"I'm glad to hear that. I'll have a few words with them, if you don't mind, plus I'll bring them some food."
Norton heads towards the prisoners with the intention of gain some more trust from them.
"Certainly .. Arliss is in the old stable seeing to the horses, the others are just over here." he gestures to the area of new construction north of you.
Budgie is speaking with Green and Furiel. The two gnomes are hunched over a low makeshift table sketching what look like blueprints with one of the farmboys. Kressle is sitting watching the last light of the sun go down.
Norton approaches Kressle bearing food with him.
"Seems things have smoothed since we last saw each other. How were last two days?"
He sits beside her putting the food between them and taking a taste.
"Like a holiday, heh. Well ... I've been working, but living easy out in the woods wasn't so easy. Wasn't much for bein in charge, but taking charge is sometimes the only way to ... I don't know what anymore. Don't care." She takes a handful of food and picks bitefuls with the other hand. "Heh .. things have been good, Ser Ambrosi, thank you for asking. How was that?" She shows a half grin, and continues eating.
"I'm glad to hear those words. I won't lie to you: two days ago your life was very close to getting to an end. Spirits were inflamed, but the hard decision was postponed. I can't promise nothing, but a good attitude may sway the minds to a merciful solution."
"There will be hard work, but this place could be a fresh start for many of us."
"Ser Ambrosi ... one more thing.. " She glances over toward Budgie and speaks quietly.. particularly when speaking Budgie's name "Budgie's mother is dead ... I don't know who that woman was, or why he accepted it so easily. Budgie's dad, Papa Grundy, told me about it himself ... its a tragic story, but its not mine to tell." She wipes her hands on her pants and stands. "Goodnight Ser Ambrosi"
you do not detect anything to give you the impression she is being anything but genuine. You detect no sign of deception or malicious intent (from what little you have seen) from any of the former bandits this evening.
She seems to take your words and actions well, and start to see you as a person rather than 'generic hero noble X'
If it possible Norton will check upon the others bandits as well, to see how they are doing.
Then if is not too late he will look for Green. Budgie seems to be more than just what meets the eye.
Rillo and Bunyon roll up the blueprints and bid the Gielgud boys goodnight as Norton approaches. Green, Furiel and Budgie are a dozen feet away talking.
The two farmboys nod at Norton and mount up to return home.
Rillo and Bunyon greet Norton "Evening sir." "Evening boss. Just headin for some grub, sir."
Kesten and Mauersberger take the night watch while everyone else sleeps. Alice was able to smuggle a hooded Mikmek into the spare tent without incident.
A few hours before sunrise, the light sleepers are awoken by sobbing. A few minutes later, Kesten awakens Green. "Budgie has requested to speak with you immediately."
"Wuh...Very well, let me just get some water in my face..."
The Green Man slowly gets up, rubs his sore leg, slaps his face once or twice and rinses it in cold water.
"Right, take me to him then please."
Kesten leads Green to Budgie sitting by the firepit. "She tricked me Green. That wasn't me mum. She came by, asked who I was ... then asked a mess of questions about this place and you folk. I think she knew I was gettin suspicious, cos she magicked me. .... It just hit me all of a sudden 'Your mother is gone Budgie."
"Ah...ok then."
"Ah...ok then."
The Green Man puzzles about that information for a moment.
"No point in waking the others yet, we can't do anything right away.
So while the rest of the people sleep, let's see what you can remember about her ok?
What did she look like? Any specific traits you remember? What questions did she ask and about whom? Where did she to look at this place? That sort of thing."
Almost like an afterthought, The Green Man turns to Kesten.
"Just as a precaution, can you double the guards for the next few days? She sound like she was a scout and it is possible they plan on attacking or infiltrating the place."
Budgie wipes his wet face with his sleeve. "She said she had seen a lot of activity ... I told her some good folk had come to tame the wilds, and were out there somewheres now. She asked which direction you were heading, when you would return, who you were gunnin for, who you serve, and who keeps an eye on this place when you're gone ... She asked it all casual, but I knew..
I said 'Who are you anyway askin all these questions?'
She said 'I'm your mum' and wiggled her fingers at me. Next thing I knew, I was convinced... certain she was .."
"Oh .. and she asked if Ser Valertis had taken charge of the expedition, she did. Asked about him by name. Said she had something for him that she gave to Goodman Oleg - some sealed note."
Kesten nods to Green. "I'll find some more men in the morning. If nothing else, I can get some of Gielgud's boys suited up."
"Right, thank you captain Kesten. As for you Budgie, relax, nobody is going to blame you.
Let us wait til morning comes properly and then tell the others."
Morning comes .. you smell Svetlana's cooking as you enter the courtyard, and see Budgie in his bedroll outside the guesthouse door. A large pot sits over the firepit. Svetlana greets you .. "Good morning! Be ready for you to find out how good gruel can be!"
Jhod looks over her shoulder into the pot and shudders before finding a seat.
Kesten is there, looking a bit worn from his late-night shift. "Morning. We have much to discuss."
"Yes, it appears we have been scouted, and by someone with a fair ammount of magical might. Budige, if you would be so kind as to repeatr what you told me..."
"And there you have it, now the question is, what should we do about it?"
"We stay wary" Norton can't understand if Budgie is very stupid or very smart.
Then there is the note for Rogar, is the second time he receives one. Seems that there is no time to answer a question that others rise.
"There are a lot of things going on right now. The promise we made Mimek and the Stag Lord thing, just for a start."
"It seems most unusual. Perhaps magic was involved, or mind altering toxins? Or it may be that Budgie was hallucinating. Or this is a trap. There are many things we do not yet know. There is enough to believe that there was indeed a woman here. Perhaps I can find the trail they used to get here, and follow it to where they went." If someone is at least able to point the direction they went, I'll try it.
"Hmmm, true, I doubt our friend MikMek would be terribly pleased if we delayed returning him and the statuette to his tribe.
Maybe we should see to that first?
The kobolds likely know the area; they might be able to point us in the right direction.
As for the woman, didn't the goblins talk about a sorceress?"
"Ah yes .. kobolds. That relates to the next order of business..I have received several requests that I cannot fulfill while stationed here. Therefore I will post a bounty board on the wall there near the gate. I understand you are overwhelmed as it is, but should happen to stumble upon the subject of a bounty ... such as " ... he flips through some papers .. "Deal with the increasing number of aggressive kobolds ... posted by kin of deceased prospectors and matched by the Swordlords of Restov 800 gold"
"Does it specify what "deal with" means? Would forming an alliance or nonaggression pact with them be sufficient?"
"Yes I noticed the lack of clarity. From what I can tell they were intentionally vague. It may be the Swordlords' adaptation of the bereaved kins' wishes. I would argue either culling or pact would satisfy the request."
"Smart fellows these swordlords, flexibility is useful in the wilds."
Rogar enters the guesthouse yhawning:"Morning everyone! Slept well, I hope? If I recall correctly we need to give that ugly statuette to the Kobold's chief, right? But before riding away to... parlay... with kobolds, I guess I'd have some of that stuff, if you don't mind my good Svetlana!"
"Rogar, I think we can rest at Oleg's until you are fully recovered from that tick. I am eager to continue, but only when we are ready. I think we bring the statue back to the kobolds."
Speaking carefully away from Mikmek, "I am in favor of examining the trustworthiness of these kobolds, and if they are in any way suspect, putting Mikmek in charge."
After waiting for another lull in discussion Kesten adds...
"The next issue is something Oleg and the gnomes have been working on. We have many laborers available to us. While we are not at a level of security for too much... If you care to use some of your capital gains toward building structures which would aid you in the short term, we can get to work on that."
"And finally .. In light of last night's events, Alice has asked to stay with us to secure the base of operations."
"Seems we have our hands full. I vote to pay visit to Mimek people, but I don't want to forget the Stag Lord and his blue berries: I want to ask Kressle to deliver them and tell the madman the creepy one is trying to cut him off from his stash."
Rogar wears a friendly smile answering Furiel:"Thanks, Furiel, I appreciate the thought, but I'm feeling better already. I wouldn't miss a meeting with these kobolds for all the gold in the Surtova's coffers! And about Kresle, I agree with Ambrosi. Send her to the Stag Lord, if she wants to go, although she has seen a lot by now. Anyway I'm adamant she shouldn't be kiled"
You find an area pointed out by Budgie and are able to discern her tracks from the others ... her trail heads directly east for a few hundred feet then stops. Her last footprint is very odd. It looks like she jumped .. and her sandal print includes the indentation of three talons - pushing off the ground.
Furiel will cast detect magic and carefully examine the treasure hoard. Looking at each item in turn.
Knowledge Arcana
"I agree with the stay of Kressle's execution, but letting her go is dangerous. We just saw the risk with Budgie, and he was fooled. A trained leader allowed to give a detailed report on Oleg's and its inhabitants should not be sent back. Once the Stag Lord is deposed or destroyed, I think she can go. Kressle has not made one overture to imply that she is on our side yet."
Rogar looks at Furiel bettwen spoons of gruel, he seems mildly amused:"And how was Budgie fooled, this time? I don't mean to sound snarky, but he really doesn't seem to be the brightest of men, maybe we shouldn't give the poor fellow more responsability than he can handle..."
The Green Man smirks at that.
"I fear I must disagree with you there Ser Valertis. I am not yet convinced that Budgie is not much, MUCH cleverer than he looks.
I think he is either a man of extensive intellect that is also a master manipulator... The Green Man holds up one stubby finger...or he is clever but good at playing dumb to avoid drawing attention...The Green Man holds up a second finger.
"Either way, the most dangerous animals in nature are often those that can hide their true deadliness until it is too late."
After a mouthful of food The Green Man chuckles.
"That being said, I think we can rely on Budgie. He may be cleverer than given credit for, but he is not a leader, and that is why he ended up with bandits. And the reason he stayed was most likely that he lacked the strength to leave."
Confused by the strange tracks, she returns to Oleg's to report her findings to the others, waiting for a moment to jump in. She remains silent on the issue of Kressle, her own views having been already stated and yet unchanged. "I attempted to follow the woman's tracks. My discovery is odd to say the least. It goes for a distance east, but then it appears to have stopped. The last footprint I can find of her sandled foot bears another interesting mark, three talons protuding from it. The depth and shape makes seems to have pushed away from the ground."
"Like a woman walked and a bird flew off? In the stories from my homeland, they often spoke of skinchangers, hamnfaring, witches and more...
I never knew such things could be found in the south..."
"This land has a strange feel to it, as though there is ancient strength in the lands. It fights off those would attempt to tame it. I'm sure we will find stranger as we continue on, as the land attempts to fend us off." Ta'de-win smiles as she speaks, almost a look of joy at the prospect of such a challenge.
The fighter looks at Green in plain disbelief:"A master manipulator? Budgie? He really needs to be good because no one would suspect of being much more than an hillybilly thug... not that I doubt your evalutation of him... of course..."
Rogar keeps eating, he's almost finished when Ta'de-win comes back to the hall:[b]"A woman? And she took flight? This is really interesting news indeed.
The Green Man chuckles at Rogar.
"You yourself just explained why he being a master manipulator would be such a brilliant ploy."
After dabbing his mouth with a piece of cloth (a very delicate gesture for a man as large and brutish looking) The Green Man wanders over to the bounty board to have a closer look.
I wonder if our hosts need any help with anything? I should ask them as well. Nothing wrong with keeping busy.
Furiel scratches his head and laughs, "I think Green used your own words to prove his argument. By your own admission Rogar, Budgie is either really simple or really brilliant. I just know I like him--he is not a stick in the mud."
The Green Man heads over to Oleg after finishing his inspection of the board.
"Ah, Goodman Oleg, have you sufficiently recovered from your night of drink? I have some herbs here that will help ease any lingering headache, just boil some water, let the herbs simmer for 5 minutes and drink it while it is still hot."
The Green Man presents Oleg with a pinch of his homemade remedy.
"By-the-by and vis-a-vis, since we are heading out again soon and will most likely remain in these lands for months, are there anything we can do to help you, aside from the bounty you posted I mean?"
Oleg thanks Green, looking a bit puffy-faced and bedraggled. He inspects it looking wary for a moment, but smiles again. "I thank you. ... My bounty? Oh Ha! I admit I was a few drinks ahead of Kesten when I mentioned that, but yes that would look tremendous! Apart from that, Kesten said he was going to talk to you about putting these boys to work. That's about all that's on my mind right now. Get something goin!" He grabs his head, hurting it with his own exclamation.
Rogar looks from Furiel, to Green to Ta'De-Win:Yeah, well, I think we'll see soon enough what's he made of. Honestly I'm more interessed in the tale of this woman who supposedly took flight..."
"Hah! Looks like I got to you just in time. Go make your tonic; it will help you feel better."
Giving Oleg a slap on the back, The Green Man decides to go pump Svetlana as well, just to make sure he has covered all his bases.
Maybe that new fellow as well?
"Greetings there Goodwife, how are you this morning? I noticed you did not seem to be involved in the merrymaking last night? So perhaps you do not need my hangover cure?
As I was telling your husband, it looks like we will remain here for several months, so if you have anything you need help with, please go ahead and ask."
"Oh yes, and what do you know about the new fellow?"
"Morning... Goodman Green .." still uncomfortable with how to refer to everyone "I'm just fine thank you. No ... not my thing to .." she kind of gestures toward the firepit/social area, then says with a slight nod "I believe in good first impressions."
She goes on to discuss the newly arrived priest in a matronly sarcastic tone of voice.... "Father? .. Kavken .. Jhod. Could see it instantly. He and Oleg. Like two peas in a pod. Oleg was going on about what all we're gonna be building, and how 'tremendous' this and that, and Jhod just fed his ego. Don't trust a yes man. But ... come to find out he was buttering him up to fetch a fair price for his hand-carved mugs. He didn't know that Oleg gets stingier the more he drinks ... cuz he knows he'll get the math wrong."
"Thank you. I will let you know if anything comes up. Oh! Don't you dare go to any trouble risking yourself over that stupid dragon head for Oleg!"
"Dragon?! What no, woman. Taaz - .. its a wyrm!"
"The Taazlworm looks so friendly, why would we want to hurt him?"
Furiel is gazing at the smiling monster on the board.
I am dragonkin. Maybe he is a relative?
The Green Man snickers a little behind a large hand.
A womans wrath...nothing scarier on this green earth.