Beyond Fort Horizon (Inactive)

Game Master Terquem

Nodding at Miss Ellie Unbolath responds, "I will do my best to return the baskets. I do not expect anything to threaten their safety. Should something happen to them I will reimburse you for the stated price." Pausing briefly he continues "My name is Unbolath Vorace. I am .. not from this world. I do not have a home but I run from no one. I am a hunter, a traveler and a scholar of the arcane. I provide martial and eldritch services for those who wish to retain them." Unbolath pauses, but says no more. In his typical solemn and dour yet businesslike and polite manner he prepares the payment for the food, failing to return the mirth of the conversation.

Noting Calliope, Unbolath turns "Regarding the company pair, Mr. Henderson has been arrested on suspicion of criminal activities." Scanning the crowd and deciding against saying much, "If you wish more information, you may ask Brenda Carvol. When I have obtained the food, I will return to the group. You and Droka and the boy may join us.", gesturing vaguely at Droka and Ritmush. Replying to Miss Ellie, "There may have been mail, I do not recall. I will check the delivery to confirm."

I actually don't recall if there was mail or not in the wagon..

Peering at Calliope again, "I would also discuss with you your future employment options."

As another person joins the conversation, Unbolath turns yet again, his weapons and chains shifting heavily. "Kethinna Akali, I am Unbolath Vorace. I and others have arrived with the recent caravan... I would ask the reason for your interest in the direction of our arrival."

It’s a pleasure to meet you Unbolath, may I call you Unbolath? Well, my interest is academic, mostly. I couldn’t help but overhear you tell Miss Ellie that you were not from this world. Well, I must say you seem to be adjusting well to the situation. Inter-dimensional dislocation is something I am familiar with, well again academically anyway. I came to Garicadia from my home almost, let me see, yes, next week it will be exactly one year, and I’ve been fascinated by this land ever since. It is a strange place, with many strange mysteries. If you decide that you are curious about this world I’d be happy to tell you all about it. You should know, if you do not already know, that this world is called Riom.

She moves toward the door, as she finishes saying, I would love to tell you more about my academic interests in this land. I am going to get something for a curious young man and I will return shortly. If you came from the north I would really appreciate any information you have about the terrain and dangers in that direction, particularly if you know anything about this legendary beast known as Treeshaker. I’ve heard terrible stories about this creature and as I am planning an expedition to the region, I would like to know more.

Day 5, Mystic Valley (approximate time of day 7:40 pm, turn 119)The sun has completely set, it is Dark all around the town, except for the main street, which is in a sort of shadowy Dim Light, from numerous candles, and lanterns shining out through windows, mostly on second floor rooms, from the buildings along the street.

Brenda accepts Thikka’s care willingly, and moves to the corner to take a seat. She places her nhands on her knees, and takes a few deep breaths, as she was told, and then says,

You know, back home, I had some friends who told me I was crazy for accepting a position out here. They all said it was dangerous, impossible to keep track of business, what with all the different sorts of people roaming around, and the absolute vastness of the open spaces here. I thought it was all talk, but now, I don’t know what to make of anything. I really hope we can get to the bottom of the shenanigans going on here. Smuggling artifacts is one thing, but murder? It makes no sense.

She takes a few more breaths, seems to be improving, and then says

I hope Unbolath returns soon with something to eat. I’m famished, but while we wait, do any of you know anything about this fellow, Drespor?

Day 5, Mystic Valley (approximate time of day 7:30 pm, turn 118)The sun has completely set, it is Dark all around the town, except for the main street, which is in a sort of shadowy Dim Light, from numerous candles, and lanterns shining out through windows, mostly on second floor rooms, from the buildings along the street.

Kethinna leaves the saloon. Calliope smiles at Unbolath and a brief moments passes and then Miss Ellie returns carrying two baskets, each covered with a blue and white checkered cloth. Miss Ellie gives Calliope and Unbolath a bright, big smile, and says Enjoy

After taking the baskets, Calliope says to Unbolath,

Sounds exciting, shall we go. Hey Ritmush, Droka, do you want to join us in a meal?

Sorry, missed the post

Thikka snorts. "Makes perfect sense. People smuggle because someone wants something that they shouldn't have, or that someone else doesn't want them to have. Demand makes money, money makes people do things that can get them put in jail. Being put in jail means no more money. So murder just follows right on after that, better someone else dead than me dead, and all that." She shrugs. "But no, never heard of Drespor before."

I understand what you mean, Brenda saysbut what I don't understand is where is the market? The company has made it highly illegal to trade in these artifacts, and I've not heard of any local populations that would even have the resources that a company person would need or want, that would make trading them here profitable. Unless he was somehow getting them out of the port, which is highly unlikely, the port agents are worse than I am. So who was he selling them to in the first place?

"If we knew that, we'd not be standing here guarding them, since you'd have dealt with him earlier, yes? Kind of the point of a mystery, girl. That you don't know who the villain is until the third act at least." She snorts. "He was gettin somethin for them, nobody does stuff this dangerous without gettin somethin out of it."

Unbolath nods to Calliope, motioning to Droka and Ritmush to follow in their own time. "Let us proceed, I imagine the others will be ready for sustenance."

Unbolath and Calliope and hopefully Droka and Ritmush accompanying exit, and cross the street to join the others.

Droka nods at Miss Ellie and smiles. "Thank you for allowing us to perform here. I hope you have been satisfied with the results, and perhaps you will allow us to reprise the occasion should we ever return to town. Adieu." With that, he turns to his shadowy dog and says, "C'mon, G'boi! Let's follow the others." The dog barks and nods his head, and the two of them follow after Unbolath.

Ritmush frowns as Kefthminna..Kerjinna... Rat person leaves seeming to consider something. He shrugs and looks back to the group "Sure thing Cantillope, I could go fer' a bitta chow. Plus I gotta lean on Silent bob soes I can get's meh lantern when that Keftermia rat..Lady. Yeah, when tha'rat lady gets back."

Unbolath enters the office rejoining the others. He opens the baskets and using prestidigitation warms up the food and flavors it as needed. He will create simple crude eating utensils and plates, cups etc for the group to dine.

Minerva holds her tongue, standing in the office in what shadows she can pull together, Watching the case that contained that all-important orb.

She watches the banter between Brenda and Thikka with mild interest, and finds herself examining Brenda as she had done to Portia, mentally reducing the woman to lines, shapes and colours; critically examining each element and how it fit the mood and setting.

She had a small smile on her face as she did this.

People were so much less judgemental once they were reduced to paintings.

When Unbolath enters Minerva hardly looks away from her examination, save a grateful glance and a clipped "Thank you." Spoken as if she were scared to be heard.

Day 5, Mystic Valley (approximate time of day 7:30 pm, turn 118)The sun has completely set, it is Dark all around the town, except for the main street, which is in a sort of shadowy Dim Light, from numerous candles, and lanterns shining out through windows, mostly on second floor rooms, from the buildings along the street.

The group eats a hearty meal of bread, dried fruits, fresh vegetables, and some cold, but well seasoned and cooked chicken.

Ritmush keeps an eye out the window of the front of the weac office, but he never sees Kethinna return, even as the hour grows so late that many of the regular patrons of the saloon are leaving (and it appears that the miners will probably be the last to leave the saloon).

Brenda pays out, in coins, all that is owed to the group and offers the weac office as a place for all of you to sleep, if somewhat uncomfortably, tonight. She has paid for a room, above the saloon, but feels it is more important to stay close to the artifacts tonight.

I will post in the discussion thread the amount of money each of the characters is paid, as soon as I revisit all the previous posts in my note log, and there is a generously appointed room, with one large bed, available in the Saloon for the night is anyone decides that sleeping oi the office is not to their liking. When the game updates again it will be morning, a new revelation will be made, and the group can decide, what they will do next

"If we knew that, we'd not be standing here guarding them, since you'd have dealt with him earlier, yes? Kind of the point of a mystery, girl. That you don't know who the villain is until the third act at least." She snorts. "He was gettin somethin for them, nobody does stuff this dangerous without gettin somethin out of it."

I agree, someone else is pulling the strings. The fact we have taken out Henderson is going to be a good thing in getting these type of things out of the others' hands. However, we have now put ourselves in the spotlight. I hope everyone enjoys being in the show.

After sitting and thinking for awhile she remembers something very important that Henderson had said earlier while confiding in her...DRESPOR.

Guys, I just remembered something. Henderson had told me that Drespor was behind all this. I must have forgotten. I had a dealing with Drespor earlier, with Unbolath. We were hired to go to a gorge, out in the middle of nowhere. We had to find a colleague of his. Perhaps this colleague is the main guy, maybe not. He also said they were trying to "recover" lost artifacts. That could be his source of strange technology?

"Hellofa thing to forget, girl." Thikka says, looking thoughtful. "Who's this Drespor person? And what did this person you met with look like, and what does the prison have to do with it? Obviously the prison is connected, given we were attacked by prisoners in reptillian garb."

Day 5, Mystic Valley (approximate time of day 8:30 pm, turn 124)The sun has completely set, it is Dark all around the town, except for the main street, which is in a sort of shadowy Dim Light, from numerous candles, and lanterns shining out through windows, mostly on second floor rooms, from the buildings along the street.

Brenda goes to a small safe in the corner of the office, takes a piece of paper out of her pocket, and follows the instructions on the paper, she opens the safe, and takes out several small bags of coins.

She sets out the coins on the desk, next to the large square box holding the orb, and begins separating coins into stacks

She indicates each stack is for a different person, and pays all of you what you are owed.

Unbolath – 1000 dollars for arresting Henderson, 200 dollars for delivering the wagon, 10 dollars for delivering Henderson to the sheriff, 25 dollars for guarding the artifacts through the night.

Portia – 200 dollars for delivering the wagon, 10 dollars for moving the artifacts, 25 dollars for guarding the artifacts

Minerva – 200 dollars for delivering the wagon, 10 dollars for moving the artifacts, 25 dollars for guarding the artifacts

Thikka – 200 dollars for delivering the wagon, 10 dollars for moving the artifacts, 10 dollars for delivering Henderson to the sheriff, 25 dollars for guarding the artifacts

Droka – (Already has 280 dollars, in gold coins, from the Saloon, that needs to be shared with Caliope and Ritmush) – 200 dollars for delivering the wagon, 25 dollars for guarding the artifacts

Calliope – 25 dollars for guarding the artifacts

Ritmush – 25 dollars for guarding the artifacts

I hope I didn’t miss anything here. Also, In her haste, Brenda offered Unbolath 1,000 dollars to help apprehend Henderson, not knowing what his relationship was to any of the rest of you, she is a woman of her word and pays hi the money as she promised, and does not offer the same amount of money to anyone else, nor does she insist that Unbolath is required to share that payment

"Hellofa thing to forget, girl." Thikka says, looking thoughtful. "Who's this Drespor person? And what did this person you met with look like, and what does the prison have to do with it? Obviously the prison is connected, given we were attacked by prisoners in reptillian garb."

Terq, anything unique about Drespor or was he "just another dwarf"?

I have no idea how the prison is connected, maybe the man "behind" Drespor is taking up the head of operations there, the only way to know for sure is to go there, right? i was originally hired by a lady from an academy to go to the gorge to find special relics. Maybe she is the "man behind the curtain"? All I know is that someone has to be pulling Dredpor I would think. He didn't seem the man to be at the top.

Ritmush sniffs once and scratches a spot on his arm before looking to the speaking Ranger. "Wassat you talkin' of Hawklady?"
Ritmush asks as he glances about " Dun spose is'got anythin'ta know bou thas danged Nobolds."

"After we were ambushed on the way here from Fort Horizon by the prisoners in humanoid skins, we questioned them. I will quote the following from one of those captured and questioned,

'Benevolent! He's a mad man, a wild eyed Dwarf with a mean streak a mile wide. Goes by the name of Karl Drespor. You good folk probably have no idea who we are, where we came from. I sure as heck never knew the prison existed when I first came here. You see, all of us are criminals, of one kind or another. I don’t know but two of the others in this group, and one of them is now dead. Edward, there, that halfling that just died, he was never a friend, but we were in a cell together. One of the others, I think he goes by the name of Phil, he looks like he is going to make it, even though he got burned up pretty bad. I only know him from seeing him in the laundry. You see the company found this place, I can’t tell you I know where it is, cause they took us there with hoods over our heads, and brought us out the same way. But it is a prison, a hellish place, where the company sends people that they need to get rid of. Some of us broke the law, sure, that’s fair enough, but a lot of the prisoners came straight to this land on ships, taken from their homes, and sometimes for the smallest crimes. And it is hell I tell you. They did experiments on us, made us work on strange machines. And sometimes when people are trying to take something apart, it’ll just explode in a great ball of blue fire, if it don’t kill you, you’d wish that it had.

And that ain’t the worst, stranger. See, you don’t meet anyone who’s been there too long, no, and you never hear any story about anyone ever going free, getting out of that place. There’s only two ways out for people like us, death, or sold as slaves to a race of lizard men, and them folks are never seen again.'

"Where ever this prison is, you will find your answers. There was another person named Victor Jankowski who also drove the wagon and accompanied us briefly. Victor had this to say about the situation as well as who he was working for."

'If that woman is right, then the people or person trying to smuggle these artifacts out of your little fort either didn’t count on being double crossed, or maybe they are the double crossers. Either way, you take a big risk trotting those men and women into that village, showing the person at the other end of this deal that what was planned didn’t work and if they were counting on it to go the other way; it’ll bad for all of us, but worse for these miserable folk. That’s the first problem, and I might have a solution for that one. The second problem, you see, he says taking a small orange, glass-like ball out of his pocket, is this. The person I am working for is looking for the thing that is in that box. She thought there might be a clue to its location in the wagon. She never must have suspected it would be here or I imagine she wouldn’t have sent little ol’ me. Now she, and I use that term loosely, she wants that thing badly. She wanted me to find it, return to her and tell her where it was, and then she’s going to send the right kinds of people to collect it. Now, she told me that the object cannot be transported by any kind of magic, but she gave me this. It’s an orb of translocation, and using it I can return to where she is in an instant, and if I need to I can take those people with me. Oh, don’t worry, they’ll be safe, It’Dupree has a soft spot for those kinds of people. She’ll take good care of them and they won’t ever have to worry about this pace, or where ever they came from ever again. The real problem is this. I was paid handsomely to find that thing, and I always keep my deals, always. When It’Dupree finds out that it is here, she will send someone to collect it. I wasn’t paid to do that. The people, or even things, she sends might be nice, nicer than me even, but maybe not. She works, oddly enough, with a lot of very strange people. They will take that object. Nothing will stop them I guarantee it. You see, she has a problem, a problem that has been bothering her for a few hundred years and she thinks that thing will solve her problem in a big way. She wants it, in a bad way. And It’Dupree always gets what she wants.'

"The prisoners and Derrick Tramsen travelled with Victor to the realm of his mistress."

"The two elves, who accompanied us here are agents from another world and were interested in tracking these artifacts, and were surprised at the presence of the particularly powerful one. I do not know what has happened to these elves once we arrived here. Also our companion here,", motioning to Ritmush, "may have additional information regarding the items or things the elven agents discussed."

Boy that took some effort Unbolath, and an excellent reminder of current events. Does anyone have any ideas about what they might want to do next, if not, I will advance the story to the morning

The woman's name was Jeannine. She seemed hellbent on finding a missing colleague. Perhaps the gorge has nothing to do with the relics, but I find it odd that Drespor would go to sch a place unless there was something worthwhile there. He seemed afraid to be there. Maybe he knew something about the gorge and the contents within the place. Unless there is a secret prison inside the gorge, but I doubt that is the case. Money is good and all, but it can't be everything could it? I say we check out the prison, maybe we will find more clues there.

Nodding at Portia, "Agreed."

"Ms. Carvol, is your organization willing to procur our services further? We can wait until you can contact associates to assist in guarding or moving the artifacts. Eventually this Drespor or someone will come looking for these things. I would even offer my services to research and examine them, although that would be a lengthy endeavor, and there are many more suited than I. If you wish, we can follow up at the prison and see what is going on there. We should have a story or we may be attacked before we even arrive. I would guess they have scouts and guards posted."

"Please consider our offer. We can agree on a daily rate, it will certainly be hazardous."

Ritmush's eyebrows scrunch in deep thought, or perhaps just bout of gas.
Well they already demonstrated a decent skill, they are involved now. And I'd bet that they'd try to follow me if I went alone. Hrmm..
his brows scrunch a bit more before he opens his eyes again and tilts his head to one side. "Meh, why tha' hell not."
Ritmush looks up at the group and makes a noise to gain attention waiting for a second before launching into speech.
"Sos I'se pretty sure as ta tha lacation ah something big tha's kinda box like in mah wanderin's I'se got interest in makin' those Nobold jokers an' whatevah counts as'ah leader suffer fer' darin' ta dress up in tha' dead. We's migh' need ta take a differen'path than I was plannin though. Theres... theres some nasty thing hidin' in tha' forest to the north ah'here. I'd planed on skirtin' it buh I ain't sure if iah'be able ta with so many ah ya and yer galumphin feets." The human says in his normal animated method before placing a hand on the side of his head.
"S'why I had wanted tah get meh a lantern, make tha journey easier. Also any ah'ya know where the Ra- Kerfminniyah gots off tah? Seems weird she'd take so long."

Thikka has been silent as she considers all the information. For now, she remains quiet.

Sorry, been busy. Thikka's still not sure exactly what is going on, so she's mostly keeping silent and compiling information.

Yes, Unbolath, I think I need a few hours in the morning to draft a request proposal to hire you and your friends, but there is still some things I need to puzzle out for myself. Hopefully, In the morning, I’ll let you know what it is I’ve been able to figure out and what the company is willing to pay to get to the bottom of this

As long as there isn’t a decision from the group to go and see what has become of Kethinna, immediately (there really is no reason to, all will become clear soon) then I am advancing the story to the next morning after the last comment from Brenda

Day 6, Mystic Valley (approximate time of day 7:30 am, turn 46)The sun is rising.

There are more people on the street this morning that you counted the evening before, and there seems to be a commotion just up the street of some kind (the sounds of laughter can be heard).

Brenda wakes up, having slept the night under a thin blanket in the office.

Any characters can sleep in the weac office, or take a room for the night in the Saloon, for half a dollar.

Brenda goes to her desk and begins writing out a long contract. When she is finished, she asks Unbolath and Portia to collect their friends (and anyone else interested in the job) and explains what she thinks needs to be done.

Alright., this is what I think I’ve figured out. Henderson was working for this man Karl Drespor. Together they were collecting artifacts, and smuggling them to a group of people, so far unidentified by the weac, operating out of a settlement, hereafter to be referred to as “The Prison.” Let me be clear, the weac does not operate any such facilities, for violating the law, in this territory, and all law enforcement responsibilities are under the jurisdiction of the Aeromnian Governor, under strict formal contracts. The governor has established jails, in settles, as I understand and all of these are staffed by former military officers of the Aeromnian army. This group of people, in the contract I have identified them as “Unidentified, Smugglers,” may or may not be indigenous peoples, and the little you have learned about them, the fact that they are called dragonmen, is of no help to me at all, but if they are paying Drespor, and through him Henderson, to gather artifacts without the authorization of the weac, this could be a very delicate and complicated matter, being that so far all contact with indigenous populations have been through a special subcommittee of the Aeromnian diplomatic mission and not under the guidelines of the weac contracts for exploratory development, and this, specifically is why artifacts must be turned over to officials of the weac with special authorization to document the value that may be a resulting loss in exploratory enterprises as was originally agreed between the relevant merchant companies and the Aeromnian government. I realize that that part may seem a bit complicated, but I assure you these relevant comments are captured in the addendum to the contract I am proposing.

Here is what I am proposing. First, that the authorities at Port Gregory be informed of this situation as soon as possible, and to that effect I will draft a full disclosure statement and deliver it myself to Port Gregory, to the Chief Finacial Representative of the weac in the presence of the Counsel General representative of the colonial government of Aeromnia in the territory of Gericadia. After I have delivered the letter, I will return to Fort Horizon with a contingency of company men and Aeromnian soldiers to settle the matter of the involvement of the captain of Fort Horizon, establishing his innocence, complacency, or possible guilt. This trip, I expect, will take me six weeks time.

During the duration of my absence I am authorized to employ each signer to this contract to a short term employment with the weac for the express purpose of reconnoitering the location and details of the Prison, including the apprehension and detainment of one Karl Drespor for questioning in the matter of the pending action, WEAC versus Aeromnia for the control and distribution of territorial resources not categorized under articles twenty two through forty seven of the exploratory territories act of 2216. This contract authorizes payment, not to exceed twenty five dollars per day, for a duration of six calendar weeks from the date the contract is signed, plus addition monetary compensation in the form of contract milestone marks as follows. For detailed geographical description of the prison, twenty five hundred dollars, for details of the population, the number and type of inhabitants, of the prison, four hundred dollars, for the apprehension of Karl Drespor, alive, ten thousand dollars, dead, two thousand dollars. These milestone bonuses to be paid no later than thirty calendar days after the termination of the express six week contract, or sooner, to be paid in cash money to a named representative of the organization responsible for the fulfillment of the contract.

Brenda lays a four page document on her desk.

Now, here is the thing. At this point I am unwilling to hire any of you as contract workers, individually, and it will look far better, in the complaint I will file with the weac, if I am hiring a limited liability corporation, to undertake this work. The reason, forgive me for being blatantly crude, but when the weac settles these matters with Aeromnia, and there are people, citizens of the territory, involved Aeromnia will insist on guarantees of those peoples safety, or at least the recovery of their bodies should they be killed in the employment of the company, this is bad business. I would prefer to hire you all as a company, you can decide among yourselves how you will be represented, and where the money is to be paid, should some or all of you run into more than you can handle, this way I am not burdened with chasing down your families, but can deposit your fee into an account, and leave it to the weac to find your beneficiaries. Trust me, it is better for me, certainly, but in the long run it will be better for you, as there are people in Port Gregory, Aeromnians, who make a living suing the weac and the Aeromnian government for compensation in these matters when they are not carefully planned and executed.

I’ll do everything in my power to make sure the weac is not bowled over by anyone trying to go around its contracts or the treaties of the governments involved here. You’ll get paid, or the people you designate will, that is for certain.

There is one last thing. These elves you mentioned, these two that you said were agents of some company or another, I really want to talk to them, and I have my fears about who they might be, but I am sworn, under my own contract, not to divulge anything more. There is a very real possibility that if I can meet these agents, we can clear a lot of things up, in private, but until I can talk with them directly, there isn’t anything else I can do about it, nor can I offer you any official compensation for your help in this matter, it would be, well as unusual as it is for someone like me to say it, a favor I am asking of you.

These are the terms of my offer. I’ll give you till tomorrow morning to think about. That is when I intend to leave for Port Gregory. You can talk it over, write up a list of questions or concerns, and we can talk about it later today if you’d like. For now I will be prepping these artifacts for safe transport to Port Gregory, and trying to hire honest people here in town to escort me on my journey. I imagine the miners will be my best chance as they have a reputation for the fiercest adherence to regulations in this part of the territory, only the longshoreman of Port Gregory are known to be more dependable.

Brenda places a paper weight on the contract.

Oh, she laughs. There is one more thing, and I hope a contract is necessary, but I’m probably going to have to reimburse mister Johansen for the runaway bull and cow, unless, somehow, someone was to find them and return them before I leave. I think a reward of ten dollars is reasonable, paid of course to everyone who helped find the animals and bring them back here to the corral.

Alright! So the party can take the contract, after establishing a name for their company. There are three quests now that can be started (any, all, or none of them can be accepted by any number of players as you all decide). Find the missing bovines, look into Kethinna’s disappearance, and find the prison

The previous night, after the conversation dies down:

Droka hands Calliope fourteen gold coins. "Calliope, here is your half of the proceeds from our gig tonight. You were excellent! G' Boi and I look forward to the honor of accompanying you again." G'boi nods and wags his tail.

Droka turns to Ritmush. "I regret that we have not been able to get you the lantern as stipulated. You are welcome to some of this gold, if that would be an acceptable substitute."

After finishing his conversations, Droka finds a free corner in the office and lays out his bedroll. He lays down, bids everyone goodnight, and snaps his fingers. G'Boi vanishes, and Droka falls asleep.

The next morning:

"Incorporate ourselves? That's an excellent idea! We have been remiss in not attending to this matter sooner; after all, I must have some name to use as the title of the epic I will weave out of our exploits."

Previous day

Ritmush glances to the Shadowkin " S'wha I jus' said Silent bob. Kerfinlatha jus' said she'd sell it tah meh fer eighty dollars. So If'n I'se can get..." Ritmush trails off as he thinks for a moment "Hrmm.. Eighta' yer coins a bit steep if ya's only gots' fourteen. Les' Cantilope feels li'helpin meh out as'well. Yah gimme four an' we're square."

Morning

Ritmush blinks slowly as he looks at the woman who spoke... so... many... words. Glancing down at the pages chock full of legal writing clustered so close to nearly bleed into each other and back up to the woman.
" Wha'?" The human asks with the expression of a tourist being upsold in a language they only have a fragmented grasp on.

Unbolath listens intently, and takes his own notes, having learned that involvement with this situation required great attention to detail. "I am no legal scholar, although the provisions laid out here seem to be reasonable, and account for likely situations. Forming a company of sorts seems most logical. My compatriots and I can determine the details and workings thereof. We will give you our answer and determine if the salaries meet our needs."

Previous night:

Droka hands over four coins, and clasps Ritmush on the shoulder. "Once again, thanks for your help, friend."

Portia will bunk down in the office. Her feathery friend will sleep perched atop the desk near Portia. Portia's night of sleep is restless. She wakes up a few times, her mind subconsciously wanders; topic include Drespor, the strange creature from the gorge, and the sorry people forced to ambush them on the road.

The next day she will listen to Brenda's offer, and the contract offered. She immediately thinks back to Valind. He was much better at this sort of thing than her.

One question spends to mind, Brenda, what if you are a attacked on your way to the Port? Are you certain a group of minuets are enough to fend off whatever threat may come?

Unbolath takes the group aside or to another room, "One, are we in agreement with her terms? Two, do we have a name for our company so that we may sign the deal and move along to the prison? We may need to resupply with what little the town can offer before we move out."

Ritmush in a display of courtesy looks to the stone patterned and raises a hand before starting in. " Uh firs' wha'dya mean terms? I dun enven know you folk an'yer lookin'at meh as if I'm parta yer troupe already." The human states as he glances to the various people in the room. Wheels turn slowly and small parts click in his head. He glances toward the looming headache inducing paper
" Usin' smallah' words why daýah need meh to sign that when I'se already said I'd show ya' tha' way provided I'se get tah crack tha' skull ah whoevah thou' wearin' mah kin fer hats was a good idea? Seems kinah Rehtundrant."
The Human asks with a looming aura of confusion as he glances to the papers and back to the gathered group repeatedly.
" Second, yah gots anah issue with walkin' an' talkin'? That Kermifthia Ratperson nevah came back wit' mah lantern an' I aim tah get it tahday." Ritmush states with a tick of annoyance glancing to the coins he had gained and muttering under his breath " Couldah been o mah way bah now if'n her moth etten weasely hide'ah showed up... Lest she don' mak habit'ah whackin' meh fer no reason.

Nodding at Ritmush, "I will attempt to address your concerns. The terms refer to us agreeing to the conditions Ms. Carvol mentioned. If we organize ourselves into a formal legal company, it makes it easier for the WEAC to pay us for our services. Some employers are ok with a handshake and verbal acknowledgement, others such as this organization, make it a point to document everything on paper. I do agree that few of us know much about each other, but we have been thrown together and if we wish to assist in this matter we must work as a collective cohesive group. No one is being forced to join or sign the paperwork, and your concern for the haste of the mission is noted. I unfortunately cannot account for the location of your ratfolk contact. I do think that your participation is crucial, as the face goggle item you have may be linked to the artifacts. You will be able to illuminate us more in that regard however."

In the morning Thikka listens to Brenda, looks at the contract, mutters something under her breath, and bids you all Good Riddance as she leaves you all with no further explanation

Well, finding the cow and bull shouldn't be too hard. I'll join up with the rest of you, you know, in the hopes that maybe we can promise to keep each other's secrets. I could use a friend or two in this place. How about the Fort Horizon Free Company as a name for our intrepid little band?

Ritmush blinks as he glances to the stone man " Than's Rocky, still noh sure wha' cha' mean but I thin I get tha'gist." Ritmush states as gathers his possessions and makes ready to move
"If I got it righ' I sign on with this' com'knee an we all be parta a Warband smoethin? One for all all fer one? An'if ah' don' tha' dwarf lady wit' tha' big words an'piles ah money ain't gonna hire any ah us insteada' paying large amounts of money tah have people come wit' meh and do stuff I was gonna do anyway?" The human asks, the first part quiet with some hesitance and the other half with a small amount of annoyance. The human then looks over his shoulder to Calliope "Tha' hecksa' Fort Horizon? We parta them, like a tribe er'somethin'? Dunno bout you buh I didn't sign on fer that, Alreadh got onea those. Seems like we 'spose ta make a separate thing wit' tha' name ratha' than bein'part ah somethin' already." The human states with his head still turned comically far, opposite hand coming up to scratch an itch on his face."

"The name is suitable enough." Unbolath signs the contract. He stands and checks his gear and prepares to travel.

At the mention of a band, Droka sweeps his hand, as if directing a band. "Oh, wait, you mean that figuratively. Free Company," he grimaces. "I don't care for the spondee followed by iamb, but it is the lot of the true artist to rise above his material. I'll sign." With a flourish and a dramatic throat-clearing, Droka signs the contract.

Ritmush still confused looks to the paper and back to the group, noting that he is holding up his own plans with indecision. "Alrigh' S'ah dumb name buh 's not like it mattahs really." Ritmush walks up and scrawls a spectacularly terrible signature on the page.

"Ms. Morgan and Calliope, I believe you are the only ones left to sign. I will be right back." Unbolath stands and takes the baskets from last night's fare back across the street to Miss Ellie as promised.

I can't believe that there are people here who see me as an ally and not a monster

I'm all in. Where to first?

Calliope signs the contract.

Day 6, Mystic Valley (approximate time of day 7:30 am, turn 46)

As the day begins Unbolath visits Miss Ellie at the saloon. He finds the place empty, but the door is open. Miss Ellie is in the kitchen. She is assigning duties to the few employees she has, including sweeping the floor, cleaning the dishes, and going out to the market to buy some supplies for a humble meal to be prepared tonight. Miss Ellie is not surprised to see Unbolath, and she thanks him for keeping his promise. She tells him that he is welcome to hang around the saloon, but that normally she doesn’t serve anyone until after noon at least (otherwise it might encourage town drunkenness that could get out of control).

When Unbolath is finished with Miss Ellie, the party meets in the street outside of the saloon

Unbolath
Ritmush
Droka
Portia
Minerva

And
Calliope

Stand in the morning sun and talk about what they plan to do next.

They have a mission, to find and evaluate the status of this so called “Prison.” But before they go they can take a moment to check in on Kethinna, and there is still the matter of the runaway bull and cow, and finally, what became of those two “elves”?

During the conversation, Calliope mentions something that troubles her

I’m beginning to think that old man we met when we came into town is in on this mess. I remember he mentioned something about the town not having a sheriff, which it obviously has, and he was real keen on getting us to Henderson right away. I think we need to pay him a visit

Nodding to Miss Ellie, but advising her of pressing matters, he thanks her for her hospitality, and returns to the others

Unbolath nods at Calliope's suggestion, remembering the man. "That would seem prudent to investigate him."

Regarding the runaway cattle, Unbolath steps out back searching for a trail of cow prints, cow pies or other damage to track the missing bovines. Perhaps an errant 'mooo' could be heard.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

If he finds any tracks:

Survival to track: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Ritmush hums a moment in thought before sliding his goggles back over his eyes from the spot they had taken on his brow. "Hey Diana, yanno wha'happened tah' them sky wizards? Them who wha shoved ya into mah goggles?" Ritmush asks as quiet and unobtrusively one can when talking to their headwear and expecting an answer.

Ritmush glances up and looks over to Calliope "Thasa' gooh poin' Cantalope I bet he'd answer better if ya hang him by his ankles. Bet rock guy'd be good ah that, looks just tha'right size fer it." Ritmush suggests with absolutely no ulterior motives at all. Yep definitely not.

Day 6, Mystic Valley (approximate time of day 7:30 am, turn 46)

Without actually telling anyone what he intends to do, only mentioning to Calliope that her point is well taken, Unbolath wanders away from the group toward the warehouse.

Calliope shrugs, looks at the others, and shrugs, and then follows Unbolath, saying

Okay, everyone, I guess were following him for now.