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The six of you are huddled around the dining table of your hostess, Dronma Bursum, an enthusiastic old dwarven researcher. Upon your arrival to Bilmyre, a mysterious dwarven ghost town turned rustic village, she approached all of you with claims of some great discovery, and through bribery, flattery, or promises of adventure and fame, she got all of you to agree to aid her in her research.
Airy humming can be heard from the kitchen as Dronma washes cups for your tea. The dwarf woman's home is sparsely furnished with oak furniture and aging brass, with a large stone fireplace warming the main room that you all sit in. A kettle begins to whistle from its dangling perch over the flames, and Dronma walks in, carrying a tray filled with cups in one hand and scooping up the kettle by the handle with the other. She sets the tray down and begins to pour the water over the ground up leaves.
Dronma spoke quietly in a thick northern dwarf accent, "Thank you all for waiting! I truly am appreciative of you kind souls' services, I was just starting to suspect no one would come to my aid!"
She begins to pass out the cups, which now give off a strong earthy scent, with small hints of mint. She wipes her hands on her apron, smiles, and walks into another small room.
She hurries back in, carrying a small map, a few other pieces of paper, and some small stone artifacts."Is everyone ready to get started, then?"
Helllooooo!
Among the others sat around the table is a tall thirty something armored man. He has the looks of a soldier with his dark close cropped hair and faded uniform. While his kit is well maintained and scrupulously clean, he's clearly seen better days, with a once fine tunic and cloak that have been well patched.
Bumping his head on the low ceiling for the third time since arriving, he leans forward and asks, "Ma'am you've spun a number of interesting tales about a discovery. I must admit a certain curiosity, but I can only assume you've hired me for security. Is there anything I should know?"
An old man sits at the table, looking everyone over, including the dwarf. He looks very far in his years, and he squints a lot.
Yes, please inform us of your plans for this experiment, not like a have a lot of time left to waste he coughs a bit, but a smile on his face shows he was merely trying to lighten the mood
Jik raises his unibrow and sniffles taking in his hostess's comments regarding aid. "Never been one down a good cup of tea. The least I could do is hear you out." He blinks.
"I would like to know exactly why I'm here, yes. " comes from a very large, bulky individual who seems oddly out of proportion. He is just wearing traveling clothes, and no armor.
Jik is a well proportioned man, his devilish features are noticeable, he is by no-means attractive. He has a unibrow, large ears (one is missing the upper tip), two nubs protruding from his skull and very little blotchy black hair. Their is one angry jagged scar marking his left cheek while the back of his head show obvious burn marks. Apparently this man has suffered several injuries in his life.
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Mustn't look, it would be rude. Did he have a unibrow? Don't look, say nothing. Honestly though, that fella looks like he actually is from hell and he's drinking tea with us. I should ask him what hes doing here. No no no, look at the ceiling and complement the hostess on her stone carving when somebody notices.
"Miss, this is fine tea. The subtle hints of wintervine, acidic soil, and hues of bat guano and applegrazed manure mixed in the soil is quite refreshing to my palate." He smacks his lips, "Yes...yes, I do taste a trace of whortleberry." He is genuinely pleased.
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She gives a hearty chuckle,"Thank you friend! Though I'm not quite sure about all that. It's just a simple dwarven red leaf with mint. Now, about my little personal endeavor that you've all become a part of."
her face seems to light up at this, and she unfurls the map and spreads out the papers. The map is hand-drawn though professional, and appears to cover only a few kilometers outside of the village. The small stone artifacts seem to be a small carved dwarven child, a broken cup, and a key.
"You've seen the architecture around here, yes? Smooth stonework, decorative metals, wide roads that follow carefully laid-out croppings of homes and businesses. I don't know if any of you have been to the Northern Dwarf cities but I feel at home here, despite being maybe the seventh dwarf to actually live here in recent history. In fact, no dwarf historians from any of the cities lay claim to Bilmyre, all calling it a human settlement. Though I have other thoughts on the matter, obviously."
She waves her hand over the trinkets and points to a small circle on the map, not far from the star that marks Bilmyre
"I found these in cave not far to the south a few months ago. Artifacts like these are not uncommon, so I brought them back here to send as souvenirs to my family. Out of curiousity, I returned the next week to see if I could find more. To date, I have found fifty seven individual artifacts, most of which remain at my little make-shift excavation."
"There are old dwarven stories, now almost forgotten that tell of the birth of dwarves from spirits of the earth. They were said to have extensive citadels all throughout the under-earth until one day emerging to take their place among the other mortals of the world. Though these are largely regarded as fire-side tales, I believe I may have found evidence that not only did dwarves live underground at some point, but we are currently sitting in their very first above-ground settlement."
She seems to gather herself and mull something over for a moment.
"Things are not as simple as I had hoped, however. The cave system has gotten extensive, and the spiders and bats have gotten bigger and more... exotic. In addition, some artifacts have turned up missing, so banditry is a suspicion. Mostly you'll be assisting me in excavation, protecting the dig as well as anything we find. I consider you all equals, so feel free to bring up any theories, ideas or concerns as the research continues. If we find something down there, all of our names will be hailed in academic halls across the known world."
"We will be leaving this afternoon so you may have a chance to familiarize yourselves with the site. Any questions?"
"I have found myself in more than one cave in my life....they fascinate me me actually. Do you mind if I examine those trinkets? Is there magic involved?" If permitted to examine and manipulate the ideas he will cast detect magic and try to determine the properties.
Dectect magic + spellcraft (5 total rounds)
Johnson finds himself nodding and says, "I know nothing about archeology, but I'm no stranger to digging ditches, I suppose excavation will be much the same as long as you show me what to do. As for bandits, I'm used to dealing with them. I'm also used to setting up camp for a long stay."
The old man looks at the stuff on the table
"What are they suppose to be? They are older than I am... and thats saying something" he chuckles softly at his joke
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"Yeah, I grew up in the fields, Digging is not new to me. Killing bandits does sound nice though. "
The old man narrows his eyes
"Killing is never a good thing."
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"Some people and things are best off not breathing for the general good. I tend to be willing to help with that. If you are squeamish about that, then best that you don't pay attention to what I do. "
"There are those who do many bad things, but do you wish to stoop to their level? One day when you reach my age, do you want to look back and say "I killed many bad people" or "I helped turn lives around""
The old man glares at him
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"Killed many bad guys sounds pretty good to me. "
"You young people are all the same. Fight and making a name no matter what the cost" he huffs, still looking at the other man
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Johnson seems almost itching to interject but like a candle being blown out he deflates and goes back to staring at the ceiling, I, I shouldn't get involved in that conversation. It'll only lead to somewhere dark and if I join in it'll get darker still. It won't lead anywhere good, oh no, it'll end up somewhere, somewhere, where I had an episode...
"You! Yes. You young man. Dont you have something to add? Or do you agree with this man killing people because they are bandits? Hmmmmm?" he turns to look at johnson
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"I still don't see any down sides to what you are talking about old man. If I kill bandits, they don't harm other people, and order is kept. If I get more fame from doing that, all the better. "
"thats my problem with you rowdy people. You kill them. But they have people who care for them too. What about them? Hmmmm? What about them?"
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"I should care for some reason? If they cared enough to stop them from doing wrong things then the problem would not happen in the first place. But I don't see why were are arguing. I'm just a guard for this work. "
"Even if they do wrong, family will be family. Maybe one day you will learn this. No matter how bad they are, blood is blood" the old man watches him closely
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"Normally its best to scare bandits off. Doesn't always go down that way, sometimes they're desperate or just born mean. Sometimes they outnumber you three to one and take everything you have. Sometimes they'll gut a man and laugh as he dies slowly just because they can. Sometimes you gotta fight back."
Johnson shudders as if surpressing a painful memory.
There is loud chuckle as the two discuss killing. "Age has nothing to do with killing."
"Better them, than me. Remember that philosophy, it's simple and effective." He leans and spits on the ground forgetting his manners. "I don't senselessly seek to kill, but if the law requires it, I enforce it. Likewise, if I, or my comrades, are threatened I prefer action over inaction." His voice is matter-of-fact.
He pauses for a second, "Banditry is criminal, if left unchecked, they will only harm others...I have no desire to see others suffer if I had it within my ability to prevent that suffering."
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His keen eyes followed the conversation from one individual to another. The old man goading. The others, rationalizing actions yet to be taken. No, it went deeper. They were justifying their... beliefs.
After salutations, the Elf had grown quiet. And remained so, until it was appropriate to speak. May I have some more tea?
He perks up as if he suddenly remembered something important. "More tea...yes. Do you have any little cakes for the tea?"
"Not sure I do agree about scaring them off being a good plan. That just leaves them to prey upon the weak. They should be caught or killed. You can't let lawlessness slide like that. It leads to anarchy. "
The tea wants cakes, now? Does it have a preference as to what type of cakes?
Cakes I shall defend, whether they are for the tea or for me. So cake bandits beware... Thallan chuckles, genuinely teasing. The first sign that the Elf has a sense of humor or has lost his sylvan mind.
"I find cakes to be too rich for my simple tastes. I've eaten too much plane fare to learn to eat anything fancy. "
"I'm not finicky 'bout my cakes." He smiles.
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Jik 'tu kbar feels a strong aura of illusionary magic coming from the figurine of the child.
Dronma perks up at the conversation, and interjects. "Well, it's fine if we have a pacifist or two on board, keeps the group level-headed."
She smiles at Yuki "At your age I doubt you signed up to do fighting of any description, eh? Now as far as more tea and cakes go, I'll be back soon!"
She trots off towards the kitchen, taking the tray and empty cups with her.
"This..." his gaze intensifies, "...is interesting. Strong illusionary magic with this figurine." He smiles, "You have my commitment for this excavation."
"I find cakes to be too rich for my simple tastes. I've eaten too much plane fare to learn to eat anything fancy. "
Bellis, who had remained quietly sipping her tea until then, spoke up. "That's no fun. You need to keep your senses expanded. Especially taste and smell!"
"I lived a long time without such things, and I feel no need to start now. Food is to keep you alive. Nothing more. "
Thallan observers the magically inclined Tiefling. Bring his fingers to his own temple, he then turns his attention to the figurine.
May the Lady grant me insight... He whispers.
"bah. Cant even finish a conversation before going back to food. Young minds..." he huffs and turns back to the trinkets on the table
He picks up a few of the very small ones to examine closely
And tries to hide on up his sleeve
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"I lived a long time without such things, and I feel no need to start now. Food is to keep you alive. Nothing more. "
Belli's shakes her head. "Now that is just not true. Shared meals are one of the things that helps bind friends and family together!"
"now this young lass knows what it means. Thank you" he gives her a big smile
"My name is Yamato by the way. Nice to meet you"
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