Knowing that he would be up and busy early Psalm changed his custom while in this city and found a reasonably priced Inn to sleep at not wanting to shirk any cleaning duties he would be expected if he returned to the main floor of the Order of Faith.
Psalm walked with the others as far as he found a reasonably priced and respectable inn and made his way in figuring on the common room.
Psalm walks with the others aways. When the question of sleeping comes up. Psalm raises an eyebrow that his fellow gnome might be sleeping beneath the stars. "Oh . . . With the poor at the Order of the Faith I had been staying. I half assumed the laws of these humans would mark sleeping outside inside the walls a capital offense. Outside the walls I went when last I wanted stars over head. We've plans to travel together. Perhaps we could share a campsite."
"I haven't had any problems with the watch the last couple of nights. Of course, they're human. Wouldn't notice a gnome unless they stumbled over one :-). Of course, the fact that I've got alarm up so I can wake up and throw an illusion if they come close probably helps
Sure, I'd be happy to share a campsite. Just so you know, I do have two friends there. Strap the cat and Squeak the squirrel. And yes, they like each other :-)"
Psalm smiles, "Sounds like you thiught of everything.
Seeing the other two gnomes split off from the group, Quint decides this is the best chance he'll get. He hurries to catch up. Hey, wait up! You two were back at the Black Pegasus, right? He asks, as if he hadn't been stalking them since they left, then continues before they can respond. Are you heading out to Blueblossom Haven too?
"We are. Tomorrow morning after we sign the contract. Right now we're heading to the park to bed down. Care to come with us? Its nice and comfortable. And cheap :-)
Oh, my name is Boddynuck. And this [Waves at raven] is Vralk"
"I am Psalm." Psalm looks at the new comer. "Another gnome and of the forest it appears. You were at the Black Pegasus as well. What did you think of the senator?"
Drun heads back towards the compound of the Order of Faith. He looks sidelong at his companion before clearing his throat and speaking.
"So..your a paladin too. Umm, how did you come about to serve Amren?"
Quint greets each of them in turn, including Vralk, then looks to the sky, as if trying to assess the weather, to cover his hesitation. I'd feel safer in my little rooftop nook. These two seem nice enough, but I don't really know them. I don't want to alienate them though... Seems like a good night to sleep under the stars. I just need to make a quick stop on the way.
He then leads them over to a spot close, but not too close, to his nook, and climbs up onto the roof. I'll just be a moment.
Nibbles, where are you? Quint gathers his few possessions, and a small grey mouse appears from a dark corner. Come on, I found you some new friends. He lays out his palm, and the mouse scurries into his hand. He deposits the mouse in his shirt pocket, and it struggles for a moment to reposition itself so that it can see out.
He makes his way back to the others, swinging from a ledge before dropping back down to the street. He introduces the mouse to the other gnomes as if introducing a person. Nibbles, this is Boddynuck and Psalm. Psalm, Boddynuck, this is Nibbles.
Psalm chuckles, "Nibbles good to meet you."
Seeing the mouse, Boddy is quick to grab up Strap and hold onto him firmly.
"Hello Nibbles. Sorry, I don't have any cheese. But I do have a couple of nuts."
He then takes the time to communicate to all of the animals, but ESPECIALLY to Strap, that Nibbles is a friend and NOT prey. Part of Straps Clowder.
He gives Strap the sausage that he'd intended for his own breakfast. Introductions like this, he knows, go a LOT better when everybody is full.
"Bribery is a VERY effective tool"
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Drun heads back towards the compound of the Order of Faith. He looks sidelong at his companion before clearing his throat and speaking.
"So..your a paladin too. Umm, how did you come about to serve Amren?"
Lidras walked in silence for a moment. Part of him wanted to lie. To play the role of the man he wanted to be. Instead, he forced himself to say ”I was drowning in the darkness of my sins. I begged the church to save my soul by ending my life. Instead I was broken and reforged into a sword that the church might wield in Amren’s name.”
Without looking at the half-orc, and after an awkward pause, he said ”And yourself? Where you born into service or did you fall into it like myself?”
Lindaer cannot see the grin that spreads across the half-orc's face as he tells his story.
"I too was given a second chance. My people had captured a paladin of Saxwyn and were torturing him. Between these sessions, I was to care for him and make sure he did not die before they wanted. During these moments he spoke to me of Saxwyn and told me I had a flame of goodness within me and that I needed to escape and serve Saxwyn to allow that flame to grow and become a beacon to other. So I escaped and came here. I too know the darkness of evil, and I think it makes me...us, stronger for we know what lies in the dark and how to combat it! Or so I think..."
Annanar stays in the shadows beyond the rays of lamplight, and speaks just above a whisper. "Listen, Gomdebo, Akassa didn't say anything we didn't already know. There're two angles to work here; the first is to see if you can get any dirt on Akassa from her family or constituents. While you're in Blueblossom, do some digging. Our friend in the Senate needs something to work with. The other angle is to try and get in her good graces, to try and work your way in to a more personal relationship with Akassa or her staff. If this little quest to Midvale is the way to do it, all the better. Got it?" Annanar waits a moment for her affirmative response, then he silently pulls a dagger from a hidden sheath in his sleeve, and quickly flips it around tapping Blackbuster in the back with the hilt. "Also," The Blacksling chuckles as he disappears into the darkness, "watch yer back!
Moon Laureoth sits heavy and still full just above the southern horizon, even as the sun heralds the break of day. Early risers are already about their business, and the city of Rydwyrna starts to bustle even though most have not yet broken their fast. The smells of baking bread and frying bacon waft down just about every street from various inns, taverns, and boarding houses. The Order compounds are already busy with the sounds of training, marching, practice combat, and the casting of spells. Castle Redwood won't open to the public for a good hour, but perhaps now is the best time to try and barter for a reduced price for passage north on a merchant's galley. The docks are the busiest part of town right now, with no doubt, men are moving heavy crates and barrels from dockside warehouses up and down the piers and gangplanks to ships of various sizes and shapes. The harbormaster is busy at his open air office, talking to ship's quartermasters, checking ledgers, collecting the Republic's tariffs and taxes, and sending his inspectors on board every vessel that is yet to be registered. Thick of chest and even thicker of beard, a beard of curly, Shadowland black hair, his close-cropped pate is covered by a midnight-blue, woolen fedora. His well-tailored, durable, cotton garments show him to be a man fit for function and to show his elevated station. His ice-blue eyes weigh coins and men equally, and even from a distance, the command and power of his voice is evident. It's clear the harbormaster is not a man to be trifled with. Yet, he is probably the best man to speak to in order to find out which vessels are headed up the river today.
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Psalm rises a few minutes before sunrise old habit from the hermitage. The Brothers of the Mountain Circle were early risers. I am a little late aren't I.
He pulls out some rations enough for his friends and the animals. He spends sometime in prayer that ends with singing.
Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear!
O Queen beyond the Western Seas!
O light to us that wander here
Amid the world of woven trees!
Aldellion! O Aldellion!
Clear are thy eyes and bright thy breath!
Snow-white! Snow-white! We sing to thee
In a far land beyond the sea.
O Stars that in the Sunless Year
With shining hand by her were sown,
In windy fields now bright and clear
We see your silver blossom blown!
O Aldellion! Aldellion!
We still remember, we who dwell
In this far land beneath the trees,
Thy starlight on the Western Seas.
He smiles as the others wake. Continuing to sing and offering food of mostly trail mix and dry muesli.
Just checking in. Unless somebody tells him otherwise Boddy would have gone directly to the Castle and would be waiting there. It would never have occurred to him to have gone to the docks first :-(
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Lindaer woke up early. He knew that as a paladin he was supposed to rise and speak his morning prayers, but they always felt so hollow to him. Growing up as he had taught him the futility of prayers. The gods listened, but it was one’s own actions that mattered. He still prayed when station dictated them, and he knew them by heart. At times it felt hypocritical, but he knew that a paladin was a symbol. He tried to tell himself it was not so that he might look good.
Before going to the docks, he returned to the castle to meet up with any comrades there. It would not do to split the party.
Just checking in. Unless somebody tells him otherwise Boddy would have gone directly to the Castle and would be waiting there. It would never have occurred to him to have gone to the docks first :-(
Psalm after breakfast follows along seeming cheerful in the early morning.
Rising early, Drun says a quick prayer to Saxwyn (more like talking to a fellow warrior, actually) and then splashes some cold water on his face before hurrying out to meet Lindaer. He spends a long time the previous night thinking about his fellow paladin, and had come to the conclusion that they were to be friends and allies...and Saxwyn seemed to agree..or at least he did not say anything against this.
Seeing his new friend, Drun calls out to him.
Hail Lindaer of Amren! I hope you slept well. I have spoken to Saxwyn and he agrees that we should travel together and be comrades against the darkness."
It easy to see the big, toothy smile on the half-orc's face, for he has forgotten to wear his mask. Others in the atrium move away from the loud halfbreed, many visibly cringing or wincing as he speaks.
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The half-elf politely bowed his head. ”Truly you are blessed. Those who give their souls to the gods are often gifted with the sight. That I should be found worthy in yours is humbling.” He could see the others wince and look away. Good. he thought. Let them be uncomfortable. Those who surrounded themselves only with the proper. Drun was one of the truly blessed, for he was who he was and was nothing more. Lindaer sensed no hypocrisy about him, no faux piety or competitive praying. He was a true paladin.
”Let us go, brother. The best prayer is action, and there is much for us to do.”
After wrapping up a conversation with a slender half-elf that had a Tindaran look to him, a man you recognize from being in The Black Pegasus last night, the beefy harbormaster adjusts his fedora, turns, and looks at Gomdebo Blackbuster. "What's this now?" He gives her a quick visual scrutinization, and she feels herself being weighed and judged, much like the man might appraise the cargo-hold of a ship. "Blueblosoom Haven or Briarhill you say, well, they're on opposite sides of the river, so as to that, the where makes a difference. Imma guess you mean Blueblossom, 'cause the only reason anyone goes to Briarhill outpost is to take the ferry to Blueblossom. You want booked passage, or ye lookin' to work for yer travel? That makes a difference too. Name's Exard, by the way, Exard Artyll, and you are?" As he asks his questions Exard pulls at one of the braided strands of his thick black beard.
Quint is content to tag along with the other gnomes for now, awaiting an opportunity to show his worth. When the others enter the castle, he decides it would be wiser for him to wait at the gates. Quint is no stranger to taking what he needs, and his father taught him a love for trading, but the concept of borrowing or lending has never seemed like a good idea. Growing up on the road, you were unlikely to meet anyone twice, so even with the best of intentions, a loan was unlikely ever to be returned.
I figures that the state of his clothes would likely make anyone offering such a loan reconsider, anyway.
So, he waits at the gate, and watches to see if anyone else comes to collect on the offer.
"Hail and well met Gomdebo of the Blackbuster." Exard reaches out a massive hand with fingers like sausages, expecting a handshake of greeting. After receiving it, he answers Gomdebo's questions. "Aye, the ferry runs from the Briarhill outpost on the southern side of the river to the docks at Blueblossom Haven on the north. As for cattle, I'd have to say I don't know. Most of the cattle coming out of the Haven are already butchered and packed in crates. I suppose they might drove some cattle down the Trader's Route on occasion, bringin' 'em more fresh to market. Don't know that they do that though. Regardless, if you're willing to work for yer supper, as the expression goes, you'd most likely have good luck talking to Captain Vaslov of the Tacking Lady. They just pulled into port from Tradebay, and will be headed up to Blueblossom this afternoon. She's a small ship, but swift, and Vaslov is a good captain, if a bit rough around the edges." Exard smiles at Gomdebo then and says, []b"Lovely dwarf lass like yerself shouldn't have any trouble bringin' 'im to heel, though. The Lady is all the way down on pier thirteen, berth two, down by the Shadow tower. Ye've got time though, like I said, Vaslov's not planning on heading up river till this afternoon."[/b]
--Castle Redwood--
Approaching the castle requires passing through an inspection queue at the main gate. It's a standard procedure, but for the uninitiated, watching the Order Guard rifling through people's bags, having them turn out their pockets, and collecting all of their weapons in roughspun cotton sacks for them to retrieve after their business in Castle Redwood is done is a bit unsettling. Yet, if the group wants to collect the five gold coins, which they might need for passage on a ship north, or wants to try and get Senator Akassa's chief of staff to use his influence to get them free passage, through the queue they must go. For those that really don't like being separated from their weapons, and don't trust the guard keeping the ledgers to keep things straight, the only alternative would be to have a member of the party hold all others' belongings somewhere outside the castle wall.
I thought that was where Lindaer and I were heading. I assume that we are both there now.
Boddy would wait patiently in line, and not protest as his weapons were taken. He would NOT allow his cat, squirrel or raven to be put into a bag though :-) :-)
Quint will gladly watch Boddynuck's animal friends as he waits outside the gates of the castle.
Psalm prickles at the protocol but the opportunity to see the inner workings of a strange culture in a private place seemed to good to be true. "Surely the creatures can stick together and return to us. They are clearly treated well and speak highly of you. Besides Quint you've a keen eye and more human savvy than I, not that's hard." He smiles.
He preps for the search and when he sees the talker companions greets them.
Quint, who seems entirely uncomfortable with guards, searches, queues, and castles, at least in the day time, offers to forego the five gold pieces, and stay outside watching everyone's gear, and animal friends. The others wait patiently in the queue, and bristle only slightly at the Order Guard's rough treatment. Once their relative safety has been ascertained they move through the courtyard of Castle Redwood. A large marble fountain, the center of which is a statue of Guilheum the Great, one of the founders of the Republic, arm extended with longsword in hand, and a shield with a sickle etched into it, bubbles with crystal clear water. Many well dressed men and women sit around the fountain, or on benches in the well manicured garden that makes up the courtyard. Some of them are engaged in vehement conversation, others sit idly. Many people, including some in your own group, look about with a sense of awe and wonder. Following the line of petitioners and would-be advocates into the castle's main entrance, the sound of hard soles on ancient stone fills your ears. Here, inside the massive receiving chamber of Castle Redwood, there are people milling about everywhere, various tables set up with signs of paint on fabric. Near the middle of the southern side of the chamber you see a tall banner with the flag of Midvale behind it, oxhead over a blue flower, all on a field of green. The table in front has a sign that reads: Midvale Volunteers. Behind the table a man in expensive robes, with two armed guards flanking him, stands presiding. At the table, two female clerks in functional yet classy shirt and pants, hand out promissory notes in exchange for signatures on parchment. This is the working of the Republic, paper in exchange for paper, signatures as credence and credit. This is the burgeoning economy, coins replaced by paper and promises. Yet, every vendor in the cities and provinces of the Republic will take such notes, just as surely as minted gold. So, this is where you must go, and what you must do, in order to officially declare your allegiance to Senator Akassa, and seek her chief of staff's influence towards making your travels easier or cheaper, or both.
@Quint
"Thank you very much for looking after my friends"
He then addresses the animals
"Be good. Stay here. Be good"
Boddy joins the line and, when his turn comes, carefully reads the document and, assuming that there is nothing that he finds amiss, happily signs it.
It would never even occur to him to try and gain influence. Obviously, the chief of staff would automatically have done whatever was required :-)
Drun looks mesmerized at Boddynuck's ability to speak with his "friends".
"Is that magic you us to make them listen?", he asks in awe.
"Not really. It depends on how one defines magic, I suppose. Its not a spell, its an ability that all of my people have. We all like animals and they like us. We understand each other. Within limits. Its nowhere near as powerful as a Druids spells are said to be."
Drun nods his head.
"The small creatures run from me. I suppose the skink of my past life still surrounds me, or so I believe. They are very....tranquil."
The guard that Gomdebo addresses looks at her like she just flew in on a magic carpet. "Wha'd'ya mean, how many we expecting? Amren's white beard, it's Castle trolling Redwood, there's always people coming and going? You daft or something?" Obviously Gomdebo's long time spent petrified has put her squarely in a place where the normality of regular daily life in Rydwyrna is foreign to her. The guard both noticed, and felt the obligation to comment. Perhaps his caustic attitude is the very reason he's been awarded Castle Redwood Main Gate duty? Regardless, she and her new companions, except Quint who stayed outside to watch everyone else's gear, shuffle through the queue with all the others and file into the Castle.
"Listen, smart mouth, how about you stop flapping yer lips and just move along like the rest of the rabble?" The guard says, and then picks the butt end of his halberd out of the dirt and gives Gomdebo a light smack on her rear.
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Purposefully not mentioning the interaction, the paladin said, having collected his coin ”I have no issue with honest work. I must also note that we are volunteers, not soldiers. If the senator wanted, she could have sent someone official. The fact that she has not, may indicate that she wishes discretion. Or that she is doing this alone and without further support of the government. The latter may be likely, given that she has lost kin. If we work our way there, we might well be able to blend in better as well. I have a bad feeling that what we are investigating may be darker in nature that a mere disease.”
"I'm certainly willing to work my passage. Not sure that I can do much they will value but if they'll have me I'm up for it"
Psalm purses his lips, "Even in small groupings there comes a time when one member's interest is not served by meeting the needs of another. How much more so in a power structure built on such variant interests, regions and that rewards leaders who attend the desires of the mob."