They will. I've just run out of juice and need to step away for a bit. :)
GM, can you mark me as inactive? Thanks.
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I hate doing this, but I'm going to be dropping out. I've pretty much lost all interest in the games I'm in and not in a good place, mentally, to play. Sorry to do this, but, well, better to let y'all know now than just ghosting on everyone.
Cool. I'm still around, just not feeling up to a post. Not even sure what to post anyway.
Behind the group, coin clinks and grumbling ensues as a bet is won and lost between the twin brothers. Meanwhile, Allysen looks about, feeling something's very wrong here. Her hands hold onto Katherine's shoulders, reassuring herself that her ha'folk friend is still there.
Allysen - ummmm...the ugly one? :) Thanks! Alrighty. Just let me know which one that is. I'll play the other one.
Sure. Do you want the ugly one or the good looking one? (their identical twins, btw)
Guess I'll play the Stabbingto- I mean the, uh, Bashington, yeah the Bashington Brothers. ;)
I think I'll take Karl if Wolfram doesn't mind.
Talish and Valon are brothers, mercenaries in their late twenties that blew into Sandpoint a couple of years ago. The scars they bear with pride tell of battles hard fought and while there's nothing overtly threatening in their manner nor their smooth, deep voices, there's still some sinister air about them.
Allysen's dark mood is no match for Katherine's jaunty tune and sunny disposition, and soon she finds herself humming, then singing along with nonsense lyrics she makes up on the spot.
Allysen, an old hand at packing for journeys given her usual work, makes sure that everything is ready to go.
Allysen gives Katherine a troubled look as well and sighs before following the others out. "Maybe we can keep Isagoras' hotheadness in check long enough to talk things out."
Okay, lead on. Updating all my games since I've gotten more good news.
Thanks. Called my grandfather today. He seems to be doing well all things considered.
"Would that not anger them? After all, they could see us as assassins when we do that. They may not like them, or even agree with their leaders, but that does not mean they will appreciate us coming in and killing them."
Good news, my grandfather isn't showing symptoms and my grandmother will likely recover in time.
Will do, and thanks guys.
Just a heads up. Over the past few days I have found out that my grandparents on my dad's side both have COVID-19, my grandmother on that side is also in the hospital with a strep infection on top of this, and my grandfather on that side has been undergoing chemo treatments for cancer. Both are 76-77 years old, so already in the high-risk category before the rest of it. Just keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
"Okay. You lead on this one."
Katherine's urging is enough for Allysen to follow, although she had been waiting to hear more form Wolfram. "Everything alright, Kat? What's going on?"
"Did he see any tracks or was everything too jumbled?"
Eh, not sure, offloading our loot?
Allysen sits beside Katherine, grateful for the little woman's presence and care. She decides it's better to let her more esteemed companions handle the conversation with the guards.
Katherine can see that Allysen is far more skittish than usual. She turns and looks around with a frightened look on her face at things only she can see or hear. The others can see that she's acting much like she had the night and morning after being visited by the elves she named as Ma Belladonna's agents. After scouring the place and getting things ready for the cart, She finds a place that's out of the way and curls up in a corner. Too exhausted to do anything else and too scared to sleep.
Allysen nods and numbly goes about doing what she can, mainly just checking for any missed nooks or hiding spots.
Allysen takes Belros' word for it and feels a sick, churning feeling in her stomach as she hugs Katherine like a sailor lost in a stormy sea hanging onto flotsam. "H-he attacked first," she asks.
No post until tomorrow. Sorry.
Katherine feels Allysen stiffen when Belros realizes what "Ned" may have been trying to do. Raw terror paralyzes the half-elf with a grip of iron and Allysen's mind goes blank. "D-did he have some mark or badge on him," she asks after a long, uncomfortable silence.
Allysen looks at the knife for several long moments, not saying or doing anything except holding Katherine. Slowly, her gaze falls and she shivers as she starts to think through the possibilities. The most worrying was that he was also sent by Ma Belladonna. "I'm sorry," she mutters into Katherine's hair. She wants to hide, to run away and disappear, but where could she run to? She feels trapped and wonders if she has doomed them all by staying.
Lord Belros and the others find Allysen holding Katherine like a lost sailor hanging onto a lifeline. She looks up, her eyes full of hurt, fear, and just a spark of anger. "You don't have to bother defending your actions to me," she says, a sullen note souring her tone.
Allysen holds Katherine tight, rocking back and forth as she hears the fight break out. As everything goes silent, she whispers softly to the ha'folk cowering in her embrace. "I-it's over Kit-kat. It's over," she mumbles as she tries to keep from crying, screaming, and vomiting all at once. It must have been terrible for poor Ned, fighting hopelessly for his life. She tries to keep from picturing the scene, but her imagination is too good and she can only shudder at the brutal and thorough job her "companions" must have done.
Indeed. :D There's a lot of interesting dynamics in this party. On the one hand you have emotional characters like Allysen, Isagoras, and to a certain extent Katherine, then on the other you have characters like Lord Belros and Wolfram that are more even keeled, and on the gripping hand, you have MWG who's stoic as stone. You have characters that are very strict in their morals, Lord Belros, Wolfram, and Isagoras being the chief ones here, and then you have characters who are more willing to bend, like Allysen, Katherine, and MWG. There's more, but me brain's too tired to think of 'em.
And this is when we find out that Ned's an assassin bent on killing us all. It'll be fine. :P By the way, I am loving this. It's just juicy banter and roleplay fodder and I'm eating it up! I think MWG is just busy, but yeah, we should probably wrap this up. I can't wait to see how this develops.
Allysen follows Katherine and once the are alone, she curls up on the floor and pulls Katherine into a tight hug. "Th-they're gonna kill 'im. They're gonna kill 'im and there's not a thing I can do," she whimpers as tears fall into the ha'folk's hair.
Allysen shakes her head and groans. She really hoped the others weren't about to make good on their promise from last time. "Ned, why?"
"Then let's go say hi," Allysen quips before slinking off into the shadows.
Up to date. :)
Allysen holds up a finger for silence as she hears something echoing in the tunnels.
"Better luck next time, Isagoras," Allysen says before starting to move stuff to the wagon.
No post from me tonight. I'm okay, just really tired.
"I'm okay with paying for it, though we might want to see if the baron has anything we could take care of for him at some point."
After looking at the loot sheet, I won't be keeping any of the silk. I didn't realize there were only 9 bolts.
Ouch. Ear infections are no fun. Hope you get better soon. :(
"Hello, Father Wolfram. How have you been," Allysen asks as she and Katherine arrive.
Sorry, I don't know why I forgot MWG. I mean, she's the monk/ninja after all. Maybe she's just that stealthy? :P
I could use either, but I'm not sure that Allysen would take them from Isagoras. Lord Belros and Wolfram could also use them since the three of us are the main fighters.
Congrats! Also, I didn't know you wrote the Dalsine Affair. I remember playing that one, and also some of the shenanigans that occurred during the session.
"Always," Allysen whispers before falling asleep. Her sleep is undisturbed by the dreams that normally haunted her. She smiles as she holds Katherine close, happy to no longer be alone.
Allysen walked up the pier to a small sailboat getting ready to set out. She had asked around the docks for someone looking to hire some help that was also willing to teach a greenhorn how to sail. Most had laughed in her face, but a few sailors had pointed her to a man named Aquailius Arget, the experienced, if eccentric, captain of the aptly named Seasprite. She had heard that the man was odd, often asking strange questions or making unusual requests for apparently no reason. No one was quite sure what he did with the small and fleet Seasprite, but the rumors were many. She would rather had a less conspicuous teacher, but her options were limited, and she had to learn all she could in the two weeks she had. She didn't want to leave her companions, especially Katherine and Moves with Grace, behind, but she didn't think they would be allowed to come with her either. Besides, most of the others were busy with various tasks around town. She took in a deep breath and steeled her nerves. Her steady steps up the pier brought her to a man in his late fifties loading the ship. "Captain Arget," she called out. The man stopped and looked up at her, his gray eyes piercing into her from his tanned and weathered face. "Aye, that be me," the man answered in a voice that rumbled like a storm just over the horizon. "What do you seek me out for?" "I heard you were looking for help, and I wanted to learn how to sail," Allysen answered honestly. She stood as tall as she could, but she was well aware of how small she was. She watched the captain appraise her. He rubbed his chin, and she could swear that she could almost hear him noting things about her in his mind. "Ye ain't like most greenhorns I meet, are ye," he says before waving to the crates of supplies still to be loaded. "Lemme see how hard ye work. Help me load the Seasprite and then we'll talk about ye sailin' with me." Allysen nodded and got to work right away. She worked as fast as she was able, trying to prove her wroth, but some things were simply too heavy or awkward for her to handle by herself. When Captain Arget helped her, he put her in the most awkward or difficult position and demanded that she make it work. She was thankful for the calluses on her hands once the last of the crates had been loaded. Her muscles ached, but she had managed to keep up with the captain's demands. "Suppose ye did good enough, fer a greenhorn," Captain Arget groused. "Can't head out just yet, so tell me, why do ye wanna learn about sailing?" Allysen stretched out her muscles as she thought about it. In all honesty, she had almost decided to do this on a whim, but there was something more to it than idle curiosity. "I want to be useful," she answered after a few moments of contemplation. "I have few skills I can offer my companions, so I wanted to learn something that would help us." The captain nodded as he stroked his beard. He looked to where she had set her equipment down while she had been busy loading the boat. "I see. Are ye sure there's not another reason, something ye be runnin' from?" Allysen thinks for a moment. Was she running? She didn't think so, not this time anyway. She needed to clear her head. Was that part of why she was doing this? Maybe. "No, not running," she tells him. Captain Arget nods and points to one of the mooring lines. "Well, best I start teachin' ye, then. Start workin' on that line, we'll be puttin' out soon." The next few days were filled with hard work and long days as Captain Arget taught Allysen about the different tasks that needed to be done on any sailing vessel. Most of it were basic skills and knowledge that she'd need on any vessel, but between the lessons on what different terms meant what parts of the ship did what were the lessons on sailing, how to read the wind and waves. The fifth day was different. Captain Arget smelled the air and gave Allysen a crazed grin. "Ah, it be a fine day for a squall. Get ready me girl, for the sea be playin' rough today," he cackled. Sure enough, the waves grew rougher and the wind began to howl over the water. The salty spray soaked Allysen through to the bone as she stumbled over the deck to do as Captain Arget commanded. Adjusting lines, securing hatches, and furling the sails before the wind could damage them. All through the tumult, Captain Arget howled and laughed. Allysen was sure that the man was insane, but she could hardly deny the thrill she was feeling as she began to anticipate the crashes and rolling of the boat. She looked up as thunder rumbled overhead and lightning flashed through the anvil black clouds. She clung to the line she had just finished secure as she stood transfixed. She felt something inside of herself flicker with the lightning and felt the beat of thunder as the wind swirled around her. Her heart pounded. There was an allure to the storm, a terrifying beauty made all the more potent for its savage fury. The waves began to calm as the sky above them lightened. The wind was still strong, but no longer the howling beast it had been. As they sailed out of the storm, Allysen looked back and wondered what she had felt, then. The rest of the voyage was uneventful. They arrived at a small port town and took on some cargo before heading back to Saltmarsh. Allysen continued to learn and work. Lessons on navigation and the dangers that could lurk below the waters replaced those on knot work and the proper handling of rope. After ten days, the Seasprite arrived back in Saltmarsh and Captain Arget bade Allysen farewell. The half-elf found Katherine and gave her a hug. She hadn't really had time to realize how much she had missed the halfling and smile was bright as she picked Kat up and spun around in a circle. "So, did you miss me, too," Allysen asks as she sets Katherine down and they walk towards the inn. A bath, a hot meal, and a night of cuddling were all she really wanted for now. At least now that she and Katherine were together again. A Little Bonus. I mean, Love found is one of the things you can do when you draw Hearts :D: Allysen, fresh from a hot bath, closes the door behind her as she enters the room she and Katherine are sharing. The half-elf gets ready for bed, pulling on a flannel nightshirt that is too big for her and slipping under the blankets next to Katherine. She cuddles the halfling, happy to just have a chance to find out what could happen between them. "You're the best treasure I've ever found," she whispers before kissing Katherine on the nape of her neck. "Not to mention the cutest."
Once Katherine's done, Allysen fills in more of the time telling everyone about the time she and some guards from the caravan she was with ran across some goblins while they were hunting for some game to supplement their rations. What made this encounter special was the fairy nest they disturbed while fighting. It was rather odd being two feet tall of a few hours, though she got off lightly compared to the goblins. She never was able to see rabbits the same way after that.
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