Day 3 - Mid Morning
As the group readies themselves and prepares for what may lie next, the goatlings are disassembling the camp and they come to remove your loaned tent. They seem to feel sorry for taking it away, but you realize the large tee-pee style tents must represent quite a bit in the way of labor, effort and resources to create.
Jovar appears to update everyone on the status of Tolhemia and her group. He flew through the night to arrive here.
"Greetings friends. Tolhemia has established a temporary home in one of the villages of the goatlings. They are taking up residence there and sending envoys to parley with the Dwarven Thain who runs the lakeside cliff fort that borders the goatling lands. The dwarves are in charge of this fortified town that is a joint interest of the human and dwarven kingdoms. Due to the large mining and logging resources, the two races have pooled their efforts to keep the area safe. A significant halfling population is employed in the logging industry at the lake front so say our scouting attempts. Gnomes also make up a small population. There are few if any elves seen. If discussions go well with the Thain, they will see if they can move to the fort town itself and use it as their next stepping stone before moving further. The goal being to learn enough of the world to make intelligent choices about where to begin the search for Goodwin. Tolhemia wishes to communicate her effort will be twofold. One, to seek out divination magics that will reveal where Goodwin is. Two, to strengthen in power, knowledge and wealth to afford the divination, or to master such magics ourselves. With extra strength and power, we can secure Goodwin's rescue. If the Thain rebuffs our efforts to peaceably join their town, they will remain with the Goatlings and seek a method to enter the civilized nations elsewhere. Several groups have split from Tolhemia's and are fanning out to attempt to explore into other lands. If you have messages you wish to relay to Tolhemia or other groups let me know. I see that many are still here at the lake."
Jovar also shows you a crude area map that Tolhemia had created on a scrap of cloth.
Day 3 - Late Morning
The initial group discussion seems to be winding up at the main tent. Those who wish to hold smaller meetings or even one on one are encouraged to visit. The campsite itself is being restored to a condition you can scarcely believe housed over a hundred individuals the night before. The campfires are extinguised, the ashes scattered, large rocks returned to their orginal spots. All refuse and garbage is picked up. Tents are all packed away aside from Golden Ram's tent and the goatlings are busy at work, making sure the beach looked unspoiled.
After a successful discussion, Nathan and Lotham had some additional questions for Golden Ram. He and his Elders are willing to answer them in a smaller private session , but if they are lengthy historical research, it would be best to continue at their village.
After that, the group reassembles and is able to plot their next course of action.
Upon returning to the rest of the group, Nathan reports, "We have been invited to their village and offered basic supplies. We won't be able to stay there indefinitely but can travel in and out as we need. They are thinking of possibly moving so we should keep an eye out for a suitable area in our travels if we find one. I would like to talk to their elders and see what we can learn of the last 10,000 years and if they have any hints that can help us. Anyone object to going to their village?"
Day 3 - Afternoon
The group assembles and considers their options. The goatlings are moving out along with their leader and probably some other group to travel to their village to acquire supplies, before moving on to wherever their journeys take them next.
"We should travel with the goatlings. I cannot think of a reason to delay."
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Nathan looks at the departing goatlings and says "I agree with you Lotham, let us walk with them."
"That sounds better than hanging around here any longer." Eleanor agrees.
"I will defer to both yours and Nathan's judgement for now. I agree that the more we learn, the better off we are. I would just caution that, so far, all of our information is coming from one source, the goatlings." Rechau says to Lotham.
"Agreed. We should speak with the dwarves and humans once we establish cordial relations with them."
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Day 3 - Afternoon
The final group of goatlings makes there way from the lake side. The beach looks as though no one had been there. If you inspect closely, sure some stones look disturbed or some logs moved, but after wind, rain and a season passes, no one would be the wiser that over a hundred people had camped here.
The large group makes their way south along the river. They travel slowly as they are carrying the large drums, the huge horns, as well as many tents and the poles are long and unwieldy. The river is rushing quickly and as you reach the gap between the mountains and peer down below the sight is breathtaking. You look out over the rugged hills and wooded canyons. You can see for many many miles. The river sparkles and can be seen winding through the highlands below. The group continues and the elevation drops sharply. Near the river the forest is still rather thick and as the sun descends in the west the shadows kick up and the forest grows dim. The group talks and chats the trip which takes several hours. Soon, they veer off from the river following a smaller tributary to the east. You are told the village is not far now.
Lotham takes advantage of the slow pace to forage and hunt a bit.
Day 3 - Evening
The large procession arrives at the village with fanfare. Its arrival was announced by the drums and horns that you are familiar with, goatlings come running to see the return of their leader. For the first time you see female and young goatlings. The small village can't decide whether to be a permanent fixture or not. Most of the 'homes' are the tee-pee style tents made from skins, that you are already familiar with. Several larger lodge styles permanent structures have been erected with stone and some wood, with thatched roofs. As you can see the goatlings have begun a slow switch to agrarian from hunter gatherer lifestyle. fields of oats are sown and managed. Regular mountain goats wander freely in the village in small flocks. A stream flows past the edge of the village nearby. It seems somewhat idyllic, but it is noisy. Also greeting the procession are your other brothers and sisters, the large group led by Tolhemia Brass who arrived yesterday. A temporary guest area has been set up to house the new guests until they press on to other goals. Though it is late, people are awake and excited to talk. The goatlings go about their duties in returning to their homes and families or taking the various gear used for travel and doing whatever is appropriate for it. Many goatlings quickly move to erect another half dozen teepees for the new comers in the guest area. Golden Ram and his Elders move off to meet with those who had stayed behind. You are advised that in the morning you will be supplied with some equipment as needed, and for the night you can turn in or chat with your friends. You are given a tee-pee to sleep in and there is food and water therein. Tolhemia and many of your brothers and sisters greet you, and Tolhemia mentions she would like to meet and discuss in the morning when you are freshly rested.
Whether you turn in or stay up to explore and chat, the village itself quickly calms down and everyone returns to their tents for the night.
Lotham spends the evening gathering some more food for the coming journey. He is friendly towards all who greet him, but does not, at this time, take interest in chit-chat.
As he hunts, he contemplates the future. Although we have made acquaintance with these goatlings, and helping them will be what Goodwin wants of us, I do not feel like we are much closer to finding him. What if this lake spirit doesn't get us any closer? Are we ever going to find him? He is not in an optimistic mood this evening.
If any of his companions hunt by his side, he shares his thoughts with them.
Nathan takes a look around the village and sees what it has to offer. He spends time with Lotham hunting and then settles in for the night.
Nathan you hunt into the night, going out to get some alone time, and to work with your bow. You spot nocturnal animals and are able to bag a few rabbits and a raccoon. The air is fresh here and somewhat windy. The hills peaceful.
The village itself is small. The tents are spread out though to prevent crowding and squalor. They are interspersed all about the hillsides here. Of the several larger permanent structures, you guess one must be the grand lodge and meeting hall. One seems to be some sort of grain storage. The other may be another storage place or perhaps crafting shed.
You occasionally encounter goatling patrols quietly moving about. They must have heard of your coming as they merely nod and move about their patrols.
Lotham forages out into the forest with Nathan. You collect a fair amount of edible plants as you hobble slowly along. In the village you are both greeted by the goatlings but your thoughts trouble you. Goodwin has been captured a long time, what if you CAN'T save him?
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Day 4 - Morning
The village awakens early, and the sound of goatlings going about their morning business quietly and dilligently fills your ears. Life in the village appears simple but full of work. Most of the effort revolves around food gathering, preparation and storage. There is also leather crafting and pottery work to be done.
Your group rises and partakes in breakfast, and goes about its morning routines. In time the various children of Goodwin mingle and chat. After breakfast, some goatlings arrive with supplies to distribute. Each group is given the following:
1 waterskin per person
1 personal hide tent per person
leather for clothes (the goatlings do not wear clothing, so you are expected to craft it yourselves)
large belt pouch per person
1 healer kit per group
1 bronze handaxe per group
1 bronze knife per group
oat cakes/leaves/goat cheese - 3 days worth of food per person
wicker ware - baskets or containers for carrying items - 1 large item or 2 small per person
ceramic ware - pottery, flasks, vials, mugs, bowls - a small set per person
minor tools, scrapers, needles, awls, punches, leather working - 1 set per group to work leather
After the goatlings give you your goods, they move on to the next group.
Tolhemia stops by shortly thereafter to greet you and to help answer any questions you may have.
"I have sent two messengers to the Dwarven Thain who runs the Cliffside Fort town downriver. It is the nearest civilization with a chance to provide us with information. I have not heard back from my messengers yet, although familiars we sent to spy have returned with proof that the messengers made it safely to the fort. If the meeting goes well, I had requested an audience for our people and a chance to move into their society. The tension between the goat people and the dwarves and their human allies makes this a diplomatically awkward situation, but we must remain focused on finding Master Goodwin. I have assured Golden Ram of our intents to win greater security for his people. I also seek to secure safe passage for our own people if not a chance to provide services for the dwarves. As we have no resources to afford food or goods, I fear the Thain may look distastefully on us as refugees and vagabonds who will stir up trouble and disrupt order. None of this even addresses the racial issues sure to spark problems. I seek your input should you have any. I would also learn of your plans so that I may keep informed of our people's whereabouts."
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"Nathan had the idea to speak with their elders and learn what we can of what has transpired in the last 10,000 years. From there we have no certain plans. I desire to find Goodwin, and our only lead seems to be a lake spirit we met at the goatling ceremony yesterday. It needs something like five thousand gold in spell materials to perform a divination that may aid us. The only way I can imagine acquiring that much gold in our present circumstances is via interaction with the dwarves and humans. Which brings us back to the Goatlings. We intend to hear the "other side" of things. From there we may be able to improve relations somehow."
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"Yes, that is the basic plan. So far we have very limited information and it is hard to make definite plans. We will just follow the flow of information for now."
"Five thousand gold? That is a large sum. What spells of divination did it say it was using? I would use caution. That amount of money can go towards many things. I think in enough time we could master divinations ourselves. Although....it may be worthwhile to explore this creature. Perhaps I should learn more. I can make sure your group is involved if the Dwarven Thain grants an audience."
Nodding at Rechau, "I understand. I have had a difficult time leading the remainder of our people. I am not the best leader. I can be harsh and blunt, or so I have been told, and I do not have a lifetime of experience to draw upon, but I don't need to eat, sleep or breathe, so I can tirelessly work towards our goals. Jovar, also a construct has been relaying messages and scouting non-stop as well. He is an excellent resource. Together we have been working day and night to gather information. Information is our best goal currently. We need to learn what is going on this world. For all we know there is an oracle of some sort that lives nearby that dispenses all the information we want, if we just knew about it. An extreme example, I am sure, but you understand my meaning I hope."
Lotham frowns. "It did not give any specifics about what spells it would be using. I had doubts as well, but the lake spirit seemed completely honest to me--I could detect no deceptive will."
"Yes, it would be best for us to present a unified front in our audience with the Dwarven Thain."
Gods above, help us not to splinter our efforts.
"It may be that the creature means well, I know some lore about such things but not a great deal. If given the chance, perhaps I may revisit the lake and interact with it. Lotham, if our messengers return soon, those of us who are interested can discuss a unified message that may help convince the Thain of our situation and lend some aid, or at least point us in a safe direction if they do not wish to deal with us. I would hope they have no interest in provoking hostilities. While the fort seems ridiculously fortified according to our scouts, I would hope any ruler would be unwise to start a fight for no particular reason."
"How long should we wait here for the messengers to return? If they provoke hostilities, we would be obliged to ignore the provocation." A worried look crosses his face, "Unless... are you concerned they might take your messengers captive?"
"I will give them until tomorrow. I know that they were taken into the fort. Unless they made a diplomatic faux paus, I suspect they are just going through a question and answer session perhaps, maybe they are taking advantage of the situation to learn more. The Thain may be busy and cannot grant an audience. If they do not return soon, we will send familiars to scout the fort and find out what happened."
"It's not easy having everyone look to you for guidance, but you're a fine leader Tolheimia." Ellie says with confidence.
"Yes, I intend to learn what I can from the goatlings history and try to piece together what has happened in the last 10,000 years. Use my knowledge of the way things used to be to see if it will help in where we need to go. The dwarfs and humans knowledge would be useful in this as well. What would help most I think are the elves. Has anyone asked Golden Ram about them? I haven't heard them mentioned."
"Thank you Eleanor. Your words encourage me. The bonds and unity of our people, and Master Goodwin's faith in us, and he creation of me, are all things that drive me to keep going and make this a success for all of us."
"Nathan, those are good ideas. I too have not heard of elves being mentioned yet, but they may be scarce in these lands perhaps. I hope we have news soon. "
"Please let us know as soon as you hear about the messengers. A rescue mission may be in order."
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"I will indeed. I hope it doesn't come to that."
Lotham spends the morning foraging for more food.
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Day 4 - Noonish
There seems to be some buzz about the village that the messengers have returned.
Nathan goes to see what news the messengers have.
Curious, Greebins rolls onto his feet from a state of prolongued laziness and follows Nathan.
Eleanor makes her way to the messengers as well hoping for some good news.
Lotham follows suit. Gods above, thank you for their safe return.
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The group makes their way to the area that Tolhemia and the many many others of your brothers and sisters from the demiplane have set up temporary home. Upon arrival, a large crowd has gathered, mostly of your people, but even a few goatlings have gathered, as the news could impact greatly their people.
Tolhemia is addressing some people, and it appears she is planning to talk to Golden Ram. News passes through the crowd quickly that the Thain has granted an audience, but is sending his Marshal to meet with the group first, but they wish to seek permission from Golden Ram before entering their lands. Apparently this formality is taken as a good sign that the treaties are being upheld at least at the highest level.
You get the impression that there will be a lot of back and forth, and you and many others in the crowd have so many unanswered questions. The messengers sent by Tolhemia accompany her as she makes her way to Golden Ram's lodge. She says she will attempt to advise everyone once her and the goatling leader are able to confer and reach a consensus on the meeting arrangements. The air is abuzz with hope and people whisper excitedly about the possibilities of the meeting and what it means. There are also many who seem impatient and unused to the prolonged diplomatic process.
Lotham retrieves the crafting gear and works on crafting his clothes ad he settles down to wait.
Nathan looks at Lotham, Good idea. I think I'll do the same. He then gathers up the leather and starts making a simple set of clothes from it with judicious use of mending as he makes mistakes in cutting.
Day 4 - Mid Afternoon
After some time Tolhemia, her 'sister' Ania, and the Vishkanya woman Melanaj emerge from Golden Ram's lodge. Tolhemia returns to the part of the village that has been set aside for the people of Goodwin, and she gathers all of you around.
"Brothers and sisters, Ania and Melanaj have returned from the dwarven hold, named Cliffort and here is what we know. There, Thain Yarvik Ironfist IV rules in a stern yet honorable fashion. He is a no nonsense individual, and is not particularly happy to be dealing with monstrous refuges from another plane. His goal is to promote stability and foster an environment so that the loggers and miners that work in the area can get their materials downstream to the rest of the kingdom. At his side is High Priest Stonehammer, who seems to be a surly yet trusted counselor. Stonehammer appears to worship Clanggedin, if the symbolism still follows. It may be worth noting that some of the old gods still endure."
"Cliffort is a community of many races, largely dwarves who provide most of the defenses, but also many humans, with whom they are allied in this endeavor. Cliffort is part of a larger kingdom, and the Thain appears to report ultimately to a king. Cliffort itself is, as its name describes, a fortress built into the side of a cliff. The cliff overlooks a natural canyon, and the river naturally flows through it. The river has been dammed up and the canyon has turned into a small lake. This lake is used by the people as a defense as well as a way to coalesce the logs and mining resources that come downstream from the logging and mining camps. They transfer them past the dam on barges that are lowered through a series of locking compartments which allow them to raise and lower the water levels through some giant pumps. The materials then continue downstream. So important are these resources, that the fort itself is near impregnable and the lake is surrounded by a wall. Within the walls a small village huddles. There are apparently merchants and your regular trade and craft folk that would inhabit such a place."
"From all that Ania and Melanaj could determine, little has changed in ten thousand years in terms of innovation, attitudes or even customs. While fashions, languages, and other cultural things vary and change over time, they said they found it hard to distinguish if much had changed. Their understanding is that not that much before their arrival, another of our groups had arrived and had been given audience with the Thain, who sent them on a dangerous mission to prove their worth. The Thain's main scout is a man with the position of Head Marshal, going by the name of Hawke. This man, though also stern seems to have a larger world view and understands the plight of our people and the opportunities we could present to the fort. He seems to understand that we aren't just going to go away, and if we are, we need to know where we are going. Though some of the negotiations took place with magically augmented communications, Hawke speaks Celestial, which appears to have changed little wirh the passage of time. We believe Hawke has been trying to convince the Thain to allow our people to take up residence in the town. We have also just discovered, somewhat by accident, that there is reason for this. Hawke leads a brigade of scouts who patrol the skies on griffons. They can range far and wide and see a lot. Apparently Jovar overheard a report that indicated that a force of humanoids is gathering and the belief is that the target is the Fort. Nothing more is known about this. This places us in a position to help or to also not get involved. Our help would help them protect their fort, and show we can be allies, and give us standing to request fairer treatment for the goatlings. It also places us in a position to take advantage of their town and crafting and start as a new based to more forward."
"Golden Ram has already advised that they are willing to help the dwarves if a battle is coming. While the dwarves have not treated them fairly, if the fort were to fall, the instability would create more problems, particularly if the area was overrun with humanoids raiders and giants. Ania and Melanaj have secured an audience between Marshal Hawke and Golden Ram. They are to meet at the border. There we will reveal that we know of this impending 'army' and offer our aid as well as the goatlings' in return for protection, fairer treatment and security. Marshal Hawke is to meet with us tomorrow afternoon at the border between the lands. Those who wish to stay and help fight come with us, those who wish to leave the lands, we have also secured safe passage. Marshal Hawke will have one of his outriders escort any groups through the outlying areas to other regions. There is quite a bit more information to process and interpret, and you may all have many questions, please feel free to ask of us anything you wish to know."