Carefully Squeak started humming a low, rumbling, bass. He approached Bronwyn and held out a travel cake like an offering.
"What happened to the horses they brought here?" Squeak asked
The boy interrupted, "Tell them about the shadow horses I seen."
"Hush, Jacob. Anyway, next thing I know my husband gets the wagon ready and takes off. Without saying nothing to me or the kids."
She started crying, "He's not back yet and I'm afraid something bad has happened to him. This is not like him at all."
Bronwyn looked interested in what the boy had mentioned. "I'd like to hear about the shadow horses. Was the mean man riding the shadow horses? Was there also a woman with him?"
The wizard put a comforting hand on the woman's arm. "Did your husband leave with the man or did he go off with the wagon alone? What happened with the mean man?"
One of the girls sat on her lap, "He went north, towards the gnome place."
Bronwyn thought it sounded like quite the puzzle indeed. It seemed odd that Lucan wouldn't just take the wagon and leave. Why get the innkeeper to leave his family? "Why would he go that direction?"
Carefully Squeak started humming a low, rumbling, bass. He approached Bronwyn and held out a travel cake like an offering.
Bronwyn gave Squeak a confused look and raised an eyebrow at his behavior. He didn't seem like he was glitching like he sometimes did. When he held out the travel cake to her, she obviously wasn't going to turn it down. It was delicious after all. She slowly raised her hand and plucked the cake from Squeak's hand. "Ummm...thanks?"
Vi stood just behind Bronwyn, hands on her hips. "So where's my cookie?
Squeak's rumble deepened as he ransacked his pouch for another travel cake, this one still wrapped in leaves for transport.
Munching on her cookie, Vi raised an eyebrow at Squeak. "What's that noise? Are you...purring?"
Lucina stood off to the side, acting above it all and pretending that she hadn't wanted a cookie anyway, even if it had been offered.
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Vi took one look at Lucina, and whispered to Squeak, "Can you offer one to her, too?"
Vi agreed, but said, “Yes, but we also have to rest. As do the horses. And if they have regular horses from here, then hopefully they'll be back to a normal pace. Normalish. I think we should sleep here tonight, but be on the road again at dawn.”
"Let the resting commence then; the subject is pushing far and chances of catching him before Trolanport are diminishing." The 'forged turned to the grieving woman. "Query. This one trusts you are able to provide us with the name and a complete physical description of your husband so that we may ask after him in case we do not come across him before city limits?
Action 2:
Bronwyn was getting increasingly frustrated. She felt like having an outburst like Vi but didn't want to scare the children because hers would probably involve fire. She listened to how the boy described the horses and it sounded like magic. Lucan was either very lucky or very powerful if he was able to wield magic for every possible contingency he faced. The boy also confirmed that Grilsha was still with her brother. Sadly, now they knew they were being pursued. "Did you happen to notice if the man or woman were carrying anything distinctive or maybe seemed strange?" The wizard didn't want to worry the family further by asking specifically about a sword but this was her primary objective. If they no longer had the sword then maybe they could call off the pursuit and just tell the Brelish crown that they lost them.
I think we should sleep here tonight, but be on the road again at dawn.”
Bronwyn nodded, "Wrinkles aside, I need rest or else my magic is useless. We can get an early start because the 'forged can wake us up just before dawn."
waiting on a couple of more posts before recapping...
Squeak obediently handed over a cookie, still humming deeply, and nodded knowingly at Palisade.
"We can only go at a certain speed. We could get more horses, but damaging Bronwyn, Vi or Lucina through overuse would be contraindicated." Squeak agreed. "Potentially we should look for a transport method in the future more compatible with human weaknesses. Perhaps some form of wheeled bed, in which we could stow them. Springs could be used to try to minimise the effect of bumps on the passengers."
Squeak obediently handed over a cookie, still humming deeply, and nodded knowingly at Palisade.
"We can only go at a certain speed. We could get more horses, but damaging Bronwyn, Vi or Lucina through overuse would be contraindicated." Squeak agreed. "Potentially we should look for a transport method in the future more compatible with human weaknesses. Perhaps some form of wheeled bed, in which we could stow them. Springs could be used to try to minimise the effect of bumps on the passengers."
"That is a very good idea, Squeak," Bronwyn praised. "Perhaps that's part of the reason why they were traveling first by carriage and now by wagon." She added, "I really like your proposal of springs to absorb the shock of travel as well as the idea of a mobile mattress. I appreciate you being considerate of my comfort for future traveling."
Vi nodded in agreement. "We need to rest, the horses need to rest, and there's going to be trouble sooner rather than later. Let's rest now, and go first thing in the morning, and push hard."
"Lie down now." Squeak ordered. "Palisade and I will see to the horses, keep watch and ensure everything is ready to go when you awaken. Let's try to be on the road again in under 9 hours."
Bronwyn didn't know whether to laugh or scold Squeak at his initial comment. "We can't just lie down on the floor in the middle of the room."
Turning to the innkeeper she asked, "Ma'am, do you have a couple of rooms where we can stay for the night and get some rest?"
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Action 2
Tyler, the little brave boy, approached Squeak and Palisade and was dwarfed by both of them. He looked up to them and said, “So you guys are not going to eat me or something, right? Is it true you don’t sleep? Do your… parts rust? Do you get to choose the type of metal? Do you who made you? Are there little warforged like me?...
Palisade did not pause in his weapon maintenance but it did turn its single eye on the young human. "Reassuringly. We do not consume living things for sustenance. We shall not eat you or yours. Addendum. You being our hosts for the night, it would be impolite to terminate, skin, butcher and cook your flesh over open fire while using your bones for soup stock." Bastion climbed out from his nest to sit on his little brother's shoulder and cleaned his whiskers.
"Neither do we require sleep as you humans and your kind do, although some amount of rest is generally necessary to properly align our minds to replenish spellpower. We can indeed rust, if proper maintenance is neglected, although only part of our bodies are made of metal - the percentage varies over different models build for different tasks. This one was made by the Goddess-Creator Melindri d'Cannith, may her name ever be praised." At this, Palisade paused in its work for a brief moment to bow its head in veneration. "Honest regard. A body as small as you would be impractical to many combat situations, and since the manufacture of a lot of different kinds of Warforged has always been considered a lot more inefficient than the manufacture of a lot of Warforged of the same design, this one considers it unlikely. Thoughtfully. Although small size would have its benefits in recon and assassination duties, so this one cannot discount the possibility."
The 'forged gave the boy a level look. "You have a lot of questions, young girl. This one is pleased enough to educate you, though, so do not hesitate to ask more."
Action 3
As Palisade arrived to wake Bronwyn after her all-too short rest, the tall 'forged was obviously hiding something behind its back. Once it realized even the bleary-eyed wizardess had caught it in the act, it gingerly revealed a bouquet... or sorts.
"Embarrassed. This one has been instructed it is common among human beings to offer one's apologies in flowers, particularly if the wronged party is of the female persuasion. This one believes you were "cross" with us for not properly appreciating your and companion Vi Olaro's safe return. Thus, this one went and procured these." With these words, the 'forged presented Bronwyn with it's gift - a bunch of grass and weeds wrapped with a leather strap.
"Proudly. This one failed to locate any flowers in bloom but it reasoned that since flowers are plants, logic dictates that these should serve the purpose. Addendum. This one also believes these weeds in particular are a tenacious breed, well suited to portray Lady d'Deneith's proven survival skills. Addendum. This one also failed to procure any colored silk, but proved that a leather strap soaked in water overnight can indeed be tied into a ribbon."
As Palisade arrived to wake Bronwyn after her all-too short rest, the tall 'forged was obviously hiding something behind its back. Once it realized even the bleary-eyed wizardess had caught it in the act, it gingerly revealed a bouquet... or sorts.
"Embarrassed. This one has been instructed it is common among human beings to offer one's apologies in flowers, particularly if the wronged party is of the female persuasion. This one believes you were "cross" with us for not properly appreciating your and companion Vi Olaro's safe return. Thus, this one went and procured these." With these words, the 'forged presented Bronwyn with it's gift - a bunch of grass and weeds wrapped with a leather strap.
"Proudly. This one failed to locate any flowers in bloom but it reasoned that since flowers are plants, logic dictates that these should serve the purpose. Addendum. This one also believes these weeds in particular are a tenacious breed, well suited to portray Lady d'Deneith's proven survival skills. Addendum. This one also failed to procure any colored silk, but proved that a leather strap soaked in water overnight can indeed be tied into a ribbon."
Bronwyn wiped sleep from her eyes and wondered if she was having another bizarre dream. When she realized that this was actually happening, she got up on her knees and moved to the end of the bed where Palisade was standing.
In that moment she was struck by how much the 'forged had learned over the years. When Palisade used to wake her up, he'd pull the covers off of her and physically lift her out of bed and place her on her feet - sometimes none too gently. My how things had changed.
The bouquet was definitely not the prettiest thing she had ever received but it was one of the most thoughtful - especially coming from a 'forged. She stood up on the bed so that she was eye to eye with Palisade who was still holding the greenery. First, she threw her arms around Palisade's neck and gave him a hug. Then she gingerly took the bouquet from his hand. "Thanks so much, Palisade. This was super thoughtful and most unexpected. You have been most successful this morning."
Action 3:
Bronwyn was done. She would be a happy woman if she never had to ride another horse in her life. The allure of her mount being magebred no longer had any draw. Her saddle sores had saddle sores. Not that she'd tell the 'forged because they'd insist on treating her.
When they came across the wagon at the side of the road, Bronwyn was grateful because it meant they were stopping. Once they were all dismounted, she asked, "So who wants to poke the snoring man? Does it look like Jerome?"
OOC: the man looks like Jerome
Perhaps it was the night's rest or perhaps she was just growing practiced at long rides, but the day had not felt quite as grueling. Lucina shrugged at Bronwn and walked forward. She cleared her throat before declaring loudly. "Jerome? JEROME!" When the man didn't budge, Lucina sighed. Casting a spell, a cloud appeared over the man and doused him with water. Once she was sure he was awake, she approached and asked in her typical monotonous tone, "Excuse me. Are you Jerome?"
[dice=Ride]1d20+2
Perhaps it was the night's rest or perhaps she was just growing practiced at long rides, but the day had not felt quite as grueling. Lucina shrugged at Bronwn and walked forward. She cleared her throat before declaring loudly. "Jerome? JEROME!" When the man didn't budge, Lucina sighed. Casting a spell, a cloud appeared over the man and doused him with water. Once she was sure he was awake, she approached and asked in her typical monotonous tone, "Excuse me. Are you Jerome?"
The man was slow to wake and was certainly startled, "Yes. yes. Who are you?
He stretched and shook his head at the sight of the horses, "Still dead on their feet..."
Jerome looked at the rest of the group, "Do I know you?"
tag?
Squeak looked thoughtful "If you are thinking of becoming a Warforged when you are older, I should warn you that you are likely older than Palisade or myself. Further the replacement of flesh with construct parts is..." he paused "Eminently doable, now I consider the matter. It is the intelligence that is most problematic. We would simply need to transfer your intelligence - your soul - to a new body. Given I now have a Soul, I might be able to deduce how such a task could best be accomplished."
"I fear several of my internal couplings have come loose." Squeak declared. "I can only imagine how damaged Buttercup must have become during this transit. I have drawn up preliminary plans for a more convenient travel mechanism."
"Before you head back to your family, who miss you greatly, we need to know exactly what happened since you left your house." Squeak requested, desperate to interrogate the man before he immediately took off for home in the aftermath of his obviously enspelled slumber.
First, she threw her arms around Palisade's neck and gave him a hug. Then she gingerly took the bouquet from his hand. "Thanks so much, Palisade. This was super thoughtful and most unexpected. You have been most successful this morning."
As this wasn’t the first time Lady d’Deneith decided to go for a physical show of affection, Palisade knew enough to stand stock-still to avoid her nicking herself on a sharp edge of armor plating. ”This one is pleased to be of assistance,” it hazarded, not quite knowing how to respond although it had to admit the Lady’s reaction hadn’t been entirely unexpected. It certainly fit the logical model of human females it had pieced together from campsite tales by former squadmates who had claimed extensive knowledge of the female psyche. Palisade itself was still a bit puzzled why a bunch of already-dying plants should elect such a response, but it decided to take the results and accept the fact that the subtle context that led to them remained vague.
After managing to extract itself, Palisade took a moment to report to unit Squeak in privacy, before the women joined them for a quick breakfast. ”Statement. Mission accomplished. The tactic proved highly effective – we should keep it in mind for future use. Hesitantly. This one finds an interesting commonality between Lady d’Deneith’s response and the nature of gods. She has accepted this one’s offering and granted it her favor. Much like mortal worshipers seek the good graces of their patron deities by bringing gifts of value to their altars. Even sacrificing living beings when the need is particularly great. Also, much like a god to his followers, she gives us degrees that we seek to obey. From former squadmate Jackdaw’s statements, this seems to be common to male-female pairings among the fleshlings; the males standing in attendance while the females reign over the household, wielding what appears to be absolute power. Thoughtfully. This similarity is something this one will need to think of at length.”
"No. You do not know us." Lucina said bluntly. "However, we encountered your wife and children on our journey here who described to us your unexpected departure. Our suspicion is that you were abducted by fugitives that we currently tracking. If you could confirm or clarify this matter...then share any information you remember, you will be free to return to your family...or go back snoring on the roadside if you wish..."
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The 'forged gave the boy a level look. "You have a lot of questions, young girl. This one is pleased enough to educate you, though, so do not hesitate to ask more."
Vi felt absolutely drained, pained and bruised by the time she slid out of the saddle. She stumbled on the landing and ended up on her back, staring at the evening sky. Groaning loudly, she pushed herself to her feet, where she stood swaying. "Ollandra wept! I don't think there's a single part of me that doesn't hurt. Can we please never ride a horse again?"
As Lucina questioned the innkeep, Vi drew her daggers and looked to the woods, expecting an ambush.
First, she threw her arms around Palisade's neck and gave him a hug. Then she gingerly took the bouquet from his hand. "Thanks so much, Palisade. This was super thoughtful and most unexpected. You have been most successful this morning."As this wasn’t the first time Lady d’Deneith decided to go for a physical show of affection, Palisade knew enough to stand stock-still to avoid her nicking herself on a sharp edge of armor plating. ”This one is pleased to be of assistance,” it hazarded, not quite knowing how to respond although it had to admit the Lady’s reaction hadn’t been entirely unexpected. It certainly fit the logical model of human females it had pieced together from campsite tales by former squadmates who had claimed extensive knowledge of the female psyche. Palisade itself was still a bit puzzled why a bunch of already-dying plants should elect such a response, but it decided to take the results and accept the fact that the subtle context that led to them remained vague.
As Palisade turned to leave, Bronwyn decided to be even more helpful. "Palisade, to be even more successful in the future, you should know that women like jewelry even more than they like flowers."
After managing to extract itself, Palisade took a moment to report to unit Squeak in privacy, before the women joined them for a quick breakfast. ”Statement. Mission accomplished. The tactic proved highly effective – we should keep it in mind for future use. Hesitantly. This one finds an interesting commonality between Lady d’Deneith’s response and the nature of gods. She has accepted this one’s offering and granted it her favor. Much like mortal worshipers seek the good graces of their patron deities by bringing gifts of value to their altars. Even sacrificing living beings when the need is particularly great. Also, much like a god to his followers, she gives us degrees that we seek to obey. From former squadmate Jackdaw’s statements, this seems to be common to male-female pairings among the fleshlings; the males standing in attendance while the females reign over the household, wielding what appears to be absolute power. Thoughtfully. This similarity is something this one will need to...
Can we please never ride a horse again?"
Bronwyn nodded emphatically. "I completely agree. Good thing that Squeak is working on a mobile bed system."
When Jerome woke up and started rambling, the wizard listened to Lucina get him focused but thought the questions could be more direct. "Where are the man and woman who were in your wagon? Why are you stopped at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere?"
Jerome was clearly surprised by the questions, "I don't know of any man or woman."
He spoke in a hushed tone, "But I don't remember much of the last two days. I only remember a couple of hours ago. I think I know where I am but I am very tired."
He looked at his horses, "And my horses are almost dead on their feet. I'm going home to my wife and kids but need to wait a while longer until the horses rest up some."
He asked, "You seen my wife? She OK? Who are you?"
"No, no no. You can't not remember. We need to know. What happened to you? Why did you run off? What can you remember about the last few hours? WHERE THE HELLS ARE LUCAN AND GRILLSHA!!!"
Some kind of mind magic? Lucina wondered to herself. She made a lowering gesture towards Vi, suggesting that the woman calm herself. Turning back to Jerome, she replied. "Your wife and children are fine. There is nothing you remember? Focus and think carefully. Perhaps something will come back. A sound, a color...a feeling..."
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Some kind of mind magic? Lucina wondered to herself. She made a lowering gesture towards Vi, suggesting that the woman calm herself. Turning back to Jerome, she replied. "Your wife and children are fine. There is nothing you remember? Focus and think carefully. Perhaps something will come back. A sound, a color...a feeling..."
The man struggled, "There was the man who came knocking at our door yesterday before dawn. Long-hair, dressed all in black and then... I don't know. I just sort of woke up a couple of hours ago."
His eyes were far away for a second, "I just sort of woke up very tired a couple of hours ago. Look at my horses. They're dead-tired so I decided to wait this out and then get back home."
"Birds." stated Squeak, as he argued with Palisade. "Often in mating rituals the male will bring brightly coloured objects or sticks to the female. Remember Corporal Bigly? He brought flowers for the woman he was courting three times. In the end he bought her jewellery - a ring I think - and they became a mated pair." Squeak paused "You are correct about the male/female pairing division of responsibilities. It is worth noting that this behaviour is not universal, but it is quite statistically significant."
Squeak used the wand on himself, and felt one of his support posts unbuckle with a crack.
"Should we push on or camp here with Jerome? If they have a few hours on us, we will not cut them off before they reach Trolanport." He enquired.
Lucina sighed. "The fates are determined for him to reach Trolanport. I see no reason not to recover our strength."
Action 2
Palisade knelt before Jerome and caught his jaw in a vice-like grip. It turned the man’s head gently from one side to the other so it could peer into his eyes and observe his reaction to the discomfort before letting go and standing up. ”Diagnosis. No sign of concussion or major trauma to the head. The subject also seems to be telling the truth as he knows it. Conclusion. Magical befuddling of the mind seems likely.”
”Suggestion. We should take a brief break and use the time to examine the wagon and immediate surroundings for possible clues. The quarry is in great hurry, so something might have slipped his attention and been left behind.“
As the others began to look for tracks, Vi continued to scan the edges of the road. However, she no longer believed this was an ambush. "Please, please tell me you can find tracks, that they were here. That this wasn't an enormous diversion. If they're only a few hours ahead of us, we have a chance. I think we should push on."
"Seperately, I think we should discuss how to approach combat should we see them again." Squeak pointed out "Both of them hid. Very well. Do we have a solution to deal with potentially invisible foes?"
Lucina wandered over next to Vi, "Let me check..." she muttered as she studied the area near the cart for tracks.
Lucina considered Squeak's question for a moment before speaking, "I may have an idea...There is a spell that I have seen other druid's cast, that to be honest I always thought was just a frivolous campfire trick with an equally foolish name. However, it could be useful in this scenario." She continued to explain, "It can outline something...or someone...in a harmless, but colorful magical flame. I doubt even invisibility would hide it..."
Should I stay or should I go now? :)
There are tracks of one person leaving the site at about 4 to 8 hours ago.
"I see one set of tracks..." Lucina remarked, as she pointed them out to Vi. "I'd wager about four to eight hours ago...I'm not sure we can cover that kind of distance before he arrives in Trolanport."
Conclusion. Magical befuddling of the mind seems likely.
While Palisade had Jerome immobilized, Bronwyn waved her hands around Jerome's head and stared into his eyes to try to figure out what had happened to him.
I'd wager about four to eight hours ago...I'm not sure we can cover that kind of distance before he arrives in Trolanport."
Bronwyn looked extremely disappointed. "If they have that much of a head start on us then how can we possibly hope to catch up to them before Trolanport. I really do not want to get back onto Star again right now so I vote to rest and hopefully we'll pick up their trail again in the gnome place."
"Seperately, I think we should discuss how to approach combat should we see them again." Squeak pointed out "Both of them hid. Very well. Do we have a solution to deal with potentially invisible foes?"
Bronwyn looked thoughtfully at Squeak. "Don't you have foodstuffs along that could be used? Or don't you travel with the ingredients to make cakes? Any powdery ingredient should be useful against possible invisible foes."