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Merely having () Aubec crosses his arms to listen to the exchange with the mayor. His mind wanders, but then as he finds himself watching the evil scowl of the wolf, he thinks By Cuthbert, he's right, what is a winter wolf doing here? He will then attempt to detect evil in the wolf, by giving it a menacing look and growling, then "Bark!" he shouts.
Grenep's mouth hangs slightly agape as he thinks 'Did he just Talk? I had heard of this but...'
Always being one to put thought to action with not much thought or creativity in the process he moves directly over to the Winter Wolf looking him in the eye and says in Common "Did you just talk?? I had heard of this but..." He is now standing directly over Gritch and the insulted Badger promptly bites his 'master' on the ankle for the affront. However Grenep has built up quite a degree of scar tissue over his heels from these little 'love nibbles' by now and hardly notices.
Not sure whether he should be trying to pet the magnificent animal, shake his paw or what he just stands there. He then looks over his shoulder to Gunny and asks again "Did he just talk?? I had etc. etc...."
Kavelin raises an eyebrow and takes an involuntary step back and to the side from the white wolf.
"I'm Kavelin," he says, addressing Gunny, but does not move in for a handshake. A winter wolf, you say? Isn't it a bit out of season for such a beast to be in the lowlands?
Knowledge Arcana: Mysterious SKILL BOOST! +14
[You rolled over 10 on a natural 20 check, thats good.]
You remember listening to a woman who claims to have been saved by Gunny a few years ago. She said he 'Teleported' them both and his pet Raven out of an Orc encampment after he fought his way through 50 Orcs all by himself. Later she said that Gunny talked to a Raven, his Raven familiar, named 'Boo' she recalled and they both spoke a weird language as well as the bird speaking human.
Years later you heard another similar story with Gunny as the hero again, this time saving a band of Lizardmen from an evil Ranger bent on killing them all for nothing more than a pair of boots. Gunny felt it was appropriate to punish the Ranger, and instead of killing him, 'Polymorphed' him into a Lizardman. It (the polymorph effect) was permanent.
Merely having () Aubec crosses his arms to listen to the exchange with the mayor. His mind wanders, but then as he finds himself watching the evil scowl of the wolf, he thinks By Cuthbert, he's right, what is a winter wolf doing here? He will then attempt to detect evil in the wolf, by giving it a menacing look and growling, then "Bark!" he shouts.
Detect Evil Results:
The wolf does not trigger your mystical divinations to detect the unclean of thought.
Kavelin raises an eyebrow and takes an involuntary step back and to the side from the white wolf.
"I'm Kavelin," he says, addressing Gunny, but does not move in for a handshake. A winter wolf, you say? Isn't it a bit out of season for such a beast to be in the lowlands?
He offers the hand none the less. But if you don't take it he gives you a look that implies it's no big deal, and shrugs it off.
Gunny: "Frostbite and I go way back, he's been my friend since I rescued him as a pup from a rather testy Frost Giant. It takes him awhile to warm up to someone." He chuckles. "Well usually." He ponders as he contemplates the fact he liked the Half-Orc right away.
Grenep's mouth hangs slightly agape as he thinks 'Did he just Talk? I had heard of this but...'
Always being one to put thought to action with not much thought or creativity in the process he moves directly over to the Winter Wolf looking him in the eye and says in Common "Did you just talk?? I had heard of this but..." He is now standing directly over Gritch and the insulted Badger promptly bites his 'master' on the ankle for the affront. However Grenep has built up quite a degree of scar tissue over his heels from these little 'love nibbles' by now and hardly notices.
Not sure whether he should be trying to pet the magnificent animal, shake his paw or what he just stands there. He then looks over his shoulder to Gunny and asks again "Did he just talk?? I had etc. etc...."
Grenep only Spoiler:
Druidic Insight:
You recall hearing about Winter Wolves from a woodland critter once, they do in fact speak Giant, and are just as smart as the city beings. (humans)
After Gunny addresses Kavelin he answers your question.
Gunny: "Frostbite is a Winter Wolf, they can speak in the tongue Giant. He likes you too, that's a big compliment from him." Looking up at the half-Orc.
"Why don't I show you guys around now? Don't mind the tingling sensation why you cross the gate, it's harmless, and I get to see if your smart enough to know what it is."
Merely having () Aubec crosses his arms to listen to the exchange with the mayor. His mind wanders, but then as he finds himself watching the evil scowl of the wolf, he thinks By Cuthbert, he's right, what is a winter wolf doing here? He will then attempt to detect evil in the wolf, by giving it a menacing look and growling, then "Bark!" he shouts.
Frostbite:
The wolf does not seem impressed. He stands up to his full height, a good four and a half feet, taller than Gunny even, and slowly walks off. His paws leaving icy footprints in the soil that quickly evaporate in the noon sun.
Grenep stands with a goofy smile on his face watching the spectacular wolf walk away. "Coooooool." he says, completely unaware of the pun.
He then looks down to his slighted badger and picks him up "Don't worry Gritchy, I still love you too!" The badger is having none this lovey dovey stuff though and wriggles free of the massive arms, dropping to the ground and shuffling off in a huff. Most observing hadn't been aware that badgers could do anything 'in a huff' but this one seems to be able to pull it off.
Grenep turns his silly smile to the wee elf and says "So let's go already!" and will follow the mighty midget's lead.
(By the way, for any of Grenep's fellow adventurers feeling slightly stunned at seeing a half-orc act this way, don't worry, he gets that reaction a lot)
"I see no reason for delay. Let's seek out this Charlie and his ship and see what awaits our pockets in all this nonsense."
Alvartus starts walking in a direction he assumes is the river (if he has been given a clue where he goes that way) as if he knows exactly where he is going. He doesn't wait for anyone to follow, but if he realizes he is getting out of sight of Cailith he will stop and attempt to Hide and watch his companions.
Knowledge: History (1d20+7=24)
Simn can't help but grin slightly at the interplay between dwarf and half-orc. Dwarves never do take well to having their heads patted, and yet, people seem to succumb to that temptation with them far more often than with, say, gnomes. Most peculiar.
Frostbite is a tad more worrying, being rather larger than him and distinctly predatory. Still, he seems friendly enough, so Simn relaxes after a few moments.
"A quick tour sounds good," he says in response to the mayor's suggestion, but we shouldn't delay getting to the ship too late."
Knowledge: History (1d20+7=24)
Simn can't help but grin slightly at the interplay between dwarf and half-orc. Dwarves never do take well to having their heads patted, and yet, people seem to succumb to that temptation with them far more often than with, say, gnomes. Most peculiar.
Frostbite is a tad more worrying, being rather larger than him and distinctly predatory. Still, he seems friendly enough, so Simn relaxes after a few moments.
"A quick tour sounds good," he says in response to the mayor's suggestion, but we shouldn't delay getting to the ship too late."
K.History roll for Simn only:
Generations ago, a similar named Dragon (Splintercale) was thought to have annihilated an entire city in a fit of rage, no one knows why to this day, or even if it were true. But an empty city stood close to where she was rumored to lair, and one day all trade stopped coming from the land of Gibton. People were dispatched to look into it, and found nothing but an empty city that reeked of sulfur and rotting trash. Not a single corpse was to be found.
A Children's rhyme bounces in your head:
A city emptied, not even the dead.
A dragon's vengeance sated instead.
Burning trees with acidic fire.
The last man falls to the emerald liar.
Gibton is lost, and Splinterscale just might...
Come back to eat you, snatch you up in one bite.
The hopscotch like rhyme is usually followed by kids making dragon teeth with their hands and trying to eat their playmates.
"I see no reason for delay. Let's seek out this Charlie and his ship and see what awaits our pockets in all this nonsense."
Alvartus starts walking in a direction he assumes is the river (if he has been given a clue where he goes that way) as if he knows exactly where he is going. He doesn't wait for anyone to follow, but if he realizes he is getting out of sight of Cailith he will stop and attempt to Hide and watch his companions.
Gunny begins to show you all around town, and by request will get you set up in the Inn with rooms first before seeing Charles. Though he mentions it doesn't look like his ship has made port yet from here. He starts you off to wards the Inn which is located almost smack dab in the middle of town.
"You know, mayor, you may want to be careful of Splinterscale. I've heard stories about a dragon by that name. They don't end well." Simn seems quite concerned about this. Not Flee-While-There-Is-Yet-Time concerned, but concerned nonetheless. Then again, Gunny carries on negotiations despite the dragon having killed him once, so it's doubtful his words will have much impact.
"You know, mayor, you may want to be careful of Splinterscale. I've heard stories about a dragon by that name. They don't end well." Simn seems quite concerned about this. Not Flee-While-There-Is-Yet-Time concerned, but concerned nonetheless. Then again, Gunny carries on negotiations despite the dragon having killed him once, so it's doubtful his words will have much impact.
Gunny: "She might come around someday, I just hope I'm around when she does. We could sure use a metal mine close by, or some way to get a better supply down here."
Gunny motions for you to follow him through the east gate. There is a subtle sensation that you are stepping through a thin membrane made of magic.
You can see Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and the occasional halfling, as well as a few more exotic races all mingling about. Catfolk walk the streets looking for deals on fresh fish, humans haggle with Dwarves on the pricing of hops. Lizardmen can be seen fishing off the docks, diving and catching them in their teeth instead of using poles and hooks. A Drow can be seen in what looks like a seamstress shop fitting a young Catfolk girl in a new dress to your left, while an Ogre demonstrates his scrimshaw carvings on a cart to your right.
Gunny: "As you can see, we are quite the diverse town. We're kinda a misfit town, as I said earlier we offer sanctuary and expect everyone to behave in town. We have guards that keep the peace you'll probably see a patrol or two walking around. Gotta love those Warforged, never sleep never
tire. Quite dedicated to their jobs too. A bit stiff but hey, they're learning to loosen up slowly."
Gunny starts to point out buildings of interest as he leads you to the center of town where the Inn is located.
Gunny: "That building there is the Grog Hall, a popular drinking establishment. Rock Knuckle a Dwarf friend of mine runs games and tournaments there sometimes."
Gunny: "Over there." pointing to a smaller building with rows of hide drying in the sun. "Is the armor smithy, fully tooled to repair any armor you may have but only selling leathers at the moment, metal is in large demand right now."
Gunny's gaze passes to a white painted building and he pauses, hands on his hips.
Gunny: "That is the triage station. You'd be surprised how well a lizardman knows human anatomy."
He then points odd an oddly shaped building, it's mostly made of metal, which seems out of place to the rest of town where 90% of the buildings are wood. The almost circular building as all kinds of odd shapes jutting out at odd angles and pipes running up and down the structure. A light smoke is seen escaping from vents in the upper levels, and this seems to be the source of the sweet maple smell in the air.
Gunny: "Now this is one of our unique treasures. I asked our engineer to get us running water to every building in town as a dare and the guy actually did it. Every building in town has running water, you wouldn't believe what a boon it's been. Water is pumped up from the river, heated here and stored in large tanks, then at a turn of a handle in your home we deliver water. It's quite slick."
Gunny: "Rumsfeld the engineer however has declared inside off limits however, after a little accident with a group of Dwarves trying to 'spike the punch' as they said." He gets a little testy when people tamper with the equipment."
Gunny: "Rumsfled also helped design a locking system that we have at each end of where the river meets the town, it allows us to catch logs sent down stream from the river or to block access to the port from the ocean side. And off in the distance there you can see the mill works, it runs via power from the water fall, turning a great water wheel. You gotta be careful there if you visit, we don't want to use the sick house if we don't have to trying to put limbs back on."
Gunny: "But here is the Inn." There is a big sign on the front carved from wood that reads: The Right Angle.
Gunny: "As I mentioned theres no cost to stay at all, all the rooms are the same size, and we also got running water in each room too. Theres really no catch, other than we are trying to attract visitors and patrons."
Gunny hops inside and rings a bell to summon the desk clerk. A dark skinned man who greets the newcomers as Boombadda welcomes you all.
Boombadda: "Are any of you, in need of special services? We have escorts available at hourly, daily, or weekly needs, and pride ourselves for having the most diverse staff able to meet almost any need you have."
"The rooms themselves are free of charge, but meals do cost a bit of chink. (coin) We also have runners that go to the various eateries it town if your palette is acute."
to Gunny in Common "So they made ya mayor huh? How'd that happen?"
Gunny: "I helped build the town, I wanted to just have a little place for myself, but then I invited some friends, and they invited friends, soon it became as big as it is now. I dabble in magic so I set up a few magical protections and stuff. We're doing good now."
Gunny motions for you to follow him through the east gate. There is a subtle sensation that you are stepping through a thin membrane made of magic.
"I must say, Gunny, I'm impressed. This is hardly the rural backwater I was expecting. Your town is quite cosmopolitan and I can certainly appreciate its amenities. I don't suppose it would be possible to get a better look at those pumps in the future, would it? Under Rumsfeld's supervision, of course."
To the party: Well, gentlemen, I don't know about the rest of you, but I could do with a bit of food and drink after the trip. Then perhaps a bath. It's always good to wash the road off of you once you get into civilization." Kavelin's glance rests meaningfully on the Grenep for a moment.
Gunny motions for you to follow him through the east gate. There is a subtle sensation that you are stepping through a thin membrane made of magic.
"I must say, Gunny, I'm impressed. This is hardly the rural backwater I was expecting. Your town is quite cosmopolitan and I can certainly appreciate its amenities. I don't suppose it would be possible to get a better look at those pumps in the future, would it? Under Rumsfeld's supervision, of course."
To the party: Well, gentlemen, I don't know about the rest of you, but I could do with a bit of food and drink after the trip. Then perhaps a bath. It's always good to wash the road off of you once you get into civilization." Kavelin's glance rests meaningfully on the Grenep for a moment.
Spellcraft:
Spellcraft check when passing through the gate: 25.
"Are there any enemies of Waterlog nearby? I don't see much of a military presence about. Do the citizens form a militia in case of attacks?"
"I must say, Gunny, I'm impressed. This is hardly the rural backwater I was expecting. Your town is quite cosmopolitan and I can certainly appreciate its amenities. I don't suppose it would be possible to get a better look at those pumps in the future, would it? Under Rumsfeld's supervision, of course."
Gunny: "I'll ask him to give you a tour later if you like. He'll want to supervise and talk, and talk, and talk some more. But, ya, I'll ask him for ya."
Gunny: "I'll leave you for now in Boombada's able hands." with that the dark skin man crosses his arms and puffs his chest out.
Boombada: ""Your lordship is wise. I will see to their needs as if they were my own."
"Are there any enemies of Waterlog nearby? I don't see much of a military presence about. Do the citizens form a militia in case of attacks?"
"The town has magical defenses at the gates, drow and ogres as citizens, and its mayor rides a winter wolf. Would you choose to attack here?" Kavelin arches an eyebrow and grins at his fellow spellcaster.
Spellcraft check when passing through the gate: 25.
"Are there any enemies of Waterlog nearby? I don't see much of a military presence about. Do the citizens form a militia in case of attacks?"
Spellcraft:
There are layers of spells, all permanent effects, that you can detect. They seem to be augmented to affect all in the city.
Gunny: "We have no enemies right now to speak off. We are considered neutral ground by most. We allow all to come here freely for trade, shelter, food, rest, or healing. We have a militia or sorts yes, and the Warforge guards employed. It's not ideal, but for such an out of place area no one is really in a position to justify training, feeding, and housing an army."
"Are there any enemies of Waterlog nearby? I don't see much of a military presence about. Do the citizens form a militia in case of attacks?""The town has magical defenses at the gates, drow and ogres as citizens, and its mayor rides a winter wolf. Would you choose to attack here?" Kavelin arches an eyebrow and grins at his fellow spellcaster.
Gunny:"Ha! Exactly! That really was part of my plan, see enemies want what they cant have so they try to take it. I give it to them, usually free. Any enemies we may have had are guests now. How does the saying go? 'Give them the lamp free, and they'll come to you for oil.' something like that."
you[/i] choose to attack here?" Kavelin arches an eyebrow and grins at his fellow spellcaster."You assume that everyone makes rational decisions. Also, it is not impossible that a hostile group might view these residents as a weak target. If the others are powerful enough they might be correct in their thinking."
you[/i] choose to attack here?" Kavelin arches an eyebrow and grins at his fellow spellcaster."You assume that everyone makes rational decisions. Also, it is not impossible that a hostile group might view these residents as a weak target. If the others are powerful enough they might be correct in their thinking."
Gunny: "You sound like my friend Hamish there Delweir, he's always going on about how this is probably a very bad idea. And part of me knows he might just be right, you too I bet, but I think I'm doing a lot of good here, and even though I'm pretty neutral in my stances, being good is what I'm trying to do. So someone must be looking out for me."
"I wouldn't mind some food," I say, "But I think I would like to find that ship first, before I make plans, I was expecting it to be waiting. This town is... very unusual and does not, on the surface appear to need a Servant of the Swift Sword to defend it."
I order some food from the good innkeeper.
Gunny: "You sound like my friend Hamish there Delweir, he's always going on about how this is probably a very bad idea. And part of me knows he might just be right, you too I bet, but I think I'm doing a lot of good here, and even though I'm pretty neutral in my stances, being good is what I'm trying to do. So someone must be looking out for me."you[/i] choose to attack here?" Kavelin arches an eyebrow and grins at his fellow spellcaster."You assume that everyone makes rational decisions. Also, it is not impossible that a hostile group might view these residents as a weak target. If the others are powerful enough they might be correct in their thinking."
"I don't anticipate that someone wants to destroy Waterlog; it does not seem to be the most valuable territory in the region. If it were there would already have been a settlement here before you founded this one. I only asked because I am trying to get a feel for the area and how things are here."
"I don't anticipate that someone wants to destroy Waterlog; it does not seem to be the most valuable territory in the region. If it were there would already have been a settlement here before you founded this one. I only asked because I am trying to get a feel for the area and how things are here."Gunny: "You sound like my friend Hamish there Delweir, he's always going on about how this is probably a very bad idea. And part of me knows he might just be right, you too I bet, but I think I'm doing a lot of good here, and even though I'm pretty neutral in my stances, being good is what I'm trying to do. So someone must be looking out for me."you[/i] choose to attack here?" Kavelin arches an eyebrow and grins at his fellow spellcaster."You assume that everyone makes rational decisions. Also, it is not impossible that a hostile group might view these residents as a weak target. If the others are powerful enough they might be correct in their thinking."
Gunny: "Ah. There wasn't anyone here before myself. We only just started to get wagons here and trade deals worked out. Most people haven't even heard of us yet."
As the mayor leaves, I ask the Innkeeper, Boombada, "So how did you come to move to such an interesting little village."
Boombada: "I came by ship a few years back, there was a storm and we wrecked here. When my captain and crew repaired their ship I ended up staying. I like the diversity here. There's something for everyone."
"You assume that everyone makes rational decisions. Also, it is not impossible that a hostile group might view these residents as a weak target. If the others are powerful enough they might be correct in their thinking."
"No, I'm not in the habit of making rash assumptions. What I will assume is that anyone who came at this town without knowledge of its defenses would be in for a rude awakening by attempting such a brash assault, unless their numbers were overwhelming, or they were exceptionally powerful. Given that Waterlog has managed to not only grow, but flourish, I can surmise that there are no enemies of either great power or great numbers in the area that are prone to swift attacks.
But we can debate such topics later, if you'd like. Perhaps over a bottle of wine and a meal. Boombada, what sort of vintages does your establishment have in stock?"
Boombada: "You all look road weary, let me get a fine plate of cheeses and a spread of our recent crop of fruits. I will send out a service lad who can take your orders after giving you the menu for today."
"If you want to secure your rooms they are all on the third floor, the common area over there is free for your use at anytime as well, and I can have your meals set up there rather than your rooms if you wish."
The rather large man then claps his hands together mightily summoning two runners.
They give you a run down on what can be aquired today:
They point out by request they can probably get anything else, but would need advance notice.
For drinks they currently have:
[14,8] = (22)Spellcraft:** spoiler omitted **Gunny motions for you to follow him through the east gate. There is a subtle sensation that you are stepping through a thin membrane made of magic.
"I must say, Gunny, I'm impressed. This is hardly the rural backwater I was expecting. Your town is quite cosmopolitan and I can certainly appreciate its amenities. I don't suppose it would be possible to get a better look at those pumps in the future, would it? Under Rumsfeld's supervision, of course."
To the party: Well, gentlemen, I don't know about the rest of you, but I could do with a bit of food and drink after the trip. Then perhaps a bath. It's always good to wash the road off of you once you get into civilization." Kavelin's glance rests meaningfully on the Grenep for a moment.
Alvartus slips into the inn at a later hour and order some roast boar with red wine, expecting to have to skip out on the bill. He eats his food as if he was a nobleman, cleanly and with delicate precision. Anyone watching would wonder how he got so large eating food so slowly - until they see how much he eats.
Throughout the day, Aubec the Brazen has looked upon all he has seen with a crooked smile and a raised eyebrow. Strange folk acting stranger he keeps thinking, marvelling at such an odd place.
The inn meets his satisfaction instantly. He nods at the free rates, chuckles at the cost of food, and appreciates the up-front nature of the busines. He will also inspect the lodgings themselves, and pick such a room as meets his taste.
He is both glad of it, but also angry that the town should be so well run that even monsters he would ordinarily attack on sight seem to go about their mundane lives in peace. His mind reels to see a living breathing drow, elves of legend, of infamy. Within minutes, he has exhausted his intuitive ability to detect evil in even perfect strangers. He becomes numb to their puropse, and must accept all the mayor says. Such a strange place...
"Boar and water" he tells the tavern-keep. I expect we'll hear from the mayor the moment the sails are spotted, fellows. No worries there. let us enjoy a feast and discuss our plans." Aubec pulls up a chair and slouches into it, hilt of his blade towering above him.
"My plan, for instance, is to find out if the work this Charles has is worth my time. To battle evil is my purpose, and if he has a problem I can help him solve, then I am ready."
With a huge grin, Brazen Aubec, bronzed armour glinting liked polished brass in the afternoon sun "If that work includes mayhem, havoc, and war, then all...the...better..."