Carina sheepishly approaches Alessia, her backpack suddenly feeling much heavier.
"Hi, mom." She sits down opposite her.
Carina emerges from her room, yawning. After looking around, she decides to have a quick breakfast and get started on training Edgar.
Allustan dodges around Edgar very carefully as he leaves the study. "You might want to make contact with him over the next few days, if you're sure he's not somehow allied with Dourstone's mystery cult. If not, give me a few days anyway, and I'll see if I can dig anything up about all this."
Ask Smenk for info about the Triad.
Just go in, guns blazing.
Wait for Allustan to find something out.
** spoiler omitted **
Carina emerges from her room, yawning. After looking around, she decides to have a quick breakfast and get started on training Edgar.
Robin and Tanith head to the nearest brawl-happy tavern, the Feral Dog. Kullen isn't in right now, and the place is fairly quiet, though several dogs are fighting viciously in the ring.
Suddenly, a dagger lodges in the wooden door right next to Tanith's ear. He sees Tirra—the elf from Khellek's group—standing there with another knife at the ready. Her stirge bites have healed nicely.
She grins. "Word is your gang caused quite a stir last time you came by. Looking for more trouble, are you?"
Though he’s initially surprised by the dagger’s thunk near his head, Tanith is instantly all charm and swagger again when the beautiful elf grins his way. ”I’m a man that enjoys a good scrap”, the big Kordite says as he closes on his prey. ”You should have seen it. I nailed Kullen with an uppercut square on his ugly jaw. I was hoping to bust a few noses today but it looks like everyone’s busy with the dogs.”
”What about you? You looking to toss some knives? I’ve seen quite a few contests here late at night.”
"Sounds like fun to me." Tirra walks over and yanks the knife out of the wall, smirking. "But I doubt any of your little group could even keep up."
"Well..." She digs around in her backpack, producing her share of loot from the Cairn. She sets it down on the table.
"I have been studying my potions, certainly. Now, I've earned this from it." She blushes.
"I wanted you to have half."
"I had help. I've got enough here for the two of us to share." She starts sifting through the pile of gold on the table. "I bet you could even buy discreet passage out of here."
Tanith grins and moves in closer. He knew he was terrible at throwing knives but he wasn’t going to miss a chance to impress a girl like Tirra. ”I’ve always preferred more physical contests but there’s no way I’m going to let a beautiful woman throw knives alone. What are the rules?”
Tanith grins and moves in closer. He knew he was terrible at throwing knives but he wasn’t going to miss a chance to impress a girl like Tirra. ”I’ve always preferred more physical contests but there’s no way I’m going to let a beautiful woman throw knives alone. What are the rules?”
Tirra just smiles and gestures to the badly mangled stuffed head of a wolf across the room. There is currently a dagger lodged in its snout.
"Each contestant gets five throws. If you hit from ten feet away, that's one point. From twenty, it's two points. From forty, four points. If you don't much care for math, I'd be happy to keep track of points for you." She winks. "And just to keep things interesting, how about a friendly wager?"
"I'm listening."
"Tyrol Eberly talks a lot. Word is your group's come into some nice cash." Tirra arches an eyebrow. "How about fifty gold? I know it's a bit much, but for someone with your swagger, I figure it's nothing you can't make up later."
Astraden wakes up late, then pulls the armor out of her bag. She calls on Olidammara's power, smoothing out their creases and holes, and watches as high-quality tough brown leather replaces the old mold and gleaming iron studs replace the rusty rivets.
Astraden begins patching up another wall, laying the fresh bricks in a complex swirling pattern with the old ones that had been knocked loose. After a couple hours of work she heads back into town to sell two restored masterwork iron-studded suits of armor (at Venelle's) and buy lunch and supper to-go (at the Rusty Bucket). She also visits the General Store to pick up some planks and a few hinges.
Lunch (a heavy potato and mushroom pie) in hand, Astraden finds a wall to lean against in the main square. She talks to whoever she sees to find out what the plans with Balabar are. "I'm fine waiting a bit, honestly. Do we even know where he lives?"
Robin enters behind Tanith and stands a few feet away, amused at the proceedings. "I'm willing to wager five gold on the victory of my companion." He calls to the various patrons. I can afford to lose five gold.
"Five gold?" Tirra sniffs. "Well, I suppose that's what I would bet. If I was betting on a blind, three-fingered child. But whatever."
Robin grumbles. "I'll match whatever you wager, I suppose." The things I do for friends.
"Anyone else want to help this pour soul lose a fortune?" He calls, gesturing to Tirra. "One hundred gold! I wager one hundred gold that this man will win!"
"I'll match that!" cries a voice.
Tirra turns and groans. "Oh, great," she mutters. "My predecessor."
Pagget, a small halfling with a very thin mustache, steps forward. Tanith remembers that Pagget is (or used to be) the local dagger-throwing champion. "I've got two pound saying I can cream both of ya," he snaps. "Let's do this."
Tirra sighs. She glances at Tanith, a smile playing on her lips, and starts counting out platinum from a large pouch at her belt. "You go first, then, Sir Creed."
Alessia's words cause Carina to bite her lip.
"See, Mom, there's the thing. I can't leave yet; I still have things to do here."
She feels Edgar's fur against her leg. Looking under the table, she sees little Edgar sitting there, curiously looking around.
"Oh, I forgot; I kinda also adopted a baby owlbear by accident." She says, with a sheepish smile. She bends over, holding her arms out to Edgar.
"Come, Edgar. Do you want to meet Mommy?" She asks, in her calmest tone of voice.
Tanith pauses to consider the wager. He laughs and gives Robin and nod of gratitude for his confidence.
”Since you seem to have the edge here, I’m going to sweeten the pot. If you win, you get the gold. If I win, I get the gold and you come to bed with me”, the big man says with a rakish grin spread across his rugged features.
Tanith pauses to consider the wager. He laughs and gives Robin and nod of gratitude for his confidence.
”Since you seem to have the edge here, I’m going to sweeten the pot. If you win, you get the gold. If I win, I get the gold and you come to bed with me”, the big man says with a rakish grin spread across his rugged features.
Tirra blinks, taken aback. Then her eyes take on a mischievous light. She leans in, voice lowering. "If you should be so lucky as to win," she whispers, "Meet me at the Coaching Inn in an hour."
She presses the hilt of a knife into his palm. "But one step at a time, bold boy."
Tirra is pissed. If Tanith does go to the Inn, he's unlikely to have much fun there.
"I believe you throw it." Robin states absentmindedly, eyeing Pagget suspiciously.
Tanith takes a step back so that his opponents have a clear shot. "The Brawler wouldn't be too pleased if I was took my turn before a lady."
If Pagget's gaze could shoot daggers, there's a good chance they would miss. "What you lookin' at, horseface?"
1d20+6
"Nope!"
Tanith takes a step back so that his opponents have a clear shot. "The Brawler wouldn't be too please if I was took my turn before a lady."
Chuckling, Tirra walks so she's forty feet away and throws the dagger.
The dagger lodges squarely in the wolf's eye. She grins and looks at Pagget, who rolls his eyes and steps forward with his own knife, also at the forty foot mark.
The dagger sinks into the beast's ear—a hit, though barely.
Tanith squares off with the other two and flicks the knife. The big man's massive arm bends with significantly less grace.
To everyone's surprise, the dagger does manage to strike home. Raising an eyebrow, Tirra takes her turn again.
Her shots continue to strike dead center.
Pagget follows up.
His throw hits the nose, but with too little force, and it falls out a moment later. Pagget utters what Robin knows to be a serious Halfling curse.
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"Awful!" Robin laughs at Pagget. He leans into Tanith. "Do better."He mutters.
"Beeeetteeer." He whisper slowly.
Pagget shows Robin an obscene gesture, muttering something in his native tongue.
** spoiler omitted **
Edgar blinks at Carina. He pads over...
...and lays down against Alessia's feet. Alessia looks down. "Oh! Where did this little one come from?"
"Mind your language." Robin barks sternly in reply. "What are we if not honourable?"
Robin looks up at Tirra and smiles sweetly, then back at Tanith, furrowing his brow in thought.
Despite Tirra’s extreme precision, Tanith is still confident. He turns his torso, rears back, and copies Robin’s form.
The knife again hits dead center. Tirra whistles. "Good arm."
Tirra steps up and takes another shot.
Pagget glares and throws again.
This time, both Pagget and Tirra land 3-point hits.
** spoiler omitted **** spoiler omitted **
Carina's eyes widen in surprise as Edgar rests at Alessia's feet.
"Huh." She looks up at her mother. "We found him up at the old Land farmhouse. Somebody dug up the Lands' bodies and we had to put them back to rest. There was a wounded mother owlbear at the house... we had to put her down." The memory causes her to wince. "Then Edgar came along, and... well... I adopted him. Or, rather, he adopted me."
Carina looks between the loot, Edgar, and her mother. "What do you suppose I should do with him?"
"Very good." Robin nods.
He pulls out an arrow and gnaws it absentmindedly. "Now again, but even better."
She reaches down and scratches Edgar. "An owlbear, eh? You know, I have some druid friends in the faith. They might be able to take him off your hands, if you don't feel ready to handle him." She frowns. "Not now, though. At least a week before we're...before they can be reached. They don't much care to leave their swamps. They can pay, though—at least in potions and the sort."
"I...just don't feel right with you staying behind. What if that Zalamandra woman won't take no for an answer? Or those St. Cuthbert madmen decide you're an affront to their god? Carina, you can't stay in this terrible town. I know it's not easy, but sometimes you have to know when to take a stand and when to keep walking."
Eager to impress again, Tanith flicks his next knife.
Tirra giggles. "Having trouble with that thing, are you?"
She retrieves her knife and throws it again.
The knife once again strikes home, knocking out one of the wolf's moldy teeth.
Pagget throws his dagger, chastened by Robin's telling-off.
Pagget's knife bounces off Tanith's earlier hit and falls lamely to the ground.
”I can’t help it if you’re distracting me”, the big man adds with a smirk as he tosses again.