no harm leaving it here to rot, but why risk the spreading of its evil?"
Grethel smiles.
"They never come back from fire, do they, dear brother of mine?"
As they prepare to depart, she'll incinerate the remaining body.
Vort turns the jagged skull fragment in his fingers and feels torn between inscribing a proper sigil that would appease the creative nature of his goddess Desna and scrawling a mark to signify the strength of his Tiger clan.
Vort casually tosses Mard's head on the burning body.
The severed head lands with a wet thud scattering sparks and sticking to the burning corpse.
"Thanks, sis." Hans flashes a smile that, were it not for the scars on his face and a cracked tooth, could have been found charming in another life. Such a life was not to be his and it just looks misplaced on his face.
As for Vort... This is not the first time the barbarian has contemplated a "trophy" of those they'd felled and the tossing of the head into the pyre puzzles Hans. "Vort...is everything okay? Not that I've ever understood why you take those trophies, but that seemed like it was, or could have become, significant to you."
As he speaks aloud, Hans is also wondering to himself if this isn't for the better. After all, keeping the desiccated skulls of sentient beings -- even if they were evil in life -- isn't exactly what he'd call a holy act. He didn't know that it was "unholy", either. He'd just never taken the time to pray on it.
@Vort did you keep the shattered skull piece? or toss it with the skull.
After I few hours of time the small town of Revargo comes into sight around mid afternoon. you can split up or all go together somewhere.
the major places are-
inn- Laughing demon-
Store-
Blacksmith-
Professor-
Mayor-
Prison-
Councilman-
sheriff-
Church-
Graveyard-
Sleeping was difficult for Llanofiss with the images of the Blood Moon still haunting his mind, so he awoke early to make breakfast for everyone. While the others prepared to leave and head back to Renvargo the elf stayed quite as he sometimes does. He tried to pack up as much of the left over supplies into his pack to help carry his weight, then as they traveled he stayed on the flanks and to the sides of the group scouting for threats.
Llanofiss liked the quite time, he could think in peace away from the chattering humans. The events of the day before weighed on him but he knew life carried its ups and downs, he would not be discouraged by the losses they suffered. By the time they had reached the town he rejoined the group from his scouting and tried to cheer them up once more.
"Hoy; we are home and it feels good. I think someone should report the 'sightings' of our escapees to the sheriff if we are to uphold our responsibilities to the town. I for one can not wait to see the professor and discuss his new research."
By the time they walk into town, Hans's mood has fully reverted back to his normal gloomy outlook. "Might be best to check in with the sheriff. (S)He should know what happened, and that way he can let us know if he hears of anything strange."
Grethel shrugs as the others discuss meeting with the sheriff.
"It's a bath for me, and then a proper rest," she says, heading toward the inn.
She leaves the others with one final admonition, however: "Remember, don't let your guard down just because we're in town. These villagers will send you to your death as quickly as any creature out there."
Alexandria will first head to the local church to pay her respects and pray. Then she will head to the inn for a proper bath and a decent drink.
Vortigorn turns to Johannes revealing a small fetish from his belt. His thick fingers run along the deep engraving covering the surface. It resembles slightly a skeletal deer running along a riverside as though it were a tracing of a constellation of stars.
"I do not mean to offend you, friend Johannes. The Tiger tribe performs such rituals to honor our foes. These marks speak to the spirit of our battle and to the gods who watch over us. We thank our foes for giving us strength. Today and forever, we are one under the stars."
Vort slaps the inquisitor on the shoulder and turns to head to the Laughing Demon for a libation.
Llano, Doctor- Professor-
Llano and the doctor come to a two story building that has seen better days, numerous repairs appear to be needed in the house, as you step up to the porch the good doctor knocks on the door, and after a few minutes a beautiful young lady answers the door and after a few kind words from the doctor your are ushered in. shortly there after the professor comes down the stairs. llano immediately takes notice about how he has not changed after the last several years the Professor has looked to have aged ten. a noticeable hobble and him using a cane is just a few changes. the doctor gets up and gives him a friendly hug.
Alex, Crissa - church-
"Wait up Alex!" Crissa shouts before going with Alex to the church you immediately see that the church has no Divine representation on the front or the sides due to it being a multiple god worship area. once inside you see it is divided by sections. a large man with numerous scars on his face as if he was burned come up to the two young women. "Yes." he says with a very gravely voice as if his voice box is also damaged. "How can I help you?"
you see that the big guy is wearing a short sword and appears to know how to use it.
Torgar, hans, Gethel, Vort- inn-
the main group goes to the laughing Demon inn. immediately as you walk into the door you see that since it is just starting to turn into evening several people are in the inn. a large man from behind the bar comes to welcome you. (I forgot who would have been here last time so please assume he greets you warmly.)"Torgar its been ages!, etc" and gives them a hug the rest he gives a pleasant smile and says "Welcome to the laughing demon!" with his hands out wide. and a full smile.
(the inn is know for its food and drink named after demons and undead parts. example Grave-drop soup..)
Hans was never particularly fond of the inn's theme--it was ill-advised to make light of the Abyss and its inhabitants. And he didn't particularly appreciate the rich foods, either, though he recognized others thought the food was quite good.
What Hans did appreciate, however, was the prospect of a decent bed and bath (hot, warm or tepid, he hardly cared).
"May the Dawnflower light your path," Hans replied without a bit of his patron's warmth. "We need rooms, preferably at the end of a hall away from the stairs, and at least two of us will want baths. Maybe some food, too."
He'll order the least flavorful item available with whatever he imagines to be the most watered down brew available, and pay for himself and Grethel.
"Indeed some food," Grethel says, though she seems no less on edge than she did in the wilderness -- if anything, she may be even more tense. "We don't all have your ability to do without, brother dear."
She looks around, giving a quick inspection of everyone else in the room. You can never be too sure there isn't a witch around, after all.
Alexandria and Crissa walk into the church. "Hello sir. We've just arrived into town and I have a habit of offering up a prayer to Pharasma as the first thing I do. I assume that her worship is welcome here."
With an effortless shrug Llanofiss dropped his overstuffed pack on the floor and embraced the Professor in a large but gentle hug.
"So good to see you my friend, it feels like yesterday that I left." With a broad smile he set the old man down and looked around at the once familiar place. "Well I'm sure the Doctor can fill you in on the latest goings on while I rummage us up some food.Go on go on! I'll listen better with a full stomach.
The elf made his way to the kitchens as he left the two colleges to their business for a moment. Soon a pot of oil was simmering over the fire with meat pies sizzling inside. He returned to the old men with a tray full of hot meat pies and ginger seared vegetables over rice, enough even for the others who returned that evening to have plenty.
Llanofiss tried to fill in any details of their years away that the Doctor had not yet covered as the three of them ate. With an satisfied sigh he leaned back in his chair and got to the real issue that tugged at his mind. His search for some kind of shortcut to enlightenment. "Tell me now old teacher, what new secrets of the hidden realm's have you unlocked? Any luck on our research into natural reincarnation in earth worms? Or how about the delve into that encrypted text on transpentigonic runes?"
Vort drops a gold piece on the bar to order a drink. He finds himself a nice dark spot in a corner to watch the rest of the room.
Grethel joins Vort in the corner, keeping her own suspicious eyes on everyone else in the tavern.
"Well, that all went to hell," she says softly to the big Kellid. "They might come gunning for you after what you did."
Vortigorn nods to Grethel.
"Hmm. Yes. Come to me. That will make it easier to hit them with my axe."
Vort raises his mug.
"Here's to a long life and a merry one. A quick death and an easy one. A pretty girl and an honest one. A cold pint-- and another one."
The barbarian drains his mug in one chug.
@johannes- "That will be two gp a person per night. That will include a hot bath and meals if you are staying here" Zoker replies.
@Alex- The big man motions to the side where you see a single alter next to a stained glass window depicting Pharisma killing some undead skeletons. "My name is Vox; if you require anything." he says in his deep gravely voice. Crissa walks forward and sits on the pews while you are attending to your prayers.
@llano- the professor replies that he is currently trying to help his friend at the prison he tries to visit him once a week. for some reasons he is going through some psychotic episodes and the professor fears for his safety.
The doctor tells him about the werewolf and his son and what happened to the caravan. And asks for his advise on what to do about it.
@vort- Zokar seeing you drain the mug quickly brings you another with a smile on his face.
Hans settles a flat gaze on Zoker for a moment, then fishes out 8 gold. "I don't know how long we're staying, but here's enough for two nights." He goes to sit with Vort and Grethel, mumbling to himself about inflation. When his food arrives, he consumes it with his usual gusto... which is to say he slowly picks and pokes at it, occasionally taking a bite. "The alcohol dulls your senses, Vort. But then again, you hit hard enough, I doubt it matters. Again, good work last night. A fitting end for the demon, and I wager your strike saved us from further troubles. It certainly sent his kin fleeing quick enough."
Listening intently the elf pondered the professors recap of his research. Then became worried when he mentioned the 'friend' in the prison.
"Well Professor put your worries at ease, I will gather the others tomorrow morning and we will go and see your friend in the prison, I am sure one of us will be able to help them. So what do you think is really going on with them? Possession? Trans-dimensional arch-prophecy? Or just a plain old nutter?"
Alexandria will attend to her prayers, including all her comrades in them. When she is done, she will collect Crissa and then head over to the Laughing Demon. With her prayers done, she figures that she is due a drink or two for the past few days that they have had. She also hopes that a hot bath will be available later on.
@llano- the Professor is used to your attempts at humor and is not effected. " Please Llano, the gentleman in question was once a friend of ours. He has been getting worse of late however. you might have heard of him. Prof. Hean Feramin, A.K.A. The Splatterman. "
Vort flips a gold coin to the innkeeper and raises the mug to his lips once more. He stops short and thinks for a moment.
"Yes, friend Hans. Your words are wise. Our enemies could be closer than we think. We'd be best prepared.
Vort shall gnosh instead."
Vort signals for the innkeeper to bring a leg of the house meat to the table.
Llanofiss blushed slightly at the Professor's admonishment. He began to clear away the used plates and cups from the small sitting table they were at.
"Not offense intended Professor. I may joke a bit but I always give you my best work. I will go and tell the others of the current state of things in the prison and we will be there to see for ourselves first thing tomorrow. For now gentlemen I bid you ado."
Cleaning up after his work in the kitchen the elf packed up the leftover food and headed toward the local Inn.
@alex- Zokar greets Alex and Criss once they get in with a warm hug and tell them the same on the cost to stay.
@llano- the professor pats Llanos hand to show there was no offense taken before llano leaves. the Doctor plans to stay with the Professor at his home and bids you goodnight.
When Vort promises to take it easy on the tankard, Hans's face offers whatever it is he thinks resembles a smile -- it's not malevolent, it just... doesn't look right on his face. He then finishes up his own tranche of bread and stew, takes another sip from his own watered down ale then pushes back from the table. "I think I should check in with the sheriff. The constabulary should know what's in the woods and they can let us know if they learn of any suspicious activity."
He deposits his traveling gear in the room, confirms his pistol is in good working order, then heads off to find the sheriff. Need to be careful in how I phrase this. Don't want to set off a panic, and we need their help, not their contempt for our failure.
Alex will hand over some money for the room and then go and grab some hot stew and ale. After which, she will ask about the availability of a hot bath.
Vortigorn finishes his meal, pays the innkeeper and heads to his room.