"Agreed but let's not wander too far south, we don't want to give Brevoy or Mivon the impression we are aggressively ambitious."
After the impromptu meeting, Reknar simply assumed he had been somehow 'hired' to be part of whatever was taking place, so he stuck around.
The half-orc was used to being alone, yet it struck him strange that none of the 'rulers' seemed to resort on each other for any of their endeavors, be it for support, debate, or just to spend time together - they each went out to address their agenda alone.
He shrugs it away though, and simply mingles with everyone around him - how the heck does one go about building an army?! He wouldn't mind having Lucian there to offer his opinion as usual way before Reknar asked for it...
He meandered through the makeshift encampment day after day - simply observing men and women left and right, listening to their conversations, and being seen. There were clearly many mixed feelings all around them - hope, expectations, hesitation, fear, resolve, you name it. Camaraderie was the one catching his eye, as he spotted a mixed group of young wannabe soldiers milling about a game of dice like he had seen so many times before.
On the first few days he only watched their comings and goings - they would train, tend to their gear, drink and eat together, and in general assist wherever they could with the effort to get Thornford on its feet. Not only that, they seemed to know the lay of the land, and would many times ride out to meet incoming merchant caravans, and reinforce their security for some gold.
By the end of the second week, Reknar knew them all by name and had shared a drink and a game with them more than once. They had invited him to a training session and he had gladly joined, eager to spar and swing his blade whenever possible. After a good morning of practice he was confident in their abilities and smiled with the possibilities, the jokes about who swung better or worse making him feel alive.
He threw them a curve ball with the possibility of building and manning a watchtower in the upcoming months, and almost fell back with surprise when Elenora, an agile girl of no more than 25 years skilled in combat with two weapons, answered back without skipping a beat - "Pay us a couple more rounds at 'The Toad and Stag', and put us through a few more training like today, and you may convince us Sarg." - looking around at the others as they all shared a laugh.
-----
That evening, as he joined his companion 'founding fathers' for supper, he had something to share - "They're a group of lads and lasses. Nothing more. But there's something to them I haven't seen in a long time" - he commented, as he poured drinks for all of them - "They move and act like a unit, they are a tight group able to accept some discipline, and the way they spar shows they have some guts, at least in the training grounds" - the half-orc chuckles and adds - "I think if we need a hand, we can get them to chip in. "
Looking around the table he adds - "We've been meeting every other morning by the outskirts to train, talk, sometimes drink, and discuss about what they know of the surrounding areas - you should join in, meet the lads, and break a sweat with some sparring. What do you say?" - he smiles - "but before that, what have you been up to these days?"
-----
"Agreed but let's not wander too far south, we don't want to give Brevoy or Mivon the impression we are aggressively ambitious."
"We can move out at first light tomorrow?" - Reknar nods.
In the founding days of the Republic of Kameland, Niadroub Kliip was excited to get back to farming. Teaching the settlers how to till the land to provide for their family and to produce extra crops for trade. Only... many, if not most, of the settlers already knew farming. What's more, Kameland wasn't in the swamp, so many farmers knew how to farm this land better than he did.
Which was fine, really. It was fine. No problem. He'd just find something else to do. It's fine.
He wandered around surveying sites for his eventual tower. Should he have the distillery at the ground floor of the tower so he could keep a watch on it? Maybe just next door would be better. At one site he was considering, a group of children were playing.
"I have a Issian army with ten thousand knights! And a Pitax army with six thousand archers!"
"Woah, that's like SIXTY thousand soldiers!"
"What's your strategery?"
"You mean stragety. Um, tradegy?"
Niadroub Kliip rolled his eyes.
"Damn kids," he thought, because nobody has an accent in their own heads. "Somebody ought to set them straight. Teach them about basic mathematics and get them to read a book, occasionally... oh.
"Oh!"
*********
Niadroub Kliip commandeered Elena's tent for the school. He didn't ask, he just found out when services weren't and started telling the kids to show up then. Any young adults that could find the time to attend were never turned away. He only knew how to teach the way he was taught, so all students had a rank, and each student was issued a green vest as a uniform that Niadroub Kliip paid for out of his own pocket. As students advanced in rank, they were expected to teach the down ranks what they knew. It was haphazard, and attendance wasn't always great, but it was a start.
You gather together, going over equipment and supplies in a way that is very familiar to you now. Ready to set off and scout the surrounding lands.
Richard will go wanting to survey the lands and make sure the maps are accurate.
Reknar will obviously go, feeling the eagerness to stretch his legs in the open.
By the end of the month, there are enough ranked students who can handle lessons (and who are more intelligible) that Niadroub Kliip can free up time to support the exploring.
At first, Colwyn desires to stay behind and oversee his domain, still intoxicated by having such authority. He is also paranoid, worried that the recruited bandits and the visiting merchants - whom he sees as equally prone to thievery - will require his supervision.
However, he decides that Miss Switch and their other aides can be trusted to manage the matters the ruling council has already set into motion. Colwyn also resolves that setting out as part of the exploration and pacification expedition is a fitting way to prove himself as a brave leader to his new subjects.
"No one will be calling me a Toad King," he defiantly muses to himself as he prepares his gear in advance of joining his allies for another foray.
Reknar makes some preparations the previous day, adding some more rations and water to his traveling stock, and securely preparing and checking his saddle and saddlebags for the trip in the morrow.
Xan was eager to get out of the burgeoning town for a while. She'd managed to find a few people willing to help with law enforcement and it would be a good chance for her to see how they'd handle things without her.
The first few days out sees you shaking off any rust you've built up while settlement building. Travelling the open lands and staying alert for danger is quickly resumed.
Your third day out from the settlement while exploring Hex37 you come across signs of a fight, an overturned wagon, sacked of all it contained, trampled ground where creatures and humanoids brawled. Bloodstains soaking the soil.
There are no bodies here and the tracks lead to the East.
What are you doing now?
Reknar examines the scene shaking his head - "Damned vultures" - he snarls, examining the wagon and the scene further, trying to ascertain what exactly may have happened, who the attackers may have been, and if there are survivors.
"It seems you'll get a chance to show off your skills Reknar." Richard got ready to set out with the others following the tracks.
The tracks are clear, no effort has been made to conceal them, a large group of some type of insect with two humanoids among them seem to have let the attack and carried of anything that was left.
Giant spiders.
Ettercaps.
What are you doing now?
"It seems you'll get a chance to show off your skills Reknar." Richard got ready to set out with the others following the tracks.
"I'm not much for showing off" - Krezen chuckles - "But if some heads need to be bashed, some heads will be bashed" - he nods.
"Ettercaps and something else..." - the half-orc crouches down to take a look at the tracks.
"I can't tell what the other tracks are. When we get close I think Colwyn and I should scout ahead to eyeball whatever it is."
"Agreed Richard" - Reknar nods.
"Are 'Ettercaps' intelligent? Did they rob this wagon? Or are they hunting and hauled off prisoners for their dinner?" Elena gives a shudder.
Reknar you know that Ettercaps are intelligent, they use Spiders as animal companions, they are poisonous and like to lay many traps around their lairs.
What are you doing now?
"Are 'Ettercaps' intelligent? Did they rob this wagon? Or are they hunting and hauled off prisoners for their dinner?" Elena gives a shudder.
"They're sneaky bastards that's for sure" - he grumbles - "I still remember the last time I had to deal with those pests, always surrounded by spiders, and laying traps all around their lairs" - the half-orc shakes his head - "Was hard work, I can tell you that"
After a trek of over an hour you come to a cave mouth set in a small valley, the trail leads directly into it. There are large webs cloaking the cave mouth.
What are you doing now?
Keeping his voice low Richard turns to the others. "Not too much point blundering through the dark or trying to stay unseen with a torch in our hand. I'd say there's a very good chance whoever is working with the Ettercap has good night vision."
"I suggest we move in as a group, take a moment to cast any spells now with a good length. Reknar we've not done this kind of thing with you before. Elena has an ability that makes plants sprout and try to grasp anyone in an area. When possible we try to hit them with that and pick them off with arrows."
Richard eyed the cave mouth. "Xantria and I up front. Colwyn and Reknar next with Niadroub and Elena in the rear this time. I can keep an eye out for traps and keep a torch in my offhand til we encounter an enemy. Big spiders wont be too bad but against lots of little ones I can only parry and reposte so quickly, who's got a way of taking them out?"
Niadroub Kliip casts mage armor on himself.
"Thet's ookay. I'll protect anyoone who sneks up behend us." He nods with certainty.
Not yet familiar with the group's dynamics, Reknar listens in silence as Richard assigns roles, then gets ready to fall into place - "Be on the lookout for traps even as we approach" - he nods - "If we are attacked, and you stay close to me I can offer some protection" - he pats his polearm, and finishes - "As for many small spiders... I have some liquid fire, but it won't go a long way"
The sight of the webs, even more so than Reknar's warnings about what they were tracking, triggers a shudder down Colwyn's spine.
"Given our new station, I'd foolishly hoped to be done with plumbing such dank, dangerous depths," Colwyn rues with a shake of his head. "But, I suppose we must keep our settlers and pioneers from getting munched by some web-spinning trolls."
Colwyn draws his bow with an arrow nocked loosely. He kneels down, checking the area for tracks
"Let's see just how big these spiders are" he muses. "If their legs aren't too tiny and spindly, we might be able to use our trusty, rusty beartraps."
"You're right I am getting rusty already. At the very least we should set up a few out here in positions we know, if we have to withdraw it would be a nasty surprise for anything following us."
"Sounds like a plan," Xan said, "I'm not much for sneaking, though so sorry in advance if I let them know we're coming. Shame these don't glow a bit brighter or I'd be able to spare you the torch." As she spoke, she briefly lit her tattoos up to full brightness, which was only about on-par with a candle, before extinguishing them again.
What are you doing now?
"Sounds like a plan," Xan said, "I'm not much for sneaking, though so sorry in advance if I let them know we're coming. Shame these don't glow a bit brighter or I'd be able to spare you the torch." As she spoke, she briefly lit her tattoos up to full brightness, which was only about on-par with a candle, before extinguishing them again.
Reknar lifts an eyebrow as Xantria's tattoos briefly flare - "Can't say I ever seen anything like that before" - he just comments flat out - "Are those magic?"
"I just hate going in a cave without some scouting beforehand" - the half-orc growls, while rubbing the inside of his forearm - "Just hate it..."
He ponders their options for a few moments - "If you want to do it this way, I suggest we go with 'two fronts' so to speak - one ahead and one behind. Maybe I should close the march?"
"Technology of some sort, actually," Xan explained, the tattoos on her face shifting slightly as she spoke, "got them in Numeria from a passing trader. No idea how they work - not sure the trader knew either - but they've been handy for a bit of night reading now and then."
Niadroub Kliip looks over in curiosity for a moment when Xantria mentions "technology of some sort," but then goes back to watching the party's backs.
"Technology of some sort, actually," Xan explained, the tattoos on her face shifting slightly as she spoke, "got them in Numeria from a passing trader. No idea how they work - not sure the trader knew either - but they've been handy for a bit of night reading now and then."
"Sounds like risky business for some night reading" - Reknar replies in a hushed tone and chuckles - "They do look good on you though. 'Technology' you say?"
"I'll explain once we've dealt with these things," Xan said as she moved up with Richard to intercept anything coming.
Colwyn keeps just behind the frontliners, his bow at the ready. He remains as quiet as possible, hoping that any foul critters will overlook him in favor of his comrades - allowing him some measure of surprise upon them.
He especially keeps an eye on the right hand side, watching for flankers as the party continues to the left.
Elena follows behind, keeping her eyes open and trying to keep quiet.
As you slip into the dim light of the cave you shudder as you have to brush aside heavy webs that seem to drape the ceiling and hang uncomfortably close to your heads.
The large spider know you are here, but don't move towards you, Colwyn soon spots why as he picks out the traps strewn about the two paths you can take. It seems the spiders are trained to let their prey walk into trouble then attack
What are you doing now?
"Shoot them with your bows, they'll either move forward to engage us or scatter letting us disable the traps."
With a chuckle that seems out of place for the situation, Niadroub Kliip casts flaming sphere and sends it past the traps to one of the spiders.
"Don't need to tell me twice," Colwyn whispers huskily as he draws back his bowstring, lining up a shot at one of the lurking critters.
Reknar takes one look at his sling, and decides to keep the grip on the bardiche - "Just in case"