The shelters are well built, specifically designed for weather protection and for stealth. Two or three people can fit into each shelter, suggesting that all twelve Elonalryn can hunker down if needed. They are close enough to enjoy the warmth of the fire. Three of the Malkyyreth members are already preparing for their short naps before taking over their guard shifts. The other three are nowhere to be seen. Yourselves, including the strange looking statue, are within the light of the campfire which is not all that big. The storm is now in full effect, the winds are roughly 10 mph, with a fair amount of cold precipitation. The shelters and the overhead canopy almost nullifies the effects, and seems to have no effect on the campfire.
[Unless you folks wish to continue with more role play, which I am more than willing to do, we shall fast forward to the next day.]
Fellorian shakes her head in disbelief, then goes in to one of the empty shelters, tucking in for sleep immediately.
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Adrienne goes to sit by the fire and start brewing some tea immediately upon getting to the encampment. She starts walking around to her team members handing out cups of a piping hot greenish tea that smells a bit of herbs and dirt and doesn't taste much better. I know we had a rocky start, but now we are in the field. We must band together. Drink from this tea, it should help us sleep through the night.
Bowing deeply Celebrindal smiles at Adrienne.
"May the gods grant us victory and our comrades a good nights sleep!"
Morning hour of 5,Fireday, 4th day of Gozran in the year 4713.
[All five of you roll a CON check to see who wakes up first. Highest roll wins.]
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Stepping out into the light morning around 4:45, Adrienne stretches, feeling quite well-rested. She pulls up her hood. The chilly morning air makes her shiver. I have been in the south far too long. Come winter, it will be much colder than this. She looks around for any of her group, as she walks to the fire to warm her hands. As she stands staring into the fire nibbling on a piece of bread, she wonders what the day has in store for her.
A few minutes later, Adrienne is staring off into the tall rugged trees around her, listening to the sounds of the rain on the leaves and the sounds of the first birds waking up. She breaths deep of the morning air sees Lidras awakening. Good morning Lidras!
@ADRIENNE: The first thing you see when you awake are the veteran elves huddled around the fire which is still burning. Three of them seem to be meditating and memorizing spells, two of them is preparing a meal, while the leader, Adarion Lyrondreth, looks at you and nods with a smile. Only the two cooks are making any sort of whispered conversation about how much to make. Whatever it is, the food smells good. If these folks rested at all, you are uncertain as to how much. Despite their perspective activities, they are fully clothed, armored, and alert.
"Good morning to you, warrior Caeletha," says the seasoned leader who in your opinion, should be about 300 years of age or older. "The sun will rise in about two hours, give or take a few minutes on this fourth month of the year. No need to deliberately wake your squad yet, as your first meal, courtesy of us, is not yet prepared. Looks like you will enjoy fruit flapjacks with some fresh wild vegetables we acquired. If you wish to begin your spell preparations, now would be a good time. And if you are in the mood, give Erastil a bow," he said while jabbing a thumb to the statue behind him.
The Elf lord responds to Lidras. "Your briefing will happen after your squad has broken fast. There will be much to inform you about, and I mean a lot. Take note of all of your questions in your mind for now. Food should be ready in less than one hour."
With that, the leader and the two cooks take their turns preparing their spells while the other three takes their place in the fire and in standing watch. It is still dark and cold, but the precipitation has stopped, creating a damp, wet environment. Thankfully, the fire has eliminated some of the misery and sour conditions that most would find unpleasant to tolerate. The campsite is rudimentary at best, only the makeshift shelters, the fire, and the statue is found here. Nothing that would suggest a permanent base of operations for you, unless perhaps it is suitable for the Malkyythel. Your training suggests that this is normal for the Elonalryn to make camp small, concealed, simple, and manageable with the two exceptions of a large scale mission or one you know that you will be involved in for a very long time.
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Good morning, and thank you for being so hospitable. Adrienne lays out a dry piece of cloth on the nearest dry surface she can find. She pulls her harrow deck fron the pouch at her belt. Carefully she lays the deck down on the cloth and begins drawing cards and placing them face up. She begins reading and meditating over her readings.
Dismanteling his hammock again and stashing it Celebrindal quickly mixes his extracts
Climbing down Celebrindal nods to the others before taking a quick bite.
The food is almost ready, should take about another thirty minutes or so. Unless the five of you wish to dig into your own food supply, it's up to you. It is now the hour of six, and all the Malkyythel members are huddled together near the campfire. Their mood is a bit jovial, but quiet, yet alert and seemingly poised for anything to happen. Their talk covers a variety of topics; the day's deployment out to the west, the undead creature they killed two days ago, how they have been out here for months, wagers on how long the rookies will lasts, what sweets to eat back home...stuff like that. All of you whom are awake are close enough to hear them.
The light of the fire gently reflects on to the statue, giving it an eerie appearance of a foreboding creature looking ominous onto the party of elves.
ADRIENNE: You notice the ones named Daelynn(f) and Amal(m) are druids. Both of them at one point nod at you directly after you have finished your meditations.
LIDRAS and CELEBRINDAL: Both of you see Adarion sitting with his squad putting away scrolls and maps into his Handy Haversack and settles down. He motions Celebrindal to come forward.
Checking his team is fine and food will be prepared and that it is still safe, he walks over to Adarion and bows in greeting.
Daelynn invites you over for a chat. "Please join us, we want to learn about your cards. It's quite different from our professions."
"I like to use lots of animal summoning, though it's not a specific specialty of mine," says the Sylvan female Daelynn who is incredibly beautiful. Her purple hair and hazel eyes gives an almost fey look to her, in addition to her brown skin. Her voice suggests that she is the older of the two women in her squad by about one hundred years or so. "My focus is nature, so I have access to all sorts of powers that can either boost my abilities or provide a tactical advantage to our squad. Nothing too special, but in the woods or in the mountains, I rock. Now Dreamstrider here..." she nods over to her Sylvan companion who has brown hair, green eyes, and skin that is actually darker than hers.
"I am what is known as an elementalist," he declared with a small touch of pride. His tone is somewhat deep for an elf, but not menacing in the way humans and orcs sound. "Even though I have a primary domain which is forest, my powers are bonded with the four natural elements. Each day I choose two of the four elements or their subdomains to specialize in after meditation. In bonding with selected elements, I can infuse the party with certain powers or simply use them as I see fit. I have no access to animal friendship, summoning, or other domains, but the nature focus makes up for it."
Adarion looks at you and suggests that you awake the rest of your squad. He then leans over and whispers into your ear,"This is where your leadership must come into play from here on out. Your troops are counting on you. Just remember that the Elonalryn are always watching, even we are not excluded from their evaluations." Lord Lyrondreth winks and leans back to the fire while jokingly demands a faster pace on breakfast to his subordinates.
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If you are interested in my cards,
I could give you a reading. They tell your future, your past, and your present. And rarely are they wrong. Adrienne sits down with Amal and Daelynn. She takes one look at Daelynn's hair. Your hair is gorgeous by the way. Mine has been this dull white my entire life.
She begins dealing cards for Daelynn to choose from. I've spent my entire life in the forest and have met a few druids, though I am not one. But never one with that particular skill set. I like animals,
but I bond with plants much better. Herbs, flowers, and roots are my specialty. I can brew powerful poisons, teas, and herbal remedies. I can control plants from time to time as well. She begins chatting with Amal and Daelynn about hexcraft, as she reads their fortunes. She mentions the forest she was from on the border of Brevoy and the River Lands, asking if they had been through there recently.
As Goinin makes his haughty greeting, six elves snap their heads at his direction in different reactions. Some in disbelief, others in surprise, and the rest in irritation. Six fingers are pressed to their lips, clearly suggesting that he tones his voice down to acceptable levels. It is Adarion who stands up and speaks what everyone in the Malkkythel Squad is thinking.
"Being energetic is good, but remember that you are in enemy territory," The elf lord calmly reminds you in a tone of authority and...strength. "Even though we have a fire, it is magically concealed from detection. You don't have to go far to encounter something that wants your ears for lunch."
Once the near-compromising scene has passed, Goinin has been handed a plate of steamy breakfast. As that is going on, an eager Daelynn is intent on Adrienne's fortune telling. "So, tell me something interesting. But you may have to hurry or perhaps wait until later as we are pressed for time. Don't forget to eat for food while it's on your lap," she says with a wink. Her companion, Amal, sits quietly but his eyes show interest in your specialty.
Fellorian rises, and though she can hear the soft sounds of the others outside, she takes time to prepare her spells for the day.
She emerges from the shelter quietly and joins the others for breakfast, nodding a morning greeting but otherwise remaining silent.
The one named Claeledar Duskdancer hands Fellorian a plate of food without saying anything. His jet black hair is a stark contrast to his light skin. You notice his sword is a bit different from everyone else in his squad, indicating that his profession as a Bladesinger is no joke.
Fiavia welcomes Goinin. Her platinum blond hair is bound in a circlet and tied down behind her neck. "Had a good sleep?" she asks you cheerily. Or did you have trouble dreaming about me and Daelynn?" she winks while nodding at her companion (who is arguably more attractive than the flirty Highborn). If the druid heard, she was ignored.
Sitting at the far end of the fire, but only a few feet away, is the cleric Kethelis Moonwhisper, who seems to smile the entire time during the meal. His blue hair and steel eyes are both fascinating and frightening to behold. All of you notice his symbol of Callistrae hung around his neck that is tightly around his armor. Despite his jovial demeanor, he merely folds his arms and chuckles at times. Next to him is Adarion Lyrondreth. He holds himself seriously, his darting steel eyes misses nothing. Clearly of noble stock, he comes off either as a natural leader, or acts the part perfectly. What strikes you odd is his auburn colored hair that is very uncommon of grey elves.
Fellorian nods her thanks to Claeledar, and tucks in.
phrasal verb of tuck
1.
informal
eat food heartily.
"I tucked into the bacon and scrambled eggs"
Once the meals are all finished, the older elves quickly packs things up, adds more wood to the fire as the morning is still very cold. In only a few minutes, you are all called together for what looks like your official briefing.
Fellorian simply waits quietly.
Adarion gives Celebrindal a look, the one that says, "Bring your troop back over here so we can get started."
Making a quick circular movement to indicate that all should come together he nods to Adarion.
Celebrindal takes care to notice if all have eaten and all the minor details.
Once all of you are fully assembled at the campfire, the elf lord casts a spell, and retrieves a map from his shoulder pouch. He lays out the map that floats on air as if onto an invisible table. With that, he begins.
"First off, I shall tell you about the area in which we will transfer responsibility to you. This forested area is called the Narlmarches. It is a combination of forest and swamp, well, the swamp areas which is south and west of here are more like soft ground with little standing water, but it's swamp nonetheless. Everything east, north, and southeast of here is solid. At the narrowest point which is north of us," which he points onto the map,[b "is about thirty to thirty-six miles across. From where we are at, the Narlmarches widens out. The north-south axis is roughly over three hundred miles long, making the place look like an angular bottle."[/b]
He pauses briefly. "This entire area is full of water entities. The most northern river is called the Thorn River. It is apply named for the thick briars and sharp brambles that line both sides of the river. The width ranges from thirty to sixty feet wide, and isn't very deep; thirty feet at the most. South is this is the Skunk River. This is also well named for the sulfuric springs that gives it that nasty smell of rotten eggs. This one is wider, but equal in depth as the Thorn. This last one inside the Narlmarches is called the Murque River. The origin is south of us with dangerous swamps lining the flanks. The wet grounds give way further east though. Not deep at all, but you can still drown in it, and judging the width is difficult due to the swampy areas."
"As you may expect during your arrival, the vegetation here is dangerous. The ground cover restricts your line of sight dramatically, but once you get into the trees, you're fine. Plenty of strong trees allow travel into the canopy if you all have the skills. Looking down into the thickets is a problem but only if you are trying to spot something standing still. Movement usually reveals a trespasser's location. Access to water is plentiful here, there are dozens of small creeks that all drain into the three rivers mentioned earlier."
"That's the easy stuff, now it gets interesting from here," he adds with a more serious tone. "This entire area is hostile. There are few spots that can truly be called 'safe' from predators, marauding bandits, undead filth, and monsters both wandering and domestic. There's plenty of docile animals here, but the rest are not to be taken lightly. Everything from dire wolves, goblins, kobolds, mites, trolls, tatzlwyrms, owlbears, giant boars, and plenty of bandits are here. Don't get me started on those will-o-wisps!" he said with a tinge of bitterness in his voice. His face got dark and foreboding but he quickly regained his majestic composure. "Next up are some of the details of some of the more distinct denizens inside the Narlmarches, starting with the fey."
"The fey are scattered all over the place. Most of them are alone or paired up but not necessarily as intimate couples," says Adarion, giving Goinin a brief evil eye as a dare for him to react. He continues on. "There are rumors of a fey court south of us, but we haven't found them to date. We believe there is a particular female fey that is manipulating events here in order to keep the Stolen Lands as wild as before. We don't know her name, but she does exists and she's here. Some of the fey have been killed by adventurers and bandits, but not after said fey have done respectable death and damage. We have marked on the map one particular fey named Tiressia. We dealt with her once and left her and her companion alone since. I wouldn't trust her completely, but our dealings were non-violent the first time."
He next moved his hand and pointed to the spot marked 'statue' and looked back to the group. "This is where we are now, the Statue of Erastil. Centuries past, this was a simple shrine that someone chose to keep up for their god. Over there," he pointed to a mount of what was once a structure now overrun by nature, "was where an overseer stayed. The place is no longer usable, but the statue remains in near-mint condition. To the northeast of here is a fallen structure that was once occupied by a bunch of giant toads. We eliminated them, but that place really isn't good for long-term use for you." His next destination on the map landed on a strange symbol to the east of where the frog pond was. This is what was called the Temple of the Elk. The adventurers who formed the new kingdom cleared that place out of monsters, but they lost a key cleric who we think was supposed to restore the place. Since then, nobody has been to that old temple to date, but this could always change."
"Now southwest of that place, a broken bridge lies on the Skunk River. This was a next of Tatzylworms that we killed off. The bridge, or what's left of it, remains there. We think the new kingdom has discovered it, but has done nothing about it." The commander then makes a circling motion in an area between the Skunk River and the Murque River. "Around here is a bunch of crazy stuff going on. At the edge of the treeline where the Skunk River is at, you can find a bunch of Gnomes looking for adventure. We kept a close eye on these guys, as they seem to be treasure hunters of sorts, but didn't establish any contact with them; choosing to remain hidden so that people did not learn of our presence here. Further upstream is an independent group of lumberjacks who appear to be in disarray. They haven't done much production in cutting, but they should be dealt with somehow. We will leave that to you. Finally, there are two different 'hollows' here at the edge of Tuskwater Lake, and further inside the Narlmarches. Bad stuff is found in both places, but we didn't clear them out. I think some sort of witch is found at the Tuskwater location."
"that's about it on what we know about the Narlmarches and those that go bump into the night here. What organized goblin and kobold clans here have been driven off by either ourselves or by the humans. A gesture by Kethelis catches Adarion's attention. "Oh yes, see this island here inside the smaller lake called Candlemere? There is a tower located on that small circle of land, but we don't know what's in it. Finally, somewhere here along the western part of the Murque River is rumored of an ancient Elven outpost. We don't know where and what is in it, but we do know it exists. If you want, your team could discover it and use it for your long term base, but that's up to you."
"OK, that was the interesting stuff. Now comes the primary purpose of why you are here. Any questions as to what I have covered so far?"
Nodding and taking notes all the way Celebrindal looks at the others before asking
"How big is the new kingdom, do you have intelligence of their scouting abilities and how strong are their patrols. Are they mounted?"
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Goinin returns the lords evil eye with a mockingly innocent smile.
Then he nods toward Faivai.
He is silent while Celebrindal speaks then he adds
"And the known radius/paths of their regular patrols, the regularly traveled paths,"
He at Celebrindal and adds
"And uh introduce us to the locals aswell."
Lord Adarion responds,"I'm getting to all that now, as it seems there are no questions to what I have covered. Good."
His elegant finger jabs into a specific spot on the map. "This is the Kingdom of Kinneth, a newly formed charter of sovereignty under the government of Brevoy. Their current home base is this town called Woodhaven on the Thorn River, which is right next to a rickety bridge in which they are currently repairing for future use. They officially own these three leagues on the map."
"The area they control is roughly about 25 miles wide and about equally long in the shape of a bowed upside down pyramid with Woodhaven as the bottom point apex. Upstream and into the woods is a former bandit camp converted into a logging site with about three buildings. They started cutting just three days ago with a count of twenty lumbermen last we spotted in their daily operations. It's really simple: cut down the trees, float them down the river, then catch them at Woodhaven which will be used to expand their town and for profit with Brevoy. Now over here to the northeast of Woodhaven is a gold mine that the inhabitants are now using to help fund their operations.
"In the south, where the Shrike River flows into Lake Tuskwater, is the Stag Lord's Fort. It's a run-down small castle where a semi-organized bunch of bandits held out for raids on everything in the Narlmarches and the open plains of the Kamelands that surrounds the lake by many leagues. We had the pleasure of witnessing the battle that took place here between the adventurers and the bandits. The bandits lost, but they killed one of the party members and damaged the fort even further. Our own infiltration into the kingdom revealed that the ruling council is waiting for more troop strength to form up before they attempt to occupy the fort and use it for their purposes. There is a bridge here, where the Thorn and Shrike rivers conjoin, seems to be in fairly decent condition.
"Woodhaven is true to its name in many ways. Each and every building is of wooden make and are single story structures with only three exceptions. There is a town hall, an inn, and a lookout tower next to their barracks. Only the barracks and a jail possess any real stonework in the entire town. There is no real organized set up to their town except surrounding the hall, barracks, and along the riverside; the rest is an ad-hoc arrangement of homes. We estimate about 500 total permanent residents in Woodhaven, most of them are workers of some sort. There is a tavern called the Silver Oaks Tavern, a watermill, a long riverside pier...oh yeah, the inn is called the Wooden Crown Inn. Everything else are homes and only three are somewhat elaborate. They are working on finishing a road that originates from Oleg's Trading Post in the north to Woodhaven, we counted about fifty workers currently laboring on that project.
"There are approximately 18 city guards as of two days ago that protect the kingdom. All are mercenary footmen of variable quality. We identified three scouts which operate independently, we estimate them as adept rangers in their craft. Most of the mercs are inside the town and rarely conduct patrols any further than a mile away from Woodhaven. They seem to be far more concerned about protecting what they have at this point before expanding their zone of control.
"Kinneth is under the direction of a trading outfit called the Northwinds Trading Company (no copyrights, etc.). Their goal is simple: Establish their own kingdom and use the region for profit. Up to this point, they have succeeded to a point. The company hired a group of 12 total adventurers to clear out an area of all hostiles and establish their kingdom. There are now currently only five survivors who now are part of the council, the rest died in their battles against the bandits and the Narlmarches. They were not very diplomatic in their endeavors, having driven off two clans of kobolds, a large boar named Tuskgutter, several local fey, several other creatures in the area, and all known bandits on this northern part of the map. These council members are also the leaders of the Northwinds Trading Company."
"The leader is Baron Stepka Boguslav. This guy is somewhat of a demi-noble from Brevoy. He leads a total of eight council members. We identified the council members as the following: Baltus Quickdagger, spymaster; Hothrog Stonehammer, a dwarven treasurer; Joren Kruse, a priest of Abadar; Bolthor Lofnheid the diplomat; Cronus Herzhaft, councilor; Philip Petrovskyy, the warden and fighter who protects the kingdom; and Gren Nimbleleaf, ranger and marshall. All together, they seem to run the company well, but lacks the experience and coordination to run a kingdom. There should be about five more positions to be filled in order to effectively run this kingdom, but they are working on that. The kingdom itself is under 1000 total inhabitants, almost entirely composed of Brevoy humans with a scarce amount of others. Small farms and wayward homes are scattered here and there but mostly on a north-south axis about one to five miles away from the Narlmarches. We discovered this was intentional by the council through edicts in order to maximize future farmlands and leave space for their eventual depletion of the woods entirely."
"There you have it in a nutshell. There are little more details to share as we have only been out here for a few months. The rest shall be up to you as you and/or the higher ups see fit. My squad should be leaving the area for the eastern 'problem' in just a few hours or so. That second human incursion should not be of any concern for you, as you will have more than enough to deal with here. From this moment on, we officially transfer control of operations to you. Good luck, and give them the Nine Hells."
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Goinin looks at the floor for a moment, then he wraps his right hand around his back and grabs his right arm. He looks at Celebrindal then at each of them for a moment. After which returns his gave to Celebrindal and lingers on him for it feels like 5 day. Finally he sighs and says
"Well it seems like we have two chooses either we attack the wood cutters immediately or we bypass and deal with the city."
Goinin pauses and then looks around spreads his hands wide and says
"I suggest fouling a temporary or contain food or water supply,"
Pause and before anybody reacts and says
Nothing fatal just something that will give the flux.
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I can brew up a little something for the woodcutters. I would prefer something a little more... permanent, but I could work on something. Adrienne replies to Goinin. A look of steely determination that had not been there before had come across her face at the mention of woodcutters and had not left. I would prefer to deal with these woodcutters first.
OK, I'm going to have to sit down and write up the Elonalryn Handbook. REAL SOON.