"Not great Ameiko, but as well as can be expected I suppose." Serolt murmurs as he moves toward a table.
On seeing Aldern Foxglove, he makes a show of brightening his features, and shifts his gait to the nobleman's table.
"Good to see you still in good health." he says as he joins him sitting toward a corner for Regin.
Shaedeen sulkily returns to the inn with the others and wordlessly follows Serolt to the nobleman's table. She acknowledges Aldern with the briefest of waves.
Vanea walks to the noble's table, swinging her hips, and says, with an honeyed voice
Hello, Sir Foxglove. It's a pleasure to see you again.
After defeating the goblin, Ratimir is unusually gloomy. His thoughts keep returning to the poor widow. He makes the walk to the Rusty Dragon without uttering a word. When Ameiko tells them about Aldern Foxglove's visit, Ratimir turns around and looks at the man. The sight brings some small comfort, as it reminds him that if he cannot save them all, he still can help some of them. He presses his lips into a sad smile, and walks over to the aristocrat, following Serolt and Vanea. "I see you're physically well. I hope the scare has worn off, too," he says, taking a sit opposite to Foxglove.
Foxglove smiles at the group as they approach. "I am, indeed, very well, ladies and gentlemen. You seem to be missing at least one of your number, I think. Nothing untoward, I hope?"
He smiles again, and continues without pausing for a reply. "Anyway, first things first."
He places a bag of coins on the table.
"This contains fifty gold coins. For you. A small thank you, for saving my life. And my own small contribution to the gratitude you're owed by our town. And I have a proposition for you. Before I go back to my townhouse in Magnimar, I'm planning to go on a boar hunt. There's a boar out in Tickwood Forest that's been giving the locals trouble. And I like hunting. But I've nobody to accompany me, and, well, for me a large boar is a bit much. So I thought, well, if you're at a loose end for a few days, you might just fancy a nice day out?"
He looks around them, hopefully.
Ratimr runs his fingers over his moustache and down his unshaved chin, an idea crossing his mind. He looks at the bag of coins and then winks at Shae, nodding towards the bag. He then bends over the table placig both arms before him. "How about this, Lord Foxglove: since you're going to Magnimar soon, maybe you can help put in a good for a friend of ours. As you put it, one of us is missing, and it just so happens that he is currently on his way to Magnimar to clear off a misunderstanding. You might remember a fire in the library of Magnimar? Well, our friend Haelvor might have played a part in that—accidentally, of course, since his love for books is something I've never seen in anyone. I'm positive that if a gentleman such as yourself spoke on his behalf, that would ease his troubles." He claps his hands and leans back. "In any case, we'd be delighted to join you. We have a great hunter among us," he finishes, slapping Serolt on the back.
Shaedeen feels just the slightest bit demeaned by Ratimir's wink and nod at the bag of gold: She's not all about the money...but at the same time, she finds her hands reaching for the sack of gold like they have a (greedy) mind of their own. Then when the Varisian makes the suggestion that the noble speak on Haelvor's behalf, the semi-reformed burglar forgets both about the gold and how much she dislikes Foxglove for thinking that Vanea's more attractive than she is.
"That's a great idea!" Shae gushes. "Would you do that for him? For us? And could you deliver Haelvor's share of your reward to him...or maybe even use it to hire him a barrister? How much does one of those guys cost, anyways? I could pitch in my share of the reward as well...though I've already said I'd help Serolt pay for a wand to protect Regin and want to save up for a darkwood shield...."
The girl frowns a bit and closes her mouth, wondering just what's gotten into her that she's suddenly willing to give her hard-earned gold to others.
"Exceptional idea there Ratimir. If you can do that for us my lord, we'd be happy to accompany you. As there's still a chance there's goblins about, a larger party makes more sense than a small one."
When he's referred to as a great hunter, he downplays, "Well, on my own perhaps, but a boar hunt is not something I've been a part of for some time. This could be fun."
"I can be ready to leave early in the morning." he adds.
Foxglove grins. "Wonderful, wonderful," he says. "As for your friend, well, I'm sure my people in Magnimar can sort something out. As for the cost, young lady -" he turns to Shae "- I've frankly no idea. But I'm sure Sandpoint's consul in Magnimar would be good for the money, given the circumstances. So there's no need to put it up for your friend."
He gets up to go, obviously very pleased.
"Tomorrow, then. I'll send a carriage."
He bows briefly to each of the group, then turns to leave.
As Foxglove exits the inn, the door of the inn slams open. Foxglove, startled, moves aside to allow a surly visitor to enter the tavern. Foxglove stares at the man for a second, obviously surprised by the nature of the newcomer's arrival, and with no sign of recognition. The man, however - an older man of apparently Tian descent - seems to be known to most of the rest of the inn's current patrons, given the ensuing awkward silence as they deliberately study their beer.
The man bellows out a sharp-tongued command in a strange language.
"Trường hợp địa ngục là con gái của tôi?!"
Ameiko appears from the other side of the bar.
"Được. Ngoài." she says, coldly.
Vanea lose any interest in the discussion as soon as boar hunting is mentioned. Getting gored by a wild beast wasn't on the top of her priorities. Besides, the outdoors were muddy, and dirty, and cold. No place for an artist like her.
All that thing about helping Haelvor in Magnimar? Well, why not? At least the hunt would have a purpose, it wouldn't be so "boaring".
Vanea, lost in her thoughts, chuckles.
"Boaring". That was a good one.
She barely notices when lord Foxglove left, but people speaking in foreign tongues spikes her interest, even if the half elf didn't understand the langage.
I don't know what they are saying, and I don't care, in fact, but I like the sounds of that language..
Shaedeen takes note of the aggravated fellow who enters the inn and has tense funny-sounding words with Ameiko. She also notes that the tavern regulars seem to fear the new arrival. Deep down inside, the girl realizes she probably ought to pay closer attention to the confrontation. After all, the gold can always be divvied later...but old priorities are hard to unlearn.
"So...50 divided 4 ways is 12 coins apiece...13 for the first two who aren't superstitious and afraid of unlucky numbers." She counts out 13 gold pieces for herself and, grinning, passes the bag on to Vanea. "Ladies first...."
Serolt puts his hand on the purse a moment. "Just a sec Shaedeen. We need to save up for a wand of healing. If we're to be working as a team, we need some resources to protect us and heal us when the fight's over."
"Let's hang onto this huh? Just for a little while. If there's something you have your eye on, I'm more than happy to loan you the gold you need to buy it. My purchases are too, ah, complex, for a town this small and I have to wait anyway." he suggests.
When the stranger comes in and starts spouting in a foreign tongue, Serolt takes notice but doesn't do anything right away as Ameiko seems to know the language at least.
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"Fine!" Shaedeen snaps at Serolt, pushing her pile of coins across the tabletop to the hunter while flashing him a brief, angry glare. Then, arms folded across her chest and leaning back in her chair, the young rogue fixes her glare on the man confronting Ameiko.
The man shouts at Ameiko:
"Tôi sẽ đi. Nhưng bạn đang đến với tôi. Để Magnimar."
Ameiko shakes her head in response.
"Tôi đang đi đến đâu. Tôi đa noi vơi bạn rôi. Ra ngoài."
Serolt looks to Regin, "Stay here my friend. Stay."
He rises and crosses the bar quietly. He walks up to Ameiko and says softly, "Do you need some help with this man?"
Shaedeen's flash of anger at Serolt's party finances spiel, simmering even more when the loudmouth enters the inn and begins yammering at Ameiko in some foreign tongue, is quenched when the Shoanti hunters gets up and goes to Ameiko's side to de-escalate what the rogue guesses to be some sort of family argument.
Shae alternates her glances between the feud and quick, admiring peeks down at Regin. Cats really do calm the nerves, she thinks with a smile.
Ameiko turns to Serolt.
"No. I beg you, stay out of this."
But the man also regards the archer, and notices the others sitting behind.
"You!" he says, in heavily accented Common. "That bunch that riled up the goblins, didn't finish the job and left them wandering and hiding around town. Couldn't leave it to the professionals, could you? Had to stick your nose where it's not welcome! Now you've found something else where you're not welcome? Get lost."
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The mercurial Vanea rises so quickly from her seat that she starts to talk before it falls on the inn's floor
Do you consider yourself as a "professionnal", whoever you are?? So where were you, when the goblins attacked? Or after? Did you searched for any potential hiding goblin? Did you healed the wounded? You have done nothing of that, to the best of my knowledge. But WE did. So don't try to give us a lesson, cause I put my nose wherever I want. Go back to your hide hole, where you were probably hidden when the goblin attacked, pitifully wetting yourself like a small boy.
Though he gives the other man a scowl but says nothing as he looks at Ameiko and nods, "As you wish my lady."
"Vanea, please. Ameiko wishes us to remain out of it. She can handle herself I'm sure." he walks over to her and rights her chair, offering it to her as gallantly as he can manage. He smiles at her words however, and he can't help but steal another glance at the pompous ass hassling the patrons.
Frustrated by the death of the scribe and the loss--no, redistribution--of her share of Lord Foxglove's reward, a part of Shaedeen is hoping that the man giving Ameiko grief would give her a chance to loose some built-up steam in his direction. The usually quick-on-the-draw rogue is shocked when Vanea roundly beats her to the punch. Her mouth hangs open just a bit--not her usual fly-trapping gaping maw when her tongue is slow in catching up with her thoughts--as she hears Vanea say every little thing she'd been poised to spit at the rude gentleman. When Vanea adds the part about the fellow pissing his pants, Shae realizes there's nothing more for her to add. She closes her mouth and a smug smile crosses her lips. Although she still considers the elf more of a rival than a true friend, Shaedeen gives an appreciative nod to the fiery-tempered bard for her awesome and cutting outburst.
The man scowls at Vanea. "Tell that to Alergast Barett, I hear his wife is going to have to live with the consequences of your success now. All, we need, a bunch of filthy vagrants setting themselves up as police, and not even doing a good job of that."
He pauses for a second, and then without waiting for a reply, starts to unsheathe his sword. Before anyone can react, Ameiko lunges in, with a dripping ladle apparently grabbed from a large bowl of stew that had been standing on the bar and which now lies strewn across the tavern floor. She smashes the man across the head with it a few times, shouting at him in Minkaian. The man stops in his tracks, looks about to sputter at her with indignation, then finally finds his voice. He turns to Ameiko, coldly:
"Bạn đang là chết với tôi như mẹ của bạn."
He turns on his heel and quickly leaves the inn.
Ameiko looks tearful after the encounter, but bravely bends and picks up the ladle, which has now joined the stew on the floor. Inspecting the ladle, she picks a hair from it and says:
"I’ll need a well-cleaned ladle now, since jackass stew’s not on the menu."
There's a round of applause and laughter from the patrons in the tavern. Ameiko, visibly cheered, smiles and holds up the ladle, almost as a trophy.
Then she turns to the group.
"Thank you," she says. "But I can handle him."
"Who, exactly, was that guy? A relative of yours?"
Serolt chuckles at the jib about jackass stew and continues to work on his meal - and drink.
He wonders if Shaedeen will be answered, and glad she asked the question for he wondered himself.
He chews thoughtfully.
As the last sting before he goes, Vanea uses a minor magical effect on the man's pants, so it seems he just wet himself
That will teach him a lesson he will probably never care to learn
Ameiko looks down.
"He's my father," she says, sadly.
Shaedeen opens her mouth at Ameiko's revelation but then shuts it again almost immediately--she realizes there's no way that the first thing to come out of it right now will be anything positive. To know what to say requires knowing who and what you're talking about....
Shae knows that Jubrayl Vhiski didn't much care for Ameiko, but hadn't he mentioned something about another fellow with a Tian-sounding name...perhaps Ameiko's father? Or perhaps she'd heard the name dropped by Kaye Tesarani or someone else at the Pixie's Kitten? Shaedeen takes a deep breath and thinks hard.
With his usual calm, Ratimir remains sitted watching the episode unravel. Though his body is still, his mind races, making notes of everyone's reactions. Throughout the discussion, he covers his mouth, a smile under his hand. His smile is not one of amusement, however, but rather of satisfaction, for little by little he gets to know Serolt, Vanea, and Shaedeen a better every day. He cannot help but feel once again the bonds that fate seems to have placed on them. Just like the Harrow said in the day of the Swallowtail festival, he recalls. The mention of Alergats Barret, snaps him out of this though. His eyes wander to the floor, and remain there in contemplation until the Tian men storms out. He has trouble partaking in the laughter caused by Amieko's joke.
He finally stands up and approaches Ameiko and the rest of the group, fiddling with his cards. "He's not completely wrong, you know? If we had been more diligent, maybe Amele Barrett wouldn't have to bury her husband."
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"He is completely wrong!" Shaedeen counters hotly. "If we'd demanded entrance to check inside everyone's houses and cupboards for rogue goblins, we'd be in jail today! And gods forbid if any citizen whose house we searched misplaced a piece of jewelry or a ring--we'd be called thieves and maybe hung!"
"We did what we could, which was a whole hell of a lot more than most of the citizens of Sandpoint were doing for themselves. We were in life-and-death fights with the goblins and their nasty dog-things; was it too much to ask that everyone else in town keep their wits about them and their eyes open to notice a lone goblin sneaking into someone's house? We can't do it all!"
Too late. Again Shaedeen realizes that her hot temper and runaway tongue have gotten the best of her: Several locals are present in the Rusty Dragon's tavern area and have heard her angry words.
"Sorry," she says to the Sandpointers. "But we did do what we could for this town and its inhabitants."
Serolt frowns at the tone the conversation has taken, and tries to reign it in after a fashion.
"It's not 'us' and 'them' Shaedeen. Don't think of it like that. Be one with the community you're in. If you'll be less separatist, I think you'll find your life going better."
He sighs, "But you're not wrong. We did what we could, as did everyone here. No one can do it all, not even the sheriff. He could have done house to house searches too, and with authority, but he's just one man."
"We must discover the root of this thing, and pull it out, so there are no more raids on Sandpoint."
He waits a moment. "After we help that noble of course..." he finishes rather lamely.
Shaedeen allows the silence to hang in the air a bit; then she quietly voices some questions and concerns.
"So...any of you ever gone on a boar hunt before? Is it proper etiquette that you have to use a spear? Is there some sort of dress code...or am I thinking of fox hunts?"
Can't say, never gone hunting. A net maybe?
"Hunting boar is a dangerous thing so dress for combat." he smiles, eagerly looking forward to it.
The following morning, Ameiko has each of the party served breakfast, well before dawn, in their respective rooms. As she tells them, this is partly out of thanks for their support the previous evening; but as she also reassures the group, it's also to ensure that their early start doesn't overly disturb the other guests.
Downstairs, in the tavern's main room, Foxglove is waiting, dressed in an expensive hunting outfit and looking very happy at the thought of the upcoming hunt.
"Good morning!" he says, cheerfully. "I hope you all slept well. I've taken the liberty of renting some horses for the hunt; they're outside, when you're ready. Tickwood's about half an hour's ride away."
When Shaedeen sees that Lord Foxglove is indeed dressed up for the hunt, she shoots Serolt a quick glare, but at the word 'horses' her eyes leave the Shoanti, getting a panicked look.
"H-horses?" she asks. "I...I've never ridden one before and am not sure I want to start now."
Under her breath, Shae quietly adds, "Goblins aren't very smart about most things, but I'm with them about being afraid of horses...especially of falling off them."
Ratimir bids Ameiko good morning as she stops by to serve him his breakfast. He eats slowly while sitting on the bed; with one free hand, Ratimir spreads the harrow deck over the sheets and observes the cards, picking some of them up and concentrating on them. The arcane powers of the Harrow Patrons flow through the deck and into his mind, refueling his own magic powers. Once both his meal and ritual are finished, the cartomancer gets dressed for the hunt and heads downstairs.
Finding Foxglove already there waiting for the group, the Varisian smiles and greets the man. "Good morning, Lord Foxglove. For my part, my night's sleep has got me well rested and ready for some boar hunting. Let's hope my skills match my good mood, or else we'll probably have to stop by the butcher to get our lunch," he says cheerfully.
Foxglove stands, his smile briefly evaporating, noting Shae's air of consternation.
"I'm sorry, I thought ... Would you prefer a pony? I can have the lads run and fetch one. Of course we can tie your mount to one of the others and lead it. But the stables assured me that these particular horses are of a most placid disposition ..."
Beyond the open door of the inn, you can see four large horses, tied up and with their reins held by a burly looking servant. Foxglove seems to have made a point of picking horses of four different colours - the horses are respectively grey, chestnut-brown, bay-brown and black.
"Well, if I'm fool enough to get up onto the back of one of those things...I want the black one!"
"Black's my color," she explains to Lord Foxglove. Turning to Serolt all doe-eyed (the glare being a thing of the distant past--at least 15 seconds), Shae asks, "How difficult is it to ride? Can you show me some basic pointers?"
Shae's eyes again go to the gleaming black steed and this time the fear's in danger of being replaced by the same admiration they show when looking at Serolt's sleek firepelt.
Ratimir randomly picks the grey one in his mind, and draws a card to check on his choice. A smart one, he concludes with a smile. The cartomancer moves on and hops up on the imposing horse before him, grabbing the reins and moving closer to Shaedeen. "Trained horses are not that difficult. But they won't get any easier if you never get on the saddle," he says trying to encourage the girl. "Live and learn, learn by living."
"Black's my color," she explains to Lord Foxglove. Turning to Serolt all doe-eyed (the glare being a thing of the distant past--at least 15 seconds), Shae asks, "How difficult is it to ride? Can you show me some basic pointers?"
Serolt grins, "Sure, be glad to help you. Now remember, always approach the horse from the front. You don't want folks sneaking up on you and neither does the horse. They're remarkably intelligent, in their own way."
He helps her up, on the left, "...always on the left..." he mumbles. Once in the saddle, he gives her pointers on what to do with her feet, how to hold the reigns, and even what to do if she loses control. (mostly just hang on and wait for the horse to settle)
When she's more or less as good as it gets, he quickly mounts his own steed, grabs the reigns, and is ready to go all in one smooth movement.
vs DC 20 for swift-mount
He looks to Shaedeen, "See? Easy!" he laughs at his own foolish bravado.
"Oh, that sounds like wisdom of the deepest order, but if I fall off I may learn by dying!"
Still, Shae doesn't like backing down from a challenge (especially coming as it does from Ratimir), so she approaches the gloriously handsome and scary black beast and tries to mimic the manner in which the scruffy Varisian mounted his horse.
There's a bit of scrabbling involved, but eventually Shaedeen's on the horse's back looking both thrilled and terrified at the same time. Once someone explains the whole concept of reins to her, she seems ready to give this horseback riding thing a try.
The burly servant folds his arms and smiles amiably.
"Ma'am, this black one is called Star. 'Cos of the white star on his forehead, see? The grey, that's Misty. The chestnut's Autumn and the bay is Beauty. I'm s'pposing they have horse names as well, that's just our naming, but they do answer to them, after all."
The man bows.
Foxglove grins. "And this good yeoman here is Mister Trelland. Thank you Trelland; we'll be back this evening, I think!"
He waits for Vanea to mount before calling the party on.
Ratimir is delighted with Trelland's sincere affection for the horses. "Thank you for lending us such fine creatures, Mister Trelland." He looks at the bay-brown horse, and then turns to Vanea. "I believe Beauty suits you well," he teases, playing with words as the half-elf often does.
Thank you for these kind words, Ratimir. But remember than unlike the servants of Shelyn , the beauty of we Calistrian is meant to be used.
in one swift, fluid move- which not so accidentaly shows a good part of her splendid legs- Vanaea is on her horse.
I guess it will be harder to stay on the horse once the boar attacks us, but so far so good. It's a real nice horse, Trellan, I'll do my best to not get it injured.
Serolt shifts in his seat, eager to get onto the boar hunt. He trusts his quiver is ready and looks down at Regin, comforted by his presence. I must really get that rod so I may further protect him. he thinks idly, thinking back to suggestions his mentor gave him before leaving home.