"Mhm. You never told my you sang Angus!" Illthir exclaims and quiets down to enjoy the show. She felt quite off her game anyhow so she didn't mind just enjoying the music instead. (Maybe it had something to do with these day-long Songs of Marching? Hmh.)
"Yeah, a battle ballad like the one Angus is playing!" Scarlet claps along to the beat. Clearly she's enjoying the impromptu concert.
Zokon is tapping his feet along to the music.. but is keeping his wits about him, drinking sparingly.. "Excellent music
angus.. more!" he yells to keep up the charade ... while he looks around
Alia knew, of course, that Angus could never play as well as an Elven Master, Elves being naturally superior in any career they pursued.
But at the same time, she was honest enough to acknowledge the expert handling of the instrument, the beauty of the melody, the rhythm. This was art, clear and simple.
Wondering a moment about how they broke predjudiced clichees, the Dwarven musician and the Elven Smith, she found herself tapping along to the music, wondering how Vega fared, and if the outpost still had survivors left to feed him.
Serena listens to the music appreciatively, even making a small effort to hum along with the tune. After each performance, she applauds the result. At the same time, she keeps a close eye on the Baron, watching to see just how drunk he is or pretends to be.
"'Piper'!?" Angus practically spits. "Whit an' twitter oan loch some greet orange-thumbed divit!"
The dinner lasts well into the night.
Angus excuses himself early siting the need to be off in the morning. He plans on circling the Slough and sticking to the dry paths.
"So Illthir...." the baron waggle his eyebrows suggestively.
"Yes, thank you for your beautiful banquet." Illthir rises from her seat and bows, paying due courtesy and some to the Baron. "Sadly I too must withdraw for an early night; else our talented companion might outrun us again!"
Scarlet snores the night away, happy as a clam. Alia's okay (where is her cat?),
Erevenywg is... well she seems alright but a bit quiet, and food and music.
Zokon also slips away and to sleep
Durgan will take his leave as well, and find a place to sleep.
Hopefully a cleric of Abadar is a welcome enough guest that he is offered a place, but he has coin to pay for a private room if necessary.
"Alia, was it? Perhaps you would be interested in a nightcap?" the baron asks with a smile.
The camp is most barracks and flop houses so finding a place to sleep is not difficult though none of the avaliable accommodations are private. You could also camp along the periphery of the camp.
Later at a place whose hastily painted sign reads: C.M.O.T.D. Bed and Breakfast - 3 pieces of silver
"You mean 'free'?" the flop house owner says to Durgan as if the word were foreign. "And insult the servant of the very God of Commerce himself. I wouldn't sleep at night. Oh no sir, it's full price or not at all. My mother would spin in her grave if I did that. Nothing is too expensive--I mean posh, for those who serve the Lord of the Vault, sir. Why it would be cutting me own throat to do otherwise."
The place seems to have once been a collection of storage, and livestock sheds all bundled together into one ramshackle two-story building.
"Those be the lofts up there." he explains. "Quite popular with the kids these days."
"I...my...uhm..Girlfriend wouldn't approve?!", Alia stumbles over her own words.
Realizing the farce that had saved her before won't work here, she sighs diplomatically:"I am honored by your offer, but for a number of reasons, I am certain it would not be a good idea. I apologize for my attempt to mislead you just now, but I would not feel comfortable with the situation, despite your charms.", she looks sheepishly.
This was difficult - she did not mean to suggest he might have ulterior motives - which she was absolutely certain about - nor focus on her own inexperience in the matter - which could have the opposite effect of what it would be intended to achieve -
"I...I should go to bed before Scarlet worries about her Ward."
"Of course not! I meant lodging in exchange for service, my good man. Healing, or accounting, or inspecting the... ummm... architecture..." Durgan looks around at the sheds curiously, "or anything else you need.
But if there are no tasks you need done, I will happily pay three silvers. It is good to see such entrepreneurial spirit."
Durgan smiles as he hands over the silver. He has a sense of humor, after all. He makes his way up to the loft and casts some spells on his gear before going to sleep. Anybody with Spellcraft could tell this is just Purify Food and Drink, which doesn't do anything to armor, but it might look like he is warding his gear against thieves.
If Zokon communicates that to Durgan, he will change his actions and make sure to camp with the party.
Serena sets up camp with the rest of the group, unfurls her bedroll, places her scimitar beside herself and in moments, is fast asleep.
Illthir is totally on-board with giving up an real-ish bed for another night, if it meant some distance to the Barons men. They were probably well-meaning people at heart all of them but ... Better not dangle any temptations/items of value anywhere near them.
"Pew. That was certainly something." Illthir sighs when they are well outside earshot of the 'Fort'. And after looking once and twice over her shoulder for skulking thugs. "That man, the Baron, is probably ten times as smart as he appears. Granted, that might not be *that* much, but he got this far..."
"I mean, I'm sure he'd be a valuable ally. But I don't think he does things just to be nice."
"Of course not! I meant lodging in exchange for service, my good man. Healing, or accounting, or inspecting the... ummm... architecture..." Durgan looks around at the sheds curiously, "or anything else you need.
But if there are no tasks you need done, I will happily pay three silvers. It is good to see such entrepreneurial spirit."
"Strictly hypothetically speaking, how are you at delousing straw pallets?"
"Strictly hypothetically speaking, how are you at delousing straw pallets?"
Durgen has been warned.. Zokon approaches each member of the group and whispers to them "I fear there are no bandits in the area due to them being hired by the baron, they look... suspicious."
"You suspect that these are the very bandits we are looking for? An intriguing thought, but I will need proof."
"It's possible they have been recruited to the slightly more honest life of mercenaries. But they may still be working for the Stag Lord, so let's not take chances."
"Zzzzzzz...."
"Well no not the Stag lord.. the baron is their boss now... doesn't mean they are safe to be around. "
Evening stars flow past overhead until at last morning arrives with the smell of breakfast cook fires from the greater camp.
Angus is up with the first watch already preparing to be on his way.
Durgan rises early. He makes sure his gear is all where it should be, and then goes to check in on his horse (Copper).
When another of his new allies is up, he asks for help donning his armor. "Have we much business to do here? How long do you think we will be?"
"*Yawn!*" Illthir stirs in her pile of blankets. "Hmm not really..." As she replies to the cleric, she immediately starts regretting it. If she had said 'yes' maybe she could have slept more? But then again Angus was already moving around. With a sigh the half-elf forced her eyes opened and then, after another moment, started to get ready to leave.
As the sun rises, so does Scarlet. She eats some food and starts packing. "Argus! We're not missin' ya this time!"
Serena is accustomed to rising early, as she performs her morning prayers with the dawn. She eats a small breakfast and then begins packing out, making ready to leave.
Zokon goes through his gear meticulously after rising to make sure nothing is missing and to see what he might need for the future, then he has a good breakfast and gets ready to move.
The newly formed company (Alia, Bloody Angus, Durgan, Erevenywg, Illthir, Numalar, Scarlet, Serena, and Zokon) heads out into the morning light and travels for five days together along the fringes of the vast swampland before anything of any note happens. They follow a lightly worn pathway passing by the failed remains of small human (or human-like) habitations--overgrown pathways, failing foot bridges, homes overgrown in moss and vines, old rotting piers tethered to ancient sunken swamp boats. Only a few lazy swamp flies and mosquito buzz about them. Deer, and small animals like rabbits, chipmunks, and skunks scamper through the tall grasses and scrub. Farther off on the plain elk can be seen.
The days are mostly cloudless, and blue, and still a bit chilly. Wind whistles through the grass and cattails. At night the group sleeps out under the stars .
"At least the animals are cute." Illthir noted and stood up in the stirrups. The abandoned village had that peculiar charm ruins always had. The promise of interesting stories but always with the ending spoiled.
"Bah, the insects are fine. They're just flying through. Besides, their lives are short enough. They live, do what they need to, and start the next generation." She moves through the fog.
"Oy Angus, how's the Company doing, these days? Seen my brother recently? I've been meaning to get back to him, but Alia needed a bodyguard and I needed equipment, haha!"
As the party rides, Durgan looks around. There is potential here, if Law could be brought to this place. There were many with the courage and work ethic to bring civilization to the wild, but many were disheartened by the ease with which bandits can take or destroy all that they have built. Even this swamp might make for good navigation with the right boats and knowledge of the channels.
Durgan crosses the failing foot bridge and wishes he had the time to fix it up. He hacks back the overgrowth crowding the paths when he is able to do so.
His horse's load gets lighter as it eats the feed that Durgan brought along, but even so Durgan keeps casting Ant Haul on the horse every morning to make its travels easier.
Serena is silent as the group rides through the swamp, lost in her own thoughts. They may be right. Even if we eliminate the Stag Lord, the gap will open to admit something worse. We must be cautious in our dealings with these bandits.
Zokon takes geographical notes and takes note of the failed settlements, This place will need to be investigated before people can live here, why did this place fail.
He keeps an eye out for horsefeed and helps to point it out and make sure that the animals are fed, when he can he uses his bow to help the party get food from the amble game that abounds, he seems to be relaxing.
Maybe this is what being a ranger feels like? peaceful..
It's late in the evening on the fifth day of travel, and Durgan and Zokon are on watch together. It is quiet. There's little talk, both men being a bit laconic. The party had found a bit of dry ground amid marshy terrain.
The night is cool and breezy, after a day that started out gray and drizzly. The sky overhead is mostly clear now, and filled with stars.
Suddenly Durgan hears a noise like a horse falling into a pond or wading out of one. The animal whinnies loud and shrilly, silencing the other noises of the night.
"Zokon, what was that? Cover me, I'll go check it out. Wake the others if I raise an alarm."
Durgan casts Shield and walks towards where he heard the sound.
Out on the moors, Durvak cannot quite see what's making the sounds until he breaks the edge of the wooded grove . Out on the moor a horse and rider climb up over a low ridge into the marshy plane. Both are damp and glistening in the moonlight. Clutched in one hand the figure bears a long, naked, antique blade that reflects the moonlight with chill clarity. There is something altogether unsettling about this hunched rider.
The figure turns its head and looks out over the moor, searching terrain for something.
Stealth is not Durgan's strength, at -4, and this creature may have supernatural senses. He prepares to move back to camp and raise the alarm (unless what he knows of this creature's behavior changes that).
Durgan doesn't know what this is. He moves back to the camp, and says, "Up! Something out there!"