Let's do it.
After the briefing, there isn't much reason to stay at the hellknight citadel. Sefayll has effectively been expelled, and the hellknights have provided all the recuperative facilities they intend. The group have been charged with a mission, so as far as the Order of the Nail is concerned it is time to get on with it. The adventurers nevertheless linger in Magnimar for a few more days - mainly for Vethran, who takes some time to recover from his ordeal, but also to spend their loot. But a few days later they settle the bill at the fine inn where they were staying, saddle their horses, and head north.
The road is familiar and their steeds cover the ground relentlessly. On horseback it is a couple of days' ride to their destination, and as night falls they stay in a wayside inn, lightly fortified to discourage the goblins and other denizens of the wilderness. The following day is much like the last as they follow the road towards Sandpoint. It is late afternoon on a grey blustery day when they finally cross the bridge and tie up their horses outside the Rusty Dragon.
"Excellent. Home sweet home, sort of." Alwyn wanders into the common room. "Evening, ladies", he beams at Ameiko and the serving girls. "Beer and roast for me, my friends - and, well, anyone else who wants some, really. Drinks are on me tonight!"
While still in Magnimar, Sefayll visits the dwarven smith that crafted her breastplate. She tells him that she has been expelled from the Hellknights and that she needs him to alter her armor to reflect that - remove anything that identifies her as a Hellknight. Or, if he has something similar, she will upgrade her armor to something that would not be associated with the order.
Riding with the party, she is quiet and observant, trying to figure out exactly where she will fit in with this team that has seen so much together. A team that operates very differently from what she is used to. She wears her eyeless helmet most of the time as they ride.
At Sandpoint, she follows the cleric in the door of the inn, taking everything in, removing the helmet when she enters and running her hand over her hair without realizing it.
Hudak sits in the corner, brooding over his free beer.
The common room soon fills up with well-wishers eager to hear the latest news of the heroes of Sandpoint.
Camlo takes a bite to eat, and beer, and sits by Hudak, happy to be back amongst friends, and importantly, out of Magnimar.
Sefayll is quietly polite and friendly to anyone that approaches her. She's obviously out of her element, but she's aware that she is the one that must accommodate, not the other way around. If she was still in the Order, it would probably be different, but this is her new norm...
Her unease with the new surroundings, despite her efforts, still causes her some trouble, however.
Alwyn wanders around the main room, slapping backs and giving beer to anyone who has a free hand.
Sefayll is a stranger here but with her armour devoid of the marks identifying her as a former hellknight, the usual openness of the townsfolk in Sandpoint soon win her over. Hudak sits in a corner, clearly out of sorts and spending most of his time avoiding the eye of the proprietor of the Rusty Dragon, Ameiko Kaijitsu. Camlo drunkenly tells some drunken tale but he's already incoherent and confused-looking tavern-goers just nod along politely. Alwyn, meanwhile, is on fine back-slapping form, expounding on the group's adventures.
But as the chatter goes on, disturbing rumours surface. Giant humanoids have been seen, at a distance, on the moors or moving through the forests. Huge footprints have been found in the mornings near to farmsteads and, on one occasion, less than a mile from Sandpoint itself. And travellers have been going missing.
"Damn. Wish th' dwarf was here. This'd be right up his alley.
Still, giants,.....shouldn't be too damn hard to track.
Where's these prints then? Maybe we should follow them. Find out if they're friend or foe. Heh heh....
diplomacy
Sefayll quickly finds herself thinking along familiar lines, but for different reasons. Once, she would have started planning an assault on these creatures because they threatened the lawful order that had been established, tenuous as it might be out here. Today, she's considering an assault because of the threat to the people.
She actually feels slightly ashamed that there is a difference.
"What dwarf would that be? Is he a skilled hunter of giants?"
To a townsfolk that claims to have seen one of the giants, she asks, "What can you tell me of their appearance? How tall? Primitive weapons like clubs or quality swords and axes?"
"He was an old friend; he took off though. He's still runnin' round somewhere."
Illes isn't feeling all that sociable on that first night back in town. He sidles up to the bar where he can chat from time to time with Ameiko, and offers a nod and a smile to past acquaintances. When talk turns to giants he shrugs, "Meh. More inbred ogre trash most likely."
"Time to take the trash out....."
Hudak sidles up to Illes;
"Uh, this might sound kinda sorry, but.....can you teach me how to talk to women? You seem to be the best at it."
The party winds down and the revellers stagger off to bed.
Camlo intends to have a quiet drink. But relief leads to getting a touch carried away. "After" probably consists of being carried to bed...
Seeing the halfling getting carried away, Sefayll won't stop him, but she will hover in his area to assist when he succumbs, as she assumes he must. She's not sure what she will do with an unconscious drunken halfling, but she'll at least keep him from underfoot.
Hudak has no intentions. He's chaotic neutral, and is in a foul mood because he just got killed recently, and now he is in the bar of some woman who jilted him.
He'll probably get fitshaced and embarrass himself. OR, he might totally win whatever the metaphorical grand prize is; who knows? It's doubtful though.
So, I guess I could say he's "partying," but he's being kinda drunken country and western song about it.
"Dude. Camlo. Hold your knife out in front of you.....I wanna chuck you, and see if I can hit the dartboard! That's awesome!!!!"
Illes half laughs, "Listen man- you sure as hell don't need my help with the ladies. You are like a walking advertisement for masculinity as is. Hell- I can see three different girls making eyes at you right now. Fast talking is more for guys like myself who need to sell themselves a little, you know? But listen, Hudak wants a wing man he gets one. Now don't swing your head around to get a look all obvious like, but see that red head over by the window with her friends? I'm betting you could walk over there flex and she'd swoon as is With a little help I might be able to net you the three of them. That something you'd be interested in?"
"What knife? I don't have a knife" Camlo winks, sliding a knife out of sleeve, over his fingers and back in one smooth movement....
Naah; he's just getting wasted.
It is the following morning.
Nothing to worry about. You close your eyes restfully. Then as the meaning of the yells filters through you sit up unsteadily in bed. You try to stagger to your feet but fall to the floor with a thud with the blankets tangled about your ankles, groping for your gear.
"Ghnnnngh......" Alwyn crawls out of bed, clumsily knocking over this armour dummy while groping for his weapons. Where the hell does this part go again? Oh, f$~* it. He stumbles down the stairs, grabs a jug of milk and guzzles it as he runs unsteadily towards the source of the noise.
Camlo rolls off the bed with a thud and a groan, and slowly makes his way outside, blinking... "What? Which way?"
Muttering, "I must have overdone it. To the walls."
Thankful that she had not used her spells from the day before, she dresses, grabs her halberd, casts a protective spell on herself, and heads out the door trying not to look as unsteady as she feels.
Waking swiftly, Vethran snatches up his equipment and hastily shoulders his traveling pack.
"Wake up you idiots! We're under attack!" the mage grumbles before intoning a protective spell upon himself and helping his hungover companions assemble their gear.
Hudak'll run out, really needs to pee bad, but there's wetwork to do.
"Shoanti don't get hangovers!!!"
"Gods, not so loud." Alwyn looks blearily around. "Any idea what the threat is?"