Megan's Kingmaker PbP

Game Master Megan Robertson

Barnabus lounges in the grass only after carefully checking for chew spiders.....

Barnabus, is something wrong?

The magician had always been concerned about this particular Warden, his actions being eccentric even for him.

"Jus checkin fer chew spiders."

Barnabus voices his unconscious action.....

"Bite me once, shame on them, bite me twice shame on me."

Nothing seems inclined to bite, although a large toad is regarding Barnabus with large unblinking eyes.

Rhasadilara waits, arms crossed on the saddlehorn. "I think Calindar is hoping for better accommodations if we are caught in a rainstorm, but if you want to lay here and play with the spiders, I guess that's a choice, too."

Come, Barnabus. We should really get underway. There's no telling what adventure awaits us.

"Aye heat exhaustion followed by death from heat!"

"I can give us light tah travel in tha night if Rasha agrees."

She eyes the sky. "I'm willing to stop until dark, but I don't think this is the place to do so. And I've seen your light - we won't be able to travel as quickly. Mount up - we will take more opportunities to rest and water the horses as we travel. If that is truly a storm, we don't want to be here when it hits unless you fancy an electrifying wake up call."

With a small smile, she turns Sunset toward the trail and walks him a few feet before looking back to make sure the others are coming.

Nilus follows, eager to have a place to be.

Calinder is slightly worried by what seems to be a bit of conflict in their group.

"Barnabus, I believe I understand your concerns about continuing on in this heat, but I feel that if Rhasadilara thinks that it would be better to move on from this place, then I trust her judgement, and I think we ought to move on and use the daylight we have available."

"Rhasadilara has watered the horses and filled our waterskins. We've rested in the shade for a time and I believe we will be okay, even if be hotter than normal. If you have any further concerns though, I'd be glad to listen to you and discuss your feelings about this situation."

Calinder then waits for Barnabus to respond before following Rhasa out of the shady are where they stopped to rest.

"No, let him rest. I would not want him to faint in the extreme heat." There's a playful note to her sarcasm. "Master Romerus and I will climb yon rise and see how much of the path ahead is revealed. Sound good, Nilus?"

Nilus snorts Yeh, lets git a move on.

Before you go, let me set up the communications relay.

Lothar casts message on Rhasa, linking her to himself.

Nilus raises his eyebrow but keeps his sarcasm to himself. Yah, lets do that. Git on Bess he says as he urges her into a trot in the direction that Rhasa indicated.

Calinder smiles at Rhasa's humorous ribbing of Barnabus, and say, "Sure, sounds like a good idea, I certainly wouldn't mind a bit more time in the shade."

Calinder nods in agreement with Lothar's suggestion to stay in communication with Rhasa as she and Nilus venture out to check the road ahead.

With Nilus' parting remark, Calinder's smile slips away and he shakes his head, wondering if Nilus will actually ever mesh with the existing Wardens. He then remembers that they have just met and resolves to give the warrior more time.

Rhasadilara brings Sunset around to be near Lothar as he casts his spell, then trots to catch up with the soldier.

"Everyone has their talents they bring to the team. One of many that Lothar brings is some magical ability. If I whisper, he will hear it."

She rides a little farther in silence before adding, "It has been very useful when we needed it."

After Rhasa and Nilus ride off to scout ahead, Calinder finishes readying his horse in case Lothar, Barnabus and he need hurry and ride after Rhasa and Nilus.

He then sits down and says, "Barnabus, Lothar, any requests for our evening meal tonight? That is if we have the ability to have a fire to cook by and we aren't making camp in bad weather."

Calinder smiles and adds, "I'm willing to try my new found cooking skills on anything, but I can't make promises on the results yet."

Nilus nods to the elf maiden. That would be useful yeh.

He keeps his eyes ahead, scanning for danger and he loosens his spear from its ties. Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

I'll go west a few hunnerd yards and parallel you. No need for us both to git caught by the same trap.

Barnabus pulls his hair back tying it up and off of his neck.

"Give a yell if yah find yerselves in trouble o any sort or fun o any kind."

"Wise, but not so far. We are unlikely to be able to aid one another quickly at that distance. Fifty feet is plenty. You've been in some big battles, I think."

She rides easy as she studies the horizon, the ground, the river, eyes constantly scanning, even as she responds to the warrior.

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16 including Plains bonus

As long as Nilus is in sight of the ranger, he gains her favored terrain (plains) bonuses: The ranger gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when he is in this terrain.

"Lothar, any word from Rhasadilara and Nilus yet?"

The magician shakes his head. Nothing yet. Give them time. I'm sure I'll be the second to know what happens, if anything.

"Tis obvious Calindar and Lothar tis a chance for Nilus and Rhasha to better understand each other, my hope is they do run into a minor trouble as they get further afield from us."

"Barnabus, that is indeed true, a challenge could help us all come together and make Nilus more a part of the Wardens, but it could also end in disaster as well. Let's hope that the disaster doesn't occur and that both Nilus and ourselves grow into a cohesive group, if that is what is meant to be of course."

Rhasadilara continues toward the hilltop, pausing occasionally to allow her to concentrate on studying the area rather than guiding Sunset. She takes notice of the others back in the shade as well as Nilus' scouting. He certainly rides like one that cares for his steed. I'm glad to see it, it bodes well.

She waves back to the other Wardens once, whispering to her partner, "Having fun lounging in the shade? So far, the way ahead appears clear."

Good to hear. Keep us informed.

Lothar relayed the ranger's message back to the others.

"Well that is good news, although it isn't likely to aid in Barnabus' suggestion," Calinder says with a wide grin.

"All trouble I hast sighted is a toad of such poor proportion as to not even be a suitable meal for mah familiar...."

Calinder steps out of the grove of trees to see if he can see Rhasa and Nilus.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

Eventually, after a few days more travelling, you arrive within sight of Bokken's hut. There's a plume of smoke, and Bokken himself can be seen working in his garden.

The sight of Bokken working in his garden filled Lothar with relax. The magician was happy to be ending the job that the Wardens had been tasked with.

He looked to Nilus. Fair warning. Bokken... can be a little strange.

Ugh! Such an obvious typo and I didn't see it. Knew I should've waited til I got some sleep. That should be "filled Lothar with peace."

Nilus looks from Lothar to Barnabus Ah, strange...aye. If Bokken is strange what does that make this one...

Rhasadilara spotted the plume of smoke before the hut was visible and adjusts the direction of travel accordingly, relieved to have had an uneventful trip and opportunity to learn more about the warrior traveling with them. I have a feeling that he will stand and fight just because he said he would. No runner, this one. And I think he knows how to use those weapons. Gorguk will approve.

She stops at a respectful distance to allow the others to come alongside and hail the potion-maker.

Calinder too is glad when Bokken's hut comes into sight and Bokken can be seen out tending his garden.

As the group approaches Bokken, Calinder says, "Hail, Master Bokken, it is good to see you this day out in your garden, and we have brought something for you."

Calinder then dismounts and gets out the fangberries that they had brought and offers them to Bokken.

Bokken got up from his knees and stretched, hands in the small of his back.

"Morning... Oh. It's you. So you have stayed alive. Well done."

"Aye though in tha heat o tha day we err feeling as well done as a fine roast."

"Yes Master Bokken we are still yet alive and with Erastil's blessing may we live many years longer. Hopefully we find you well also?"

"Been rather a few folks around," grumbled Bokken, "And me back's playing up a bit... but apart from that... hey! Are those fangberries? Them's my favourite, ye know!"

Bokken bobs into his hut and comes out with a jug of ale and some rather motley mugs.

"Fancy a drop? That new brewer is turning out some nice stuff."

Lothar took one of the offered mugs. It would be both a privilege and an honor, good sir.

"Your hospitality humbles us all!"

Grins mischief at Lothar.

Rhasa likewise dismounts and takes the reins of Calindar's horse so he can show the potion-maker what they've brought him. When the drink is offered, she ground-hitches the cleric's mount and tells Sunset to stay before accepting a mug, as well.

The ale is better than you remembered. Sinon's definitely improving!

"Thar's been loads'a folk traipsing around. Oleg's quite unhappy," says Bokken between sips.

"Bunch of loggers, some fellers after skins, even a group of gnomes who said they were explorers and making a map, would you believe it?"

Rhasadilara frowns. "We need to make contact with those that would profit from the land. They need to abide by rules and not just tear out what is convenient."

Bokken swigs some more ale.

"The gnomes were mapping the south-east edge of the forest, and said they'd then be looking at the rivers. The loggers actually went into the forest, of course. The fellas looking for skins went to ask Oleg where the best hunting and trapping was. Oleg will probably know where everyone was going, he tends to keep track of things like that."

"The trapper being alone is most likley to perish, tha loggers and gnomes are at least in a group."

"Were tha gnomes fitted fer trouble?"

We were planning to stop by Oleg's after visiting with you, good sir. We should learn more of what he knows of these groups before doing anything else. That would be the smart thing to do.

I'd be careful discounting the skills of a man who knows his way 'round the woods. I'm bettin' the trapper'll be jus' fine. Nilus says from astride Bess. I'll go take a watch. Nilus says as a way of extricating himself from the conversation. He rides Bess over to a likely location nearby to look after her and keep an eye out for trouble.

We were planning to stop by Oleg's after visiting with you, good sir. We should learn more of what he knows of these groups before doing anything else. That would be the smart thing to do.

Rhasadilara nods, "They are already here, anyway. If we ask them to abide by rules, we need to know what they are first. There's nothing to be gained from rushing to confront them. I just didn't expect them so quickly."

Nor did I, Golden Arm. He looked down at his mug, as though he were mulling over what to say next, his lips pursed tightly. That was short sighted of us, in retrospect. We may need to initiate a process whereby these groups and others like them would have to come before us and Gorguk so that we may learn their motives.