(3b) - Legend of the Elder Souls - Group B (Inactive)

Game Master mdt

FYI White Oak weighs 48 lbs per cubic foot dry (12%) or 62 lbs per cubic foot green. Or, 17,280 lbs dry, per load, or 22,320 lbs green cut. Three loads of dry is 51,840 lbs of wood, and green cut is 133,920 lbs of wood. Or, 26 tons of dry wood, or 67 tons of green cut. A single 10 foot long log that's 2 foot in diameter weighs about a ton.

good thing weight is negligible in a portable hole.

We would definitely need a road, without a portable hole

Yep, but that's a lot of huffing and puffing to put it in. :) Assuming he'll let you take it with you to fill up. If not, as Sterling says, you'll need to make a road to haul it down.

oh, i thought he was gonna loan it to transport the wood... without that, we'd be hard put to collect what he wants and bring it here

we could utilize the villagers, and help establish a trade route for them. I would have to negotiate with the stones singers to smooth a road to the surface, and create a bridge over the chasm.

"Not like we're in a rush, but I don't much care for the idea of hauling logs around. "

Where do you stand Paul? collect wood, or move on?

"I'd like to get on with trying to find allies. I realize that such an item would be very valuable but I'm not sure we're up to the all the work. I don't know how much easier magic would make it. If Luna is up for it I say we do it, otherwise let's move on."

"I only think it's worth it if we can use the hole to collect and transport the wood... if not, let's just move on... we have DO have an agenda after all."

Sterling nods. He turns back to the haggler and says in Raptor. We show good faith, moving one of The People through the wall at no cost. You offer us faith, by give us hole to move wood, until paid off. Let the trust between us bring prosperity to all.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22
Mythic Surge: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Diplomacy Check 28

The Raptor eyes the group. "Trusst musst be earned, never given, ssold, or bought." The way it says the phrase, the group thinks it's likely an adage. "A compromisse. One of you will sstay in my home, ass an honored guesst. The other three may take the hole and go for the wood. When the debt is payed, then all can continue on, yess?" The Raptor counter offers.

"I'm not very strong and might not be much help with woodworking and such... I'll volunteer to stay behind, if that's okay."

"That sounds logical. We will try and be as quick as possible but each round trip will take a while. With magic and brawn we should make quick work of the wood though."

"Are you in need of any special tools? Saws? Axes? anything of the sort?"

Further bargaining Sterling eyes the raptor. One has agreed to be guest, what is our gracious hosts name? Before we finalize. We need tools. Tools that cut wood, and tools that pry crystal from rock. to be returned when work is done.

Harry probably has better tools available than you'd get on loan, since his would be masterwork tools, and their tools, what they do have, are for a radically different physiology.

"I am Corrracorr." The Raptor responds, then tilts it's head. "We do not have ssuch toolss. Unlike ssurfasse dwellerss, our bodiess are not dessigned for ssuch tasskss. We do not have treess, and for mining, our sstone ssingerss ssing the sstoness."

Then a deal is struck, and we move on. Wasting no time, Sterling starts his trek back

The raptor shows Luna back to his home, a rather large estate type setup that takes up an entire underground cavern. He leaves the portable hole with one of his servants, who hands it over about 15 minutes after he and Luna leave.

Other than filling the thing with wood, are Sterling, Harry, and Paul doing anything else topside? What is Luna going to do during the month or so it'll take? Also, are you going for seasoned wood or raw cuts? Seasaoning the wood in the kilns will take about 3 months, but you'll have to do less cutting. Cutting 6 loads of raw wood will take about 3 months all by itself, but then you'll have to make 6 trips down. All in all it will take about 6 months no matter which way you go. Seasoning will leave you more downtime with less work.

Considering I'm hoping that this nail biting section of the narrative is covered by a wood chopping musical montage, I really don't care. Someone wake me up if something happens.

We will be mining crystals from that patch of them during our round trips down under, whatever can be reasonably done. Dry wood is fine by me. And I'll offer to bring the villagers to help establish trade if they want.during wood drying times, I will replenish my alchemical supplies

Luna will be using her time with the raptors to try to perfect her knowledge of their language and her ability to produce the sounds as much as possible. She'll also try to find some appropriate tools, as much as she can and build mechanical gadgets, maybe things they don't already have - small toys for their kids with simple wind-up type motors, clocks, anything mechanical (craft: mechanics) the don't already have knowledge of. If she can, she'll try to learn something new from them - a new profession or craft or performance skill that she can spend points on when she goes up another level. Or maybe even some knowledge of a new way to use what she already knows... like maybe learn some alchemy and segue into the investigator class if you'd allow that. who knows...

LOL, yes, musical montage, just needed to know what everyone wanted to do. I'll get a detailed post up tonight or tomorrow. Back on the road, so in a hotel and posting at night. And I'll need to work out how much of everything you can get, etc.

Paul has nothing special planned. Just trying to get the work done the quickest way possible.

Assume the Benny Hill theme music is playing as everyone moves at 3x speed

@Luna - No investigator class, sorry. Any archetype for Rogue is fine though. Game reason for it. You can pick up pretty much any standard fantasy profession. You can start learning the language as well, and put a point into Linguistics to learn Raptorian next level

The trio spend a couple of months filling and hauling the portable hole multiple times, seasoning most of the wood in Harry's kilns.

Luna spends the time learning the Raptorian language and history. She can now make Kn(History) checks on Raptorians, as well as Kn(Local) on them, as well as some checks on the Phaitai as well. She can also learn Raptorian next level

At the end of it, they've dropped off several tons of wood. They've also had to fix the bridge over the chasm. I'm assuming they built a bridge and brought it back with the portable hole and pushed it over the chasm?

The towns-folk have indeed made several trips with the group, and have established some trade, although they will be unable to move anything so laborious as raw lumber for quite some time.

When done, the raptor seems pleased with its warehouse of seasoned wood. It bobs it's head. "A pleassure doing bussinesss with you."

The group also managed to pick up about 350 gold ingots transferring people and goods back and forth over the barrier. Each is slightly bigger than a normal gold piece, so 6 ingots = 10 gp

And finally, with their newly acquired portable hole, the group steps through the wall to the other side. I'm assuming you would have contracted for another guide

"I am Sscales of Ssky." Says the blue tinted raptor, who bobs it's head. "You requested my Sservices?" The blue and gray raptor has the best 'upperworlder' accent any of you have heard. "My prisse is 6 ingots of gold per week. You will not find any with more experience dealing with upperworlders."

and how much crystal was collected?

Sterling eyes the raptor with suspicion. It bothered Sterling that there would be any friendly exchanges with the upperworlders especially the church. He hates to think that they not only knew of the demon wall below ground, but would be waiting with a trap. Or something more sinister, a guide to maneuver them into a trap.

Casually Sterling says, what do we get for such a price? what is your experience with upworlders?

"I am one of the few who put up with upworlders. If you are not interessted, it iss no hide off my ssnout, ass you upperworlders ssay." The raptor turns and begins walking off, apparently indifferent.

actually had 'retrained' a skill point into raptorian language... was that wrong? I thought you were addressing all of us when you said we could do that, was that for Sterling only? If so, I'll retrain back and do it next level. What about building small mechanical things and toys for them - do they like that, or indifferent? Just curious as to whether they are appreciative or interested in such things.

"Scales, don't leave... no insult was intended, nor did anyone mean to say your services were not appreciated or wanted... We will pay your requested fee of course."

Once Scales returns, IF he does, Luna will ask a bit about the upworlders here on this side of the wall. "Can you tell us about the Upworlders you've talked to? What are they like?"

@Luna - No, just the GM forgot you had retrained is all. The children like them. The adults seem to think they're a bit of frippery but don't dislike them. They don't seem to take them as anything other than toys for kids though. You do make quite the splash with the juvenile raptors. Also, you can tell male from female raptors now.

The Raptor stops, and turns around, tilting it's head to one side. "Very well. My experience with upperworlders iss that they are pompous jerks." The raptor waggles it's head in the equivalent of a shrug. "Too much about ssin and damnation, and too little about perssonal responsibility. But their gold sspends ass well ass anyones."

"And if we hire you, do we hire your discretion and silence as well as your guidance?"

Paul laughs on hearing Sscales describe the humans from the other side. "You pretty much hit the nail on the head with your description of upperworlders from your side. That's been our experience with them too."

You might even call them Assssholess

"Yeah, not exactly an open minded bunch. "

"Well, ssome have become open minded. But it required application of tail bladess with extreme forsse." The raptor says thoughtfully. "But yess, they are ssomewhat difficult to kill when they turn nassty. My loyalty is bassed on your ingots and your actionss. I am not a charity, and I don't give my loyalty to idiots." The raptor waggles it's head in a shrug.

Sterling pulls 6 gold ingots and hands them to Scales of sky. Consider yourself hired. Do you have any upworlders wandering the city now? How many violent fights between your people and the upworlders?

"None nearby, there may be others somewhere else. The world is a vasst plasse, and I am only aware of what goess on within a few ssixths of caverns. Define 'violent fight', upperworlder. Tavern tiff, banditry, open warfare?"

The raptor pulls a small iron anvil the size of a human fist out of it's pack, and taps each gold ingot against it. When it's done, it nods. "Payment acssepted, upperworlder."

I guess the clergy aren't the only ones who can be jerks. Sterling with holds a frustrated sigh and speaks with no irritation.

Well lets start with tavern tiff, and work our way to open warfare. We would like to understand your peoples relationship with the up worlders here. Your mastery of upworlder tongue suggests you have spent much time with them.

Sterling isn't getting a 'jerk' vibe, or at least, no more than any other Raptorian has given. They are an linguistic people, and are thus very picky about language. Sterling would know that hominyms are unheard of in Raptorian.

"Tavern tiffs tend to be a very common occuransse. If an upperworlder comes down, they get drunk, they pick a fight. If a persson goes upperworld, they go to a tavern, some human get's drunk and picks a fight. There were 4 upperworlderss killed lasst year ass bandits. I know of 3 perssons who were killed by human bandits lasst year." The raptor tilts it's head thoughtfully. "I would not ssay I have spent much time with them. I am a thoughtssinger. I am able to ssee what someone meanss, not jusst what they say. Mosst upperworlders ssay what they do not think, and think what they do not ssay. You are a mosst contradictory sspecies."

Sterling arches his eyebrow. A telepath. Interesting...

The summoner turns to the others Can you imagine the edge in dealing with the church, having a thoughtsinger on retention?

He turns back to Scales. The upworld tavern...how close is that town?can you take us there?

"Not sure he'll stay with us long enough to interact with the church for us... but that would certainly be handy if he will. I wish it was something he could teach to us, but it's probably a raptoran gift of some kind."

She turns to Scales. "For the right gift in exchange, could you teach me to be a thoughtsinger? It sounds like a wonderful ability."

"From here, is three ssixths days in travel. For me. for you, perhaps four ssixths." The raptorian then gives a coughing hissing laugh. "Can not be taught, must be born with. Like tail sslash, cannot do without tail."

"While that would be quite helpful in dealing with the church, we may be getting ahead of ourselves here.

Scales, have you had any dealing with upperworlders, other than us in the last six months or so? Do you have any news from them or rumors about anything going on up there?"

While we were lumber gathering did we hear from our inner children at all?

Oh sure, there was the usual mixture of advice and grumbling and awkward trailing off silences. If you had any specific questions you wanted to ask during that time, just let me know in a spoiler or in the discussion thread.

"No, the upperworlder's have not been around ass much. There are rumorss that they are having a holy war of ssome kind."

"Well, that's not good at all... Do the rumors say anything about who or what has them up in arms? Who are they fighting against?"

"I heard rumors they were preparing to invade uss. Or defend against demonss, or to fight each other. It just dependss on who you lissten to."

Sterling was smiling. They were far more fortunate than he had hoped. It would seem this worlds zealots suffered from the same narrow mindedness of the zealots back home. Anyone or anything outside their religion was dismissed or derided.

Had they bothered to befriend the Raptors, they would have heard of the groups exploits, and subsequent traverse of the wall. Instead, they labor under a self imposed ignorance.

If he understood correctly, It would take around 4 weeks to get to the town. We should supply up for the months journey.

Scales of Sky, any recommendations for travel supplies to upworld town? Will you help us get needed supplies?

Was waiting to see if anyone else had a response, apparently not

"You will need food. Beyond that, weapons in casse we are attacked. You sseem to have the weapons, sso food iss the only thing you really need."

sorry, I had nothing to add, was just waiting for an answer to the questions