"I'm good to go. I'll meet you at first light guys.." Kesten says as everyone is preparing to leave, and he orders another dish together with the dwarf.
"Although, if we can keep this up, chances are you'll have to roll Fofin and me out there in a wheelbarrow."
Kesten slaps the dwarf on his shoulder, just as he drinks his ale.
Oh man, I need to work on my timing...
Yes you do.
"I'll have'ta get m'self a sticker fer our 'venture, mate!" the dwarf grunts to the nobleman as he moves to depart.
He nods to Runk, clearly pleased by the halfling's calculations. It takes him a few moments to count through the coins before greedily swiping them into a pouch which he ties into the thick foliage of his bristling beard. After performing such a measure against thievery, the dwarf snorts at Kesten's comment before wishing his savior well. He moves to hinder the gnome for a few moments before, however.
"Say, I could use a blacksmith too, or at least a forge. Got m'steel hide an' pick a bit roughed up," he informs Zizouket, scratching furiously at his chin. "Oh, an' can...ye, uh... maybe give m'con-dole-ensee's to that pard'ner o' yers? I done figured it wouldn' make no mind 'bout the greenskin if this all go' settled," he relents, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm but new to the surface, y'ot to tell 'im."
The dwarf's awkward apology ends abruptly as he shouts for a round of drinks and slumps back into his seat. He looks to struggle a bit with his most recent choice but soon shakes it off and winks at the approaching barmaid.
After several hours of trying to find his friend, Blake will start to make preparations for the next days journey. Stopping by the general story he will seek out Ven Vinder to speak with him directly.
"Good master Vinder, I was hoping you would do me a favor. My cousin and the sheriff have charged a few of us, myself and Zizouket along with some out of town folk, to try and figure out who was behind the goblin raid last night. It seems we are going to be leaving town for a few days, and I need some traveling gear. Sadly, I only have three gold coins, and what I require will no doubted cost more than that. Since this is for my own use I do not wish to charge it to the brewery accounts, so is there any chance you would allow me to pay what I have and make good on the rest after I put in some more work with my uncle?"
Vinder squints at Blake, pointing his finger and shaking it "I s'ppose, but don't you go forgetting to pay me what is owed, I know where ya live if you get my drift." He huffs, his short temper draining after his rant and goes to fetch what you need.
"I don't think anyone else can make peace for you, Fofin. You'll have to let him know yourself. I can take you by a blacksmith, but we'll need to leave now. I've some stuff to do myself. They'll still have food and wine here this evening," Zizou adds with a jovial smile.
After dropping Fofin off at the smith, Zizou leads Ethan to Vinder's general store. He finds Blake waiting for Vinder to return with his gear. "Ah! There you are! You didn't miss much. He invited us to a boar hunt, but we told him we had this other business. Oh, here, he gave us some gold for saving him - here's your share. His messenger didn't find Gorham this morning. You find anything?"
Ethan turns to Blake and smiles in greeting.
"I hope your inquiries proved useful, Master Deverin. Your loyalty to Gorham is testimony to the trust he earned from you and the people of Sandpoint, and there is, I am certain, a good reason for his absence. I spoke with Fofin about his behavior, and I believe he is willing to make amends. He is, as you might have noticed, a proud and stubborn fellow, so it will be difficult for him. He realizes, however, that peace amongst our number is essential."
"If we are to travel together, and brave the wilds to travel to a fortress filled with goblins, we have to be able to count on each and every member of our party to defend the life of the others. If there is any hatred or discord, that trust cannot take hold. It will break our bonds of fellowship, surely as a cording wedge will split a log."
"You take offense to Fofin's unflattering characterization of Gorham, and from your perspective, rightly so. You have known him many years, and he has proven to be a true and loyal friend time and again. Why does Fofin hold such a negative view of those with orcish blood? Are you curious to know? Understanding the root of his hatred may provide the means to untangling him from its tendrils."
Ethan smiles again, and places a hand on Blake's shoulder.
"Think on it. If you can help him realize that he is wrong in assuming that blood dictates the degree of one's virtue, he will be grateful to you for bringing him that peace."
Blake greets Zizou warmly, "Good after noon friend, I trust the pomp and circumstance was not to much over the moon. It appears that Gorham has left town, headed south towards Magnimar. Friends saw him leaving this morning, for what purpose I do not know. I also found Kendra and let her know we would be going out of town." Blake takes the bag of gold, looks as if he about to protest but seeing Ven arrive with some of his order instead says, "Abadar smiles on me warmly today Master Vinder. I will be able to pay my order in full."
Blake listens as Ethan pleads for unity with the dwarf. "Your words are wise, and I have no love for the foul beings in the wild who threaten the roads and communities of the civil folk. However, his words are fierce and unfounded in a community where he is a stranger. Gorham and I have grown up together, he is closer to me than my own brother, and I will not tolerate his name being smeared or slandered by one who does not know him. I respect that our dwarven companion may have a history with orcs, but regardless Gorahm came to the aid of the town and that alone should have shone his loyalty. I will listen to the dwarf's words, but I will not promise they will move my heart to like him."
Once all his purchases are gathered Blake counts out the funds to the shop keeper and takes his leave with a polite farewell. "I will see you both in the morning, may Abadar guard your rest." He retires to his humble apartment above the brewery and packs his traveling gear then after a simple meal he heads to bed early.
Rising early, Blake dresses and belts on his sword. He then hefts his pack and heads down to the office to leave a note for his uncle to find explaining what he is off to do. Once he is done with that he heads off to meet Zizouket and the others at the north gate.
After eating his fill and more on the nobles tab the halfling wipes his mouth on the back of his sleeve and heads out of the in to look about town.
His first stop is the local docks where he inquires about the possibility, costs and time involved in hiring a local ship to take himself and his companions up the coast to near their destination. (T10 on K:local (untrained) and Diplomacy for a 10 on both).
After learning what he can he'll track down local stables to see if mounts are available for purchase. While there he inquires if there's anyone among the workers who seems reasonably reliable and might be interested in taking the trip up the road with them in order to see to the horses when the party heads into the woodlands.
After collecting his own purchases and taking leave of Ethan, Zizouket swings by the home of his mentor, Runar, to check on him. He spent a good hour telling him about his experience during the goblin attack in the town square and the upcoming mission. Long retired from adventuring, Runar has no knowledge about the local tribes, but he urges caution.
Zizou considers going to the Hagfish to look for a game, but after taking his gear home, he decides to stay in and rest for the excursion.
The dwarf peers in a scrutinizing manner over the smith's work, taking a long while to size up nearly a dozen pieces before speaking to the man (or woman) directly. Eventually, he seems somewhat satisfied although whether this is because he has to settle for the war or not is undetermined. Fofin clears his throat to announce his presence over the clang of the hammer shaping steel.
"I'm lookin' fer some good work! Pr'haps t'look fer a sturdy support 'sides this armor," he says, indicating his shoddy-looking scale-mail. "I'd also like t'see about a sticker, prob'ly a pike or somethin' like that."
After purchasing the wares, he gingerly inquires of the professional his views on deities. Regarding his profession, Fofin wishes to know what god or goddess the blacksmith would revere and why. He seems genuinely interested, although his attempts to hide such exuberance are transparent at best.
When all is said and done, the warrior returns to the Rusty Dragon. He neglects ordering any drinks, which strikes those who have become accustomed to the dwarf's hospitality as unusual. He even retires to a room to sleep, quietly keeping to himself after retrieving the key from the host/hostess.
Kesten is standing at the meeting point.. Wondering if he maybe is early, or too late.. Or maybe they left without him.
Or..
Maybe...
Ethan wakes to find the sun already over the horizon.
Old Delbyr would have a word or two about your laziness, that's for certain.
He dresses quickly, buckling on his coat, shouldering his pack and quiver. Making certain he has left nothing behind, he heads downstairs.
He requests a bowl of whatever is ready, eats efficiently, and settles his tab with the proprietress, apologizing for not making up the bed before leaving. He leaves with her an additional silver piece for the maid assigned to clean his room.
He crosses the square, to the waiting Kesten.
"My apologies for oversleeping. A couple days' city living has caused me to lapse into my childhood laziness, it seems."
Blake makes his way across the lane and finds Kesten and Ethan already at the meeting point admiring their ethic on timeliness. Come up behind he says, "I do not think you have anything to worry about good sir, the dawn is just now approaching and you are among the first here. A good morning to you both, may Abadar guard your travels this day."
On the new morning everyone awakes to the town further settling back into it old routines. The town is surely resiliant bouncing back rather quickly from the events of the Goblin raid, especially with no further incident and the town heroes about to make everyone feel just a bit safer. While many of the townsfolk still give a cheer or say thanks when they see you, your fame has started to die down to some extent. Surprisingly with the horrible discovery of the desecration of Ezakien Tobyn tomb, you haven't heard a peep about it, obviously the news is being closely guarded.
After going about picking out horse and ponies Runk pays Daviren for the purchases. Looking meaningfully up at the stables decorations he mentions, "Got this coin selling off the cutters gear we killed yesterday. Though you might enjoy knowin' that."
Zizou arrives just a few minutes after Blake. "So are we going to try to find that Gogmurt? See what he can tell us about the longshanks? I don't think we can take on a whole fort of goblins ourselves."
Runk comes around the corner of a nearby building at the head of a line of horses and ponies. Seven animals in all including one ridden by a burly young man wearing a short sword at his side and a pack on his back.
"`bout time you all got up." he quips.
Approaching the group he begins handing reigns to each person in turn, horses for the humans and ponies for himself and Zizouket. The animals are all similarly equipped with riding saddles and bits and bridles. Additionally the mount he hands over to Ethan and his own pony have saddlebags flopped over their backs.
When he gets to Kestren he smiles somewhat mischievously and says, "`call this one Nipper. You'll get along great."
Seeing the questioning glances directed at the man on the horse he matter-of-factly states, "That's Tomas. Gonna take care of the horses when we go in the woods. He doesn't talk much either."
Holding the reigns to the last horse he looks about.
"Dwarf under a table?"
Ethan smiles at the halfling, eyes wide, clearly not expecting to be presented with a horse.
"This is wonderful, Runk! My thanks to you for such generousity. I will do my utmost to treat your fine animal with care, and return it to you when our journey has concluded."
Kesten doesn't quite understand the meaning of this horse, and it shows on his face. After a few of the others have thanked Runk, he quickly catches on.
"Thank you, Runk, I will do my best to return it to you in one piece. I'm happy you brought Tomas, because I don't know the first thing about horses and how to take care of them properly."
He tries to get on the horse, and takes just a bit -too- long to get set up decently.
"Let's go! Glory and fame wait for no man..." he says with a bombastic voice, but only maintaining his bravado for a short instance before getting a giant smirk on his face.
---
While riding:
"Runk, what does Nipper mean? Is it some kind of nautical term, for a fast sinking ship. Or one from the menagerie, which means 'difficult to handle'?"
You notice he doesn't take lead much, prefering to let his horse simply follow the others instinctively.
Dwarf remark:
"He'll be here any minute I reckon. Didn't have a drink with him yesterday, and there was hardly anyone in the bar, so he's probably just overslept."
Runk dismisses the thanks and offers to return the creatures with a wave of his hand. "Your problem now. Keep em fed."
With that said he fairly leaps onto the back of his pony, a stout creature with shaggy, dark brown fur, a longish mane and powerful (if short) looking legs.
Runk raises an eyebrow at Kestens question. "Nautical...sure." he says and give Tomas a look that seems to say "what did I tell you"
Zizou's eyes grow big as plates as he sees the livestock.
"Wow.... okay...." He pets the pony a few times to calm it, and then climbs on cautiously. He leads it around the square a few times to acclimate himself.
"I'm sorry, Runk. I was a little intimidated by the pony, and I just completely forgot to thank you. I never really imagined myself riding a pony."
Ethan mounts up, and moves his horse awkwardly into the file. He smiles, somewhat relieved by Zizou's comment.
"I have never truly ridden a horse. Some of the wealthier families would host horse and pony rides at the Harvest Faire, but I am certain it does not compare to this."
Blake takes the reins of the horse, the shock of Runk's offer apparent in his voice, "Thank you sir, this is indeed a generous offer. We will be on these goblins in no time, are we ready to ride?" Blake looks over the gathering as he climbs into the saddle. Seeing the dwarf missing he pipes up, "Well do we wait for him, or assume he is drunk under the table?"
Fofin comes lumbering around the corner of the settlement, looking staggeringly tired with rings beneath his eyes. "Not drunk, sir," he says, attempting his best to cut the accent from his voice.
It had been a long night for the warrior, one filled with a constant questioning of his beliefs and all that he knew of his kin. An argument had been kindled between his pride and ambitions, eventually flowing red-hot as molten lead. The blacksmith's surly temper did little to help when he had asked his questions prior to bedding down. Eventually, he did manage to get to sleep but the morning proved hectic, as he had to rush himself to prepare.
Before gauging the situation and properly greeting the rest of his companions, the dwarf comes to a stop before Blake, eying him sternly for a moment. He then bows, his beard (surprisingly lacking of its usual bunch of tangles) sweeping the ground before him as he does. His face appears pinched as he struggles with his words, both attempting to refine them with sincerity and further purge them of the manner he had been speaking common previously. Of course, it's not perfect.
"If ye'll forgive m'manners, master Blake. I've not been spendin' much time on the surface, since this'll be the first I've set foot outside Janderhoff's walls in m'life. Honor's a strange thing t'define among the surface dwellers, compared to my own kin and I admit I wasn't much pop-yoo-lurr 'mong them either," he explains, obviously nervous to see if his apology was sufficient.
Upon rising, he appears somewhat embarrassed, awkwardly shifting as he waits for the man's response. He gives a brief look to Ethan for assurance. His rate of breathing shows the difficulty it took to swallow his pride, but he still appears to carry some measure of dignity as he sits before them all, ready to harden his resolve if needed.
Ethan gives a reassuring smile to Fofin, nodding his head in approval. He shifts his gaze to Blake, clearly waiting to hear his response.
Blake eyes the dwarf as he makes an effort to apologize for his prior words and is suddenly aware how high up in the saddle he is compared to the stout warrior. Climbing down from the horse he turns to Fofin, "Your allegations and slanders of my near brother cut me to the core sir. You speak of honor, and I would not have been true to my own to allow such distasteful comments go unanswered. I think you can understand that. Like you I hold no love for the goblin blooded creatures that plague the roads of the Hinterlands, or anywhere in Varisia. After a night of rest I can see why you would be quick to suspect Gorham, I understand the orcs and goblins are a constant threat to your homelands safety. I thank you for your words Master Fofin, they signal to me you are indeed are a man of honor and for that I am grateful you are along for the task set before us. Let us dwell on this no longer, we have goblins to hunt." Blake then extends his hand in hopes the dwarf will accept and shake in agreement.
Runk rolls his eyes as the two men reconcile, putting his heels to the ponys sides to get him moving up the road. With a jerk of his thumb over his shoulder at the remaining horse he says, "Dwarf, that ones yours." without turning around.
"Best mind that cleric. Pretty soon he'll have us all singing campfire songs together. Got to hand it to him though. Figured there'd be some bruises before that was done. Oh well."
Heading out of town you travel north on the lost coast road, with your new mounts going at a semi-casual pace you reach the Thistle River crossing in about an hour and a half. Here, based off the map the goblin threw together for you, is where you decide is the best place to dismount and brave the Nettlewood to reach the goblin fort.
Runk nimbly hops off his pony, patting the creature on the muzzle before handing off the reigns to Tomas.
"Keep a sharp eye. If we ain't back two hours `fore nightfall head to town."
With that he draws his daggers and walks towards the woods. After poking around a bit he notices the cleric seems to have a good eye for woodland travel and so leaves the effort up to him.
My butt hurts. Do knights in the tall tales always wear something in their pants? Or do they have buns of steel?
Yuck!
Kesten gets off the horse, stretches repeatedly, and zones out before realising everyone is trying to find their way to the goblin fort.
He tries to help as best as he can.
"Erastil give me sight to find what we seek,"
"Hm. What are we looking for?"
You spend several hours roaming around the woods luckily avoiding any of the poisonous patches of foliage. Eventually you stumble across one of several goblin trails that lead you closer to the coast. The briars and thistles that grow so rampantly in Nettlewood are even more dense and tangled here, close to the shore. Although not quite dense enough to block the sound of waves crashing on the unseen shores to the west, the undergrowth is certainly thick enough to block sight and access to the coast. Few trees grow this close to the edge of the sea, but the briars themselves often reach heights to rival them; here, the patch is nearly twenty feet high. As a rough estimate you would guess that it is early afternoon.
Aren't we there yet? I'm beat!
Runk holds up a hand to warn off his companions and then creeps forward towards the camouflaged entrance. As he gets closer he inspects the area for signs of traps.
Blake sees Runk start to scout the obvious concealed entrance. Pulling his blade he prepares for an onslaught of goblins to come pouring out.
"Why is everyone agitated? Is there a panther in the trees above us?"
"Shhh! When the small guy in the front holds up his hand and then tiptoes off, you keep quiet!" Zizou sees Blake draw his sword and adds, "Oh, you may want to draw your weapon, though. Quietly!
Ethan nods and nocks an arrow, waiting for Runk to give further signs.
Kesten tries to mimic Ethan's behaviour, until he realizes he doesn't have a bow. He sets his longspear.
Runk finishes inspecting the door and steps to the side. Looking back to the group he waves them forward and indicates someone should open the door so he can peek inside.
Blake moves forward to open the door, ready for what is on the other side.
When Blake gets close Runk points at the nettles used to make the door by way of warning. As Blake opens the door a bit Runk takes a look inside.
Ethan stands a full pace away from the entrance, arrow nocked, ready to fire at anything hostile that may come out.
Kesten is looking around, making sure there are no panthers.. Or goblin panthers.. Or goblin in the trees.