"Ah these are worth very little." indicating the pearls and bracelet. "Anyone else want to look them over, as I figure we could probably get 20 ish gold for them"
Untrained appraise
"Let me have a look. Also, Elektra how about you taking a look?"
Brathana will bring out the drinks.
The Elven Ruby was a nice wine. It was a variety used for trade. It was not nearly as good as a comparable version in Crying Leaf or Arsmeril.
The Stout was from the bottom of the barrel from the local Two Knights Brewery. It may be the most bitter thing Garrath has ever put in his mouth.
The local wine was a Clear White. It went well with the Curried Salmon. It was sweet, but not too sweet.
The Dwarven Ale was as good as any found in the Great Halls of Dwarves. It is imported in the best Oak Barrels and the added aging just gives it a more robust flavor, yet still retaining a slight fruitiness typical of the really good ales.
The water in most towns and settlements are often suspect. This was different in that the water was cool and refreshing as though it came from a fresh spring.
About twenty minutes later, a plate of the Curried Salmon came out to all, with the exception of a Venison steak for Elektra. The Curried Salmon had a lot of flavor and the portions were far greater than what was served at the festival. The Venison was a bit gamey, and very reminiscent of what was served at the White Deer's booth.
"Can I get you all another round of drinks," Brathana ask eyeing Garrath in particular for a response.
** spoiler omitted **
"Let me have a look. Also, Elektra how about you taking a look?"
Brandark quaffs the ale in a single drink, then places the cup down. "Ahh, just like my family used to make it. I will take another please."
Not really paying attention to anything but the food and the drink and the other members of the group.
As Garrath takes his drink, Kelvin watches him and whatever his reaction nods over to Brathana, letting her know that he saw her, without letting the rest of the group know that he saw.
"Ah Brandark, you misjudge the worth of all this. The bracelet is worth at least 40 gold pieces, the large pearl 50 gold pieces. But you are right, these small pearls do not seem to me to be worth much. Perhaps we can take everything to a jeweler in town and have them professional appraised?"
"Kelvin, I do better if it comes from the earth.
I still think they are relatively worthless. But knowing my limitations, I will bow to your suggestion."
As drinks, meals and more goes on, Ameiko Kaijitsu comes down from the second floor humming and strumming her samisen. She eyes the heroes and begins to sing.
"In the night of the Goblins
When little terrors struck
Came New Heroes to Sandpoint
Our good lady Luck,"
Ameiko approaches the party to cheers from the patrons.
"One a Shoanti man
Filled with rage,"
Ameiko nudges up against Garrath.
"Another an Elf Wizard
More like a Sage,"
She bows to Elektra.
"A Cleric of Shelyn
Beauty and Art Prevail,"
Ameiko dances around Lyr.
"Dwarf on a Horse
Lift your tankard of ale."
The crowd lifts their tankards with a cheer, as Ameiko pauses to drink from Brandark's tankard. Then looks at him with a pout when she finds it empty.
"Mystery Elf
We long to know,"
She looks deep into Kelvin's eyes as she approaches the secretive elf.
"A party of five
Better friend than foe.
Bravery to thank
So let out a cheer,"
And yet another cheer rings out.
"Rejoice our new Heroes
Sandpoint my dear."
Ameiko moves around the crowd playing her samisen to a constant applause.
Garrath pulls out 1 gp coin and lays it on the thick foam of the beer, and watches as it doesn't sink beyond. "HA!! He eyes Brandark and proceeds to drink down the whole tankard, leaving the gold piece in the tankard. He wipes the foam from his mouth with his sleeve, and slaps his hands on the table. "Ahhhh! An ale that will cause women to weep, and hair to grow on men's chests! THIS is what they meant when they said Stout! Another! He slides the tankard to Brethana, with the gold still in it, and sees her and appends, "Um...Please.
As Ameiko looks at Brandark with a pout, another ale arrives just in time for him to offer her a drink.
Ameiko returns back to Brandark's tankard for a large gulp of his Dwarven Ale.
"Mystery Elf
We long to know,"
She looks deep into Kelvin's eyes as she approaches the secretive elf.
As Ameiko comes over to him, he sinks back into the chair that he is sitting in, and tries to become invisible. He is obviously very uncomfortable with the attention, and the song that she is singing. At least she did not name us he thinks, but he does look back at her eyes, returning the look.
After the song, and the tavern gets back to normal, he looks to Garrath and Brandark, "well, if you too end up on the floor, should we bring you upstairs? he asks, almost with a chuckle.
"Kelvin, for my self, I will not allow myself to get that far along. A Couple more ale and I will be good."
Looks over at Ameiko Kaijitsu after her song, and gives her a gold crown. "For the pleasure of the song good lady"
A surprised Brathana brings Garrath another Two Knights brewery Stout and Brandark another Dwarven Ale. "Drink it slow, Love," Brathana looks up at Garrath. "You are a big one to drag out of here," she gives him a wink.
With the stare back Ameiko gives Kelvin a wink and a wry smile.
Aldern Foxglove eyes the party. Shortly after Ameiko’s song he comes by and hands Lyr a sack of coins. He bows gracefully, ”As promised, your reward. You saved me from certain “goblining.” He cannot help but to stare at Lyr.
Looking at the rest of the party Foxglove ask, ”Tomorrow I am going on a Boar Hunt in the Tickwood Forest. I would be honored if you would all come along.”
” We can meet next door after breakfast at the Goblin Squash stables where I have my horse. We can then get your horses. If you don’t have a horse, I will buy you one. The Goblin Squash has several fine equine specimens for sale,” the young man is excited about the prospects of going hunting with the Heroes.
"I could imagine it is an enjoyable experience. If you do not mind our company, I would gladly join!"
Brandark looks over. "I could be persuaded to join in a hunt."
He then sits back in the chair, enjoying the food and the good ale.
"Yes, yes, I would greatly enjoy your company," Aldern is clearly excited.
"Yes. I will join the group. I will be good to be back out in the woods again."
After a couple more dwarven ale's, Brandark looks over at the group. "Well, morning will come early, so on that note I will call it a night." He then heads off to the room that has been set aside for the males.
Elektra will also excuse herself and go to sleep, trying to be bright eyed and bushytailed in the morning.
Before Brandark gets his last ale into him, and Elektra turns in for the night.
What looks like an elderly Tian man enters the tavern,
The jubilant noisy tavern goes silent. There is a palpable tension in the air. As the angry man begins moving through the bar, he eyes Ameiko, and starts to head toward her; until he sees the party of adventurer. He then approaches the party, ”You all are endangering this town with your antics against the Goblins. The city guard are trained professionals. They do not need a so-called bunch of heroes,” the wrathful man spews out a venomous rant at the party.
Edit: A link has been added to this post.
Brandark looks over at Garrath "Stay thy hand good sir" and then looks at the elderly man but remains sitting and in a calm voice
"Sir, I do not know what issues you had with us attempting to save lives as any good man or woman would do if they were able.
No one should allow the goblins free reign around any town, as all they do is burn and destroy.
As for the town watch, they were busy and not around where we were so we assisted in a way that saved lives and if that makes us hero's to the people here it makes us hero's."
Lyr looks doubtfully at the noble man. I will accompany you, she says slowly, Though I am not sure yet whether I will participate.
She looks up sharply at the new intruder, If that is the way they feel about it, then I expect them to tell me. Until then, I have the assurances of the mayor that my actions in saving her life did not go unappreciated.
Kelvin is glad that Brandark and Lyr are handling the situation with the Tian man. And if he attacks one of us, I'll put a sword in his back thinks Kelvin, as he starts to move around the periphery of the room to get behind him.
Lyr looks doubtfully at the noble man. I will accompany you, she says slowly, Though I am not sure yet whether I will participate.
"Just your presence is enough," Aldern is very pleased that you will be riding along.
Ameiko rushes in to a position between Garrath and the Tian man, fearing an escalation.
The Tian man tries to grab Ameikos' hair, but Ameiko bops him in the head with her semisen. He staggers backwards. Several in the Tavern begin to giggle.
Feeling the pain of the whack, the Tian man puts a hand to his head. “You’re as dead to me as your mother,” the Tian Man rages before leaving the tavern.
Ameiko begins to cry and runs upstairs.
Brathana was not too far away from the scene. She notices some confusion in the party. "That was Ameiko's Father, Lonjiku. As you can tell things have not been going well for them. My poor Ameiko," the Halfling woman works to hold back tears for her friend.
it isn't long after that the tavern begins to empty out.
Warm baths and clean beds are awaiting.
End of Day Two
I am glad that didn't turn into violence.
After the tavern empties out, Brandark Strips out of his armour, enjoys the bath, then turns in for the night.
In the morning, Brandark rises to greet the sun.
Gets dressed, then goes out to feed and check on his horse.
After that, comes back in for breakfast.
Moving up to the Ameikos room, Elektra knocks politly at the door.
"No need to open, but I know how difficult it can be to fulfill oyur fathers expectations. If you need a shoulder to cry to, or a friendly face to speak to, just call. Sleep well!"
Elektra can hear the faint sobbing. It stops. Seconds later the door opens. Ameiko's eye shadow is running, "Thank you. My Father is an angry man. He always has been. But it has been getting worse of late. I appreciate your concern. You sleep well too. I hope the room is to your liking,' she gives Elektra's hand a squeeze, smiles and shuts the door.
Watching the scene play out, Kelvin backs away till the man grabs Ameiko' hair and then he starts towards the pair, and then when she whacks him with her semisen, he quietly chuckles, don't get her mad at me he thinks, and when the man leaves he backs off completely.
Before Lyr and Garrath head upstairs, he asks her "Lady Lyr, If you could, both Garrath and myself are still wounded from the crypt problem. Would you have any healing ability left today from Shelyn?"
"A hunt? I will of course join! He drinks down his two ales keeping an eye on the foppish noble, who seems maybe a bit too keen on the ladies of the group.
He looks over at Kelvin, "This? These are just scratches. Still, it would not be good to give our prey the free scent of blood on the hunt tomorrow. He laughs at Kelvin, "So, we will put to test the theory of Garrath scaring away the small prey so Kelvin can hunt a truly remarkabale beast?"
Day Three
Ameiko seemed back to normal preparing a hearty breakfast for her guest. After breakfast, and you had to wait for the late waking Aldern Foxglove, you head next door to the stables.
The sign above the door’s design is easy enough to understand. It is a horse trampling a Goblin. Brandark has been frequenting ‘The Goblin Squash’ stables a couple of times a day since arriving in Sandpoint. As you pass the wide stable doors, you notice the somewhat grisly display of ears. Goblin ears nailed along the rafters with a Goblin's name burned into each ear.
Daverin Hosk is pleased to meet the party. He has heard about their exploits and considers the party kindred. ”Nice job with those Goblins the other day. I was hoping to snag a few myself, but the green little terrors avoided the stable area,” the old Ranger introduces himself.
Keeping his focus on the party, Deverin tells them about his adventures hunting Goblin. He all but ignores Aldern, as the dandy negotiates purchasing several horses. Daverin is keenly interested in making sure the party is fitted with suitable horses, saddles, bridles and such. He will ask each about their riding experience, picking more spirited horses for those more skilled versus less spirited from those less skilled at riding.
"Morning again Daverin.
While Brandark proceeds to Bard, saddle, and get Abacuzar ready.
"Everyone meet Abacuzar or Abacus for short. He was the travelling companion of mine that was unable to come join us against the goblins."
"Just a warning, he will bite those that are not with me, until he gets to know you."
Knowing that Aldern will be insistent about the horses, Kelvin picks up a few extra apples at breakfast and puts them in his pocket.
Once at the stable, he says to Daverin, with a very large grin for the old ranger, "next time, we will chase a couple over here, so you can add their ears to your collection."
As Daverin asks about his riding experience, "I can ride, but am not that skilled at it" he says. Once he and Daverin have settled on the horse for him, he approaches it, speaking to the animal in a language that most of you do not know, "A beth yw eich enw, merch. Ah, Star. Ydw, byddaf yn galw i chi "Estrela" sef Elven ar gyfer hynny. Ah, ie, yr wyf yn cael rhywfaint o afalau i chi." and as he strokes her mane, he pulls some apples from the pocket that the horse had been poking with her nose.
"She told me her name is Star, which in Elven is Estrela, so that is what I will call her" and young scout saddles the horse, making sure that the bridle does not have a bit in it, and mounts with a flourish.
It is about an hour and a half ride to the Tickwood Forest. Along the ride, Alden Foxglove is interested in the party’s adventures. ”Where do you hail from? Are there many Goblins from where you are from? What is your favorite weapon and why? “ The primary focus of his questioning seems to be a greater understanding of what it takes to be a hero.
As an elf I am trained in Bow and blade. The Bow is not only the superior weapon, if you are trained, it is also a way of living. It takes patience to make one, and if well treated, it will guard you, feed you, enlight you. Do you know how we make an arrow.
We choose the finest pieces of wood. Carefully removing the bark, we oil the arrow with our finest woodoil, to keep it from loosing its straightness. We choose only 2 feathers for the fletching, taking care to cut them perfectly, so that the mold to the arrow. Using glue and sinew we take our time to fix them perfectly, so that the aim stays true. A little piece of bone is cut as the nocking and fixed to the arrow. Now it is time to choose the arrowhead. Is it an arrow to hunt, to train, to go to war? In the end it is the harmonius combination of bow, arrow and elf that makes an arrow fly true. But I am already talking forever..., I apologize!"
"No. No, great lady. Please continue," this is exactly the conversations he had hoped for.
"Weapons? Garrath contemplates for a moment, and shrugs "If it has a blade, it is good. But the real weapon is the man that wields it. Anyone can swing a weapon, but a man that understands and becomes one with the weapon is the deadliest foe. It also means that that person is not lost if they are disarmed. My favorite is this. Garrath whips the Falchion from his back and holds it out for Aldern to see. "Heavy blade, curved for slicing, but not as clumsy as a greatsword. I have one of its little brothers too. He pats the scimitar at his side. "It matters not what I use though. As long as what I hit dies." he shrugs.
Lyr stands face flushed at the scene between Ameiko and her father. She nearly confronts the man, but smiles as Ameiko takes care of herself. Lyr follows Elektra upstairs and offers her own comfort as well.
The next morning she takes her time preparing for the day. Lyr carefully approaches the horse chosen for her and reaches out a hand. The horse whinnies and Lyr pulls her hand back. Eventually, with some help from the oothers, Lyr sits astride her horse, riding into the forest. I came from Nybor. I grew up in the temple of Shelyn there. As far as a favorite weapon, it's the glaive, she pats her own glaive, It's a symbol in my faith. See Shelyn tried to redeem her half-brother, Zon-Kuthon. At some point during this, she stole his glaive. She keeps it to remind her of her quest to redeem him. Likewise, I keep mine. She stares off into the distance, lost in thought.
Brandark, Riding behind everyone, looks up ahead when he see's Garrath pull his weapon out and then starts to reach for his lance. Relaxes a bit when he see's Garrath just holding it and releases his grip on the lance.
"See Abacus, they are all strange at times" Scratches Abacus, and then goes back to keeping an eye out on everything.
As an amend, Ameiko is very thankful to both Elektra and Lyr's concern. The attractive Bard is pleased with the growing friendship and camaraderie.
Aldern Foxglove is attentive and appreciative of the conversation. He sees Garrath's Falchion as a bit overwhelming, but the Scimitar was more to his liking. He asks Garrath if he could hold the smaller blade.
With Lyr, Aldern is less talkative taking in every word she says. "That weapon is as mighty as Garrath's Falchion. And to be wielded from one with such beauty is fantastic to behold," Lyr can sense his growing infatuation.
After nearly an hour meandering narrow wooded trails, you reach a small clearing, you notice a boar is peaking around a burrow eyeing you and your horses. Only Brandark and Kelvin initially sees the boar. It is a little unorthodox, but I will give Brandark, Kelvin and the boar an action like in a Surprise round, before going forward with Round One.
Only Brandark and Kelvin can react in the Surprise Round. I will play the boar after their post. Please feel free to post your Round One actions as well. We will see how this goes. :)
During the ride, Kelvin migrates to up near the front, a position that he and Jharym would normally be in while leading the elven companies thru the woods surrounding Celwynvian. As normal, he is on the look out, this time for boar rather than the sinister creatures he was used to hunting.
"Boar" he shouts as he sees the boar, and looses an arrow at it.
"Hold, Estrela" he tells his horse, as he dropped the reins and holds on tight with his knees.
As Brandark rapidly grabs his lance out "Boar ahead be ware", "Elektra, keep foxglove safe"
"Abacus, lets go"