"Terrible. Simply terrible." Renault says and then watches everyone else with the interest of an eagle.
"Hey!"
"Uff."
"Not really my weapon you know."
"HAH! Now that's how it is done."
"Really Soot, you shouldn't put on airs."
"HAH! BY OL' DEADEYE, I'VE STILL GOT IT!"
"Well Cos?" Valorin says with mock politeness.
Scarlet borrows the bow when she gets a chance. "Thanks, Larimus Finch. We'll take good care of it. Kind of a team effort to take it down."
"Bah. I'm no archer. Not like Zokon here."
"Well yes.. seems I'm losing my touch at shooting at stationary targets that aren't trying to kill me"
Everyone standing about the range with longbow looks at the one person using a crossbow disapprovingly.
"That's more like it." Renault says proudly.
"Uff."
"Hey!"
"Really not really my weapon."
"Ugh."
"Nice shot sir." Valorin nods to Mr. Renault who looks a bit shocked that Valorin was able to match him.
""
"Your go again." Valorin says to Zokon.
Zokon keeps using a loaner
Scarlet shrugs as she notes the general attitude. Pfft, hunting deer. Think that makes you so much better?
Scarlet's shot is worse than before. "Bah, I'm too impatient. Can't keep steady."
Posh is uncertain who to talk to after everyone scatters and decides to avoid the eye of Lord Renault after their earlier chat, but then goes to talk to Fan.
"Hi Fan. You mind if we talk for a bit away from curious ears?" Posh states, wanting to talk about something that's been bothering him.
"I'm curious why you've kept a few things from Scarlet. Me and everyone else I understand, you didn't know us and we may have decided not to help for all you know, but you know Scarlet well so why didn't you share anything with her?" he looks up at Fan in curiosity "I'm not going to pretend I've been open to everyone. I...am afraid of certain skeletons in my closet. Especially as one of them met me out in the open back in Brevoy and a few members of the group mentioned it was working with a group we recently had foiled their plan. That being said I'd like to know why you didn't trust Scarlet enough to tell her anything?"
"I'd also warn you about Lord Renault. He had a private word with me before Rain appeared and believes me and the group are here to ruin the land or enslave people or something else I'm sure he's paranoid about." Posh states as he waves his hand, showing how little he cares for what the Lord thinks "I'd be careful around him if I were you."
A loud, indignant, Fan-sounding "" rises above the fairground clamor, shushing it for a moment.
After a moment Fan regains his composure and continues. "Perhaps it is your Brevic skeleton bothering you. If so, I would direct you to Shepherd Kavken over there for absolution. As for Renault, the man's a bit of a man's man if you know what I mean. He's all about honor, independence and his right to carry a longbow--if you get my drift. I would recommend playing him straight. If your friends are here under some sort of crown charter from New Stetven he's likely to suspect they are here to interfere with his affairs and establish stewardship over him and the local settlers."
"Yes. I never did take to that Grogan character. If shows his face around here again we'll tar and feather it. His friends too. Honestly you see that contraption the woman was carrying? And I hear the other one was wizard!" Renault says his annoyance throwing off his aim.
"Really?" Henson says, his interest in the subject ruining his shot.
"You know Zeek Batty was studying up to ta be a wizard like that wandering wizard, Eldiocesan. You know the one with pipe and the stuff. Zeek even got himself a big expensive one at the last fair. Was trying to grow out a beard too. I ain't seen 'im since. Guess he's still wandering the Greenbelt somewhere. Hey!" Rolf smiles in victory at a clearly annoyed Henson.
"Batty Zeek, the farmhand? I never would have figured him for the vagabond pointy hat crowd. I you'd think his parents would have raised him better." Adds Renault in way that makes it plain he's trying to distract folks from his poor showing in the game.
"Well. Perhaps with more practice." Grayling says with some satisfaction.
"S+!*!"
"Language Soot." Valorin fires. "S++&!"
"" Finch does a little celebratory dance upon the pitch. If Scarlet's nearby he tries hoisting her up in the air.
"Last shot. No pressure." Valorin says.
"Finch, you have a good shot. You could teach us youngins' a thing or two. Oof!" Scarlet entertains the young-at-heart man. "If I could get one more shot, though..."
"Not too bad. Definitely my best shot tonight. I'm no hunter."
"There was something about Grogan- the way he fought- that was just dirty. If you gotta fight, declare it. Keep it clean and then know when to quit. But there was something else going on with him. Never liked it."
Celyne actually enjoys the attention she's garnering and while she flatly and quite emphatically refuses the 20gp offer for her cat, she does smile at the man offering her an acting and modelling career. "I'm flattered for sure, and perhaps I might consider your offer in the future, but right now, I'm otherwise engaged... Do keep me in mind though for another day... Just out of curiosity, where exactly IS Pitax?"
When she runs across the others later, she will inform them about Breeg Orlivanch's disappearance and supposition that he's joined the Stag Lord's Army. "He was a local trapper and according the others about the area, he was not well liked... in fact they mostly called him a 'pain in the ass' though I don't know the details of why. No one had any real proof that he joined the Stag Lord, but I do find it strangely telling that rather than just saying he joined the bandits, they called it 'the STag Lord's ARMY'... which means the locals think this has escalated some."
Avoiding a good number of people, Alia tends to gravitate to the edges of the fair, spending time in-between her passtimes with Vega and watching the horizon for signs of trouble. Not that she'd expect another incident, or Grogan to return, but being cautious had turned into a habit in these untamed lands, and it had become second nature for her to be on guard.
At his mystifying inability to shoot all of a sudden, Zokon will stalk off and go kick puppies or something.. he will wander the outskirts of the fair seeing what he can subtley observe
A loud, indignant, Fan-sounding "" rises above the fairground clamor, shushing it for a moment.
** spoiler omitted **
Posh just rolls his eyes at Fan's idea of professional jelousy.
"I'm just letting you know, if there is anything else you need help with just tell us and we will help you out. Next time there's a bounty on someone you know, let us know so we can be ready and not end up so split up and in a chaotic mess like last time we were here." Posh states this time with adding a point "Or what happened could've gone the other way."
As per the mention of Shepard Kavken he gives a spit-take.
"Unless he can create a doorway to a new world for me to flee into, uncover the secrets of the Scarred Shadows or..." at a sudden thought a grin appears on his face "Fan...you've been around Restov a bit, right? Do you know anything about the Scarred Shadows? We had a run-in with them and all we know is that they're a dangerous thieves guild. If you don't know anything I don't suggest pursuing the situation, but I'd watch your back. If any of their members were amongst us and they consider us a threat, you may be in danger too. Especially watch out for someone called Raven Riverpoint. I don't trust her because... he bites his lip for a moment, hoping not to give too much away, but fears Fan my already get the suggestion. "The dead are meant to stay dead and buried in the past. When they return, they never have good intentions for the living." he looks around awkwwardly for a moment to make sure no one is listening in.
"Despite what's happened...I do wish you luck on your journeys and hope to run into you again. I know a certain lady who'd be happy." Posh teases with a wink as he nudges Fan "Enjoy the fair. I think I'll have a poke around, but I'll take your advice about Renault to heart."
Posh leave Fan where he is and begins to casually look around and listen for any bit of info he can find of interest.
Scarlet looks about at the fair and decides to do storytelling with the kids. Mercenary tales make for great adventuring stories if you romanticize it enough.
"So you can make money by just fightin'?" Hal Benzen adds. The twelve-year-old's eyes grow wide.
"So what did the dwarf warriors do after trampling all the farmland during the siege? I mean, what did they eat?" Asks the young, rangy, auburn-haired hunter Rolf.
"Dwarven waybread." Says a dwarf merchant from Glimmerhold in the back with some pride.
"You can just look at a corner of the stuff and feel like you couldn't eat a bite for the rest of the day. That, and it's good for your muscles to carry a loaf of it around." He beams beneath his beard.
"Fan...you've been around Restov a bit, right? Do you know anything about the Scarred Shadows? We had a run-in with them and all we know is that they're a dangerous thieves guild. If you don't know anything I don't suggest pursuing the situation, but I'd watch your back. If any of their members were amongst us and they consider us a threat, you may be in danger too."
"They've got a new guild master I hear. The old one was allied with one of the Houses or maybe the Lord Mayor, someone big in city politics anyway. But now... I'm not sure anyone besides the guild master knows."
OMG! I'm at the fairgrounds! When did this happen?! I'm just going to roleplay this as him trying to look and listen for something interesting but getting distracted by some fine looking women.
There's a rather shifty looking fellow selling a rolled up scroll to a couple of local men.
"Ya see when the Taldon packed up and left they had only started mining the hills for the gol-" The shifty man stops mid-sentence when he Posh. "-DEN bee's wax."
"But I thought you said they were mining--OUCH! Sandersen. Why did you kick me?"
Sandersen nods almost imperceptibly towards Posh.
"So you can make money by just fightin'?" Hal Benzen adds. The twelve-year-old's eyes grow wide.
"Yeah, you can earn a livin' by fighting. But it's dangerous. Some of my other friends weren't as lucky. And sometimes the job makes you do things you don't want to." She chuckles. "Learning how to defend yourself from invaders, yeah that's good. Saving your family by fighting, yeah that works too. But you need to keep your wits about you. My boss always said the best fights are the ones that end before the first swing."
"So what did the dwarf warriors do after trampling all the farmland during the siege? I mean, what did they eat?" Asks the young, rangy, auburn-haired hunter Rolf.
"Dwarven waybread." Says a dwarf merchant from Glimmerhold in the back with some pride.
"You can just look at a corner of the stuff and feel like you couldn't eat a bite for the rest of the day. That, and it's good for your muscles to carry a loaf of it around." He beams beneath his beard.
"I ate way too much waybread the first time it was offered. I was sick for a week!" Scarlet laughs. "Then I went right back to the Dwarven camp and ate another loaf. Still felt bad, but not as long!"
Celyne actually enjoys the attention she's garnering and while she flatly and quite emphatically refuses the 20gp offer for her cat, she does smile at the man offering her an acting and modelling career. "I'm flattered for sure, and perhaps I might consider your offer in the future, but right now, I'm otherwise engaged... Do keep me in mind though for another day... Just out of curiosity, where exactly IS Pitax?"
"Oh it's the big city-state to the west of here, sandwiched between the Branthlend Mountains and the Embeth Forest. You can't miss it. It's a city that's on the move. Our new King, Castruccio Irovetti is very civic minded. He has engaged in the most wide sweeping infrastructure program ever seen outside Oparra using some magic he calls tick knowledgey brought from his homeland Numeria. It's a sort of clockwork I guess. He commissioned the Academy of Grand Arts and the city's craftsmen are finishing up a big opera house and something called a sewer system. Opera I hear is a very modern sort of singing with fat people. It's all very new. The talk of the River Kingdoms. Oh, and we're very cosmopolitan." The man winks. "Why a person can't walk down a street without seeing some devious-looking foreign devil out and about. Really, the talk of the River Kingdoms our city Pitax, the Jewel of the River Kingdoms!"
"Yeah, you can earn a livin' by fighting. But it's dangerous. Some of my other friends weren't as lucky. And sometimes the job makes you do things you don't want to."
"You mean like eat asparagus?" Hal says
"Yuck." Rolf says in sympathy.
"So what did the dwarf warriors do after trampling all the farmland during the siege? I mean, what did they eat?" Asks the young, rangy, auburn-haired hunter Rolf.
"I ate way too much waybread the first time it was offered. I was sick for a week!" Scarlet laughs. "Then I went right back to the Dwarven camp and ate another loaf. Still felt bad, but not as long!"
"Whoa, you must have some strong teeth." Says the dwarf with a bit of awe. By the look in his eye you think that if he got the chance to he might try sticking his fingers in your mouth to inspect them like a person might when buying a secondhand nag.
The Benzen family is all over the fair. The youngest hang out with the eldest, and the middle ones, like Hal, go where they like.
At one point Vekkel corrals the youngest four (Baldric 9, Merriam 6 or 7, Tamerlane 5 and Rose 4 into one corner of the fair freeing up their older siblings. The little ones race shrieking in delight through the woods along the edge of the fair playing hide and seek. Scarlet finds herself watching them next to Vekkel who is seated on a log massaging his leg.
"So." Vekkel starts. "Now that you've killed the monster pig what will you and your friends do?"
After a while, the eldest girls, Ilse (16) and Bronwyn (14) return from the fairgrounds proper.
"Come on you kids." Shouts Ilse. "It's time we got going home for supper."
The little ones groan.
"You don't want ol' Nanny Bad-Eye to see you out at night, do you?" Bronwyn puts in.
Scarlet finds herself watching them next to Vekkel who is seated on a log massaging his leg.
"So." Vekkel starts. "Now that you've killed the monster pig what will you and your friends do?"
"Good question, Vekkel." Scarlet shrugs. "I'm bodyguarding Alia. She's been trying to explore some ruins, or something... If I had the chance I'd spend my time just protecting people here."
"Oh my, Pitax sounds enchanting... I will have to go there sometime surely! This Tek-stuff sounds fascinating... clockworks and all... I've heard of such things, never seen them."
** spoiler omitted **
1d10
OMG! I'm at the fairgrounds! When did this happen?! I'm just going to roleplay this as him trying to look and listen for something interesting but getting distracted by some fine looking women.
There's a rather shifty looking fellow selling a rolled up scroll to a couple of local men.
"Ya see when the Taldon packed up and left they had only started mining the hills for the gol-" The shifty man stops mid-sentence when he Posh. "-DEN bee's wax."
"But I thought you said they were mining--OUCH! Sandersen. Why did you kick me?"
Sandersen nods almost imperceptibly towards Posh.
Posh smirks, thinking he's smelt a bit of gold here and these men might be an easy score. Getting up close so that he can start up a quite conversation.
"Mining, huh? Means there must be caves there and caves attract BIG beasts. Especially out here with all these strange creatures and goings on. I hope you're all well armed or atleast have a group of experienced mercinaries." Posh smirks as he makes this argument in an attempt to scare off the potential buyers. "Haven't you heard of that beast, Tuskgutter? If that's the size boars can grow to around here imagine the size of a bear that might take up residence in such comfortable caves. My companions however, we just took down the legendary Tuskgutter and have a little spare time, but if you want to try it yourself, you can. Just make sure you've written up your last will and testiment."
"Oh it's the big city-state to the west of here, sandwiched between the Branthlend Mountains and the Embeth Forest. You can't miss it. It's a city that's on the move. Our new King, Castruccio Irovetti is very civic minded. He has engaged in the most wide sweeping infrastructure program ever seen outside Oparra using some magic he calls tick knowledgey brought from his homeland Numeria. It's a sort of clockwork I guess. He commissioned the Academy of Grand Arts and the city's craftsmen are finishing up a big opera house and something called a sewer system. Opera I hear is a very modern sort of singing with fat people. It's all very new. The talk of the River Kingdoms. Oh, and we're very cosmopolitan." The man winks. "Why a person can't walk down a street without seeing some devious-looking foreign devil out and about. Really, the talk of the River Kingdoms our city Pitax, the Jewel of the River Kingdoms!"Celyne actually enjoys the attention she's garnering and while she flatly and quite emphatically refuses the 20gp offer for her cat, she does smile at the man offering her an acting and modelling career. "I'm flattered for sure, and perhaps I might consider your offer in the future, but right now, I'm otherwise engaged... Do keep me in mind though for another day... Just out of curiosity, where exactly IS Pitax?"
Would Posh have seen some of these, I assume, robots, the plans for a few of them, any androids, members of the Technic league or anything of notice? Just curious as the convo may come up later if around the fire Celyne mentioned it and he spits out his meat.
Also, thought I'd mention in Curse of The Crimson Throne, set in Korvosa, there is a sewer system. Using Otyughs as a way to keep the sewers clean, however these ones sound like they're automated by machines, much like in sci-fi movies...this makes me want to visit Pitax actually! Ooohhhh....let's see what happens!
But as I said, I'm curious what he may have seen if this gets brought up in a later conversation.
Zokon will eventually return and go looking for familiar faces, maybe even a good meal.
Mainly Posh would have seen a number of big, nearly pointlessly so, steam and combustion driven noise makers that didn't at the time seem to have much practical purpose. Think of the very earliest vacuum-tube computers compared to a modern iphone.
Also you can be there. Celyne is at the fair and it would be hard to miss her and Luna.
Things simmer down as the sun goes orange an buries itself in the Narlmarches. Most of the kids and those who live too far away to make it safely home past sundown leave or settle in for the night. Renault and his hunting friends come down from the house. The meat kabob vendor, Svetlana, and small army of others have been working double-time all afternoon on a pig roast with Tuskgutter as the guest of honor.
In the [Evening] of day 1, she heads over to Esme's Stage and joins her again, in chatter, storytelling, performance, and dinner. Having already spend time with her before, and not having any awkward moments in their mutual past, things go a lot smoother with her.
Things simmer down as the sun goes orange an buries itself in the Narlmarches. Most of the kids and those who live too far away to make it safely home past sundown leave or settle in for the night.
The various bards that are not Esme, begin playing wind down instrumentals.
The Benzen depart to the protests of some of their number.
Renault and his hunting friends come down from the house all rosy cheeked.
The meat kabob vendor, Svetlana, guardsman Pauns (who complains to Oleg's wife that it is supposed to be his day off) and small army of others have been working double-time all afternoon on a pig roast with Tuskgutter as the guest of honor. Numalar's there supervising and making suggestions about spices and such. At least his nose and eyebrows are considering that most of the preparation surfaces are set to human height. He buys so much wine from one vintner that the man doubts he'll have enough Talanova in stock for the following day.
Zokon skulks about the edge of camp but doesn't see much.
Esme's show has become a bit more bawdy as she capers about the stage singing 'The farmer's daughter squats among the cabbages and leeks' and similar fair.
A few more wagons settle upon the green one driven by a strange foreign pair. She a small bronze-skinned woman with slant eyes he(?) with a wide, rice hat and obvious beak.
Craftsmen and women finish up their orders for tomorrow.
Campfires spring to life.
And finally the pig is served. Chops, bacon, stew, baked, smoked, fried.
The strange newcomers used something they called a 'walk' or was it a 'wark'? Hard to tell with their foreign parts accents.
Folks settle in around the fires.
Esme makes a risque joke about 'foreign parts'.
Squire Droo snorts.
People eye Vinegar suspiciously.
The crow man stands at attention near his cart with a jangly, ring-topped stave and makes quick conversion with a number of passersby, while the small woman sets up camp.
Svetlana smiles at her first real trip away from the trading post since she came from Restov.
Pauns complains about his day off to Larimus.
Chick and Wilbur make a mess of things.
Pretty boy Argentov Lind stares at everything as if it is the first time he's seen it.
The local hunters gossip with and seem to blush when Naleksa joins them at their fire.
Valorin and his men nod to Zokon over their pork.
Celyne will help herself to some bacon and wander about a bit.. when she meets the newcomers, she smiles to them and samples their food as well.. "This looks so different from what I would expect... I'm no chef, but that walk doesn't look like a normal pan... how does it work? She stays and watches them cook on the 'walk' for a bit and talking to them. "I'm Celyne, and this is Luna," she says by way of introductions, and indicating the tiger while she offers her a piece of bacon, which is eagerly accepted. "I don't think I've ever met anyone with such exotic features before... Do you mind if I ask where you are from?" she asks them curiously with a friendly smile.
|
"Wok? Put food in. Put wok over fire. Cook food." She says succinctly stirring the contents of the round-bottomed pan with a long utensil. She puts it down and stand before you. She's about five-foot tall. "Fauxish. From Tian Xia. Most humans look like this there." She holds out her elbow with her hand balled in a fist in front of her chest.
Over her shoulder you can hear the strange, robed, bird man warbling something to man standing before him. A small line of people extend back from the bird apparently waiting their turn with him.
"From Tian Xia? That's very far from here.. we are honored to have you here, so far from your home... thank you for coming. How do you like it here?"
Zokon will enjoy this food, indulging in enough to make him feel full, but not going over-board.
"So Valorin will you be gracing these parts for a while or will you be heading back to the home country? I myself will be doing more scouting and eliminating any other bandits we run across"
Renault and his hunting friends come down from the house all rosy cheeked.
Very interesting...so from his point of view he would've seen lots of strange machines shooting out steam with no real idea as to what they do, much like in the game Dreamfall Chapters with the many different pipes and steam technology going on and doing "something" around the city, but obviously Posh is no scientist and though he was curious, he was having WWAAAYYY too much of wine, women and song to care what the king was doing.
As far as he cared at the time he was living the high life and nothing could be better, but deep down it's something he's realised as a hollow life. you have women, but no companionship. You have money, but don't feel truly rich.
Also I'll roleplay it as Posh wasn't there during the conversation as it may get brought up later when everyone regroups.
Fauxish grabs Celyne's arm in such away that it bends at the elbow and causes her to make a fist. Fauxish rams yours and her own bent forearms together. "How we make greeting. The land is interesting here. Very... barbaric."
Posh comes up to the two as they do this greeting with the woman's mention of this land being somewhat barbaric.
"Looks like you've made a new friend, Celyne." he smiles to Fauxish with a somewhat impish grin "And what would your name be? I bet it's something just as beautiful as you."
Celyne allows herself to be manipulated into the greeting without a problem and grins when she realizes what's happening. "Ah, a lovely way to greet, thank you for the guidance. And I must agree, these are rather barbaric lands here. Have you visited an elven enclave yet? They are very different from this, much more civilized."
"Oh, hello Posh... Posh, this is Fauxish... Fauxish, my friend Posh."
Fauxish inspects Posh up and down, and forearms a greeting.
Posh mirrors the greeting he saw the two doing earlier, stretching a little due to his height.
"Pleasure to meet you, Fauxish. I hope I pronounced that correctly?" he asks with a smile "I'd recommend moving south if I were you. There are far more barbaric people down there. One of them is even a self-made king who has a fascination with strange machines that shoot out steam and generally do something." he shrugs having no idea as to what those machines were in the past.
Esme's show has become a bit more bawdy as she capers about the stage singing 'The farmer's daughter squats among the cabbages and leeks' and similar fair. With Alia either participating or denying culpability.
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Shepherd Jhod Kavken utters a prayer.
Fusti churns his cheese with greater deliberation.
Paun fans himself with his helmet.
Henson and Rolf both pour their beers in their respective laps.
Samuel Renault mops his sweaty brow and blows his breath out heavily.
Chick puts his hand over Wilbur's eyes. Wilbur moves his head. Chick puts up the other hand.
It takes six people to hold old Larimus back from storming the stage.
Argentov claps in genuine approval. "Encore! Encore!" He's the only one who stands to do so.
"Oh my...." Fan slowly lowers his lute.
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"Pleasure to meet you, Fauxish. I hope I pronounced that correctly?" he asks with a smile "I'd recommend moving south if I were you. There are far more barbaric people down there. One of them is even a self-made king who has a fascination with strange machines that shoot out steam and generally do something." he shrugs having no idea as to what those machines were in the past.
"Oh?"
"You don't want ol' Nanny Bad-Eye to see you out at night, do you?" Bronwyn puts in.
"Eh? Who's Nanny Bad-Eye? Your grandma?"
1d20+7
1d20+2Shepherd Jhod Kavken utters a prayer.
Fusti churns his cheese with greater deliberation.
Paun fans himself with his helmet.
Henson and Rolf both pour their beers in their respective laps.
Samuel Renault mops his sweaty brow and blows his breath out heavily.
Chick puts his hand over Wilbur's eyes. Wilbur moves his head. Chick puts up the other hand.
It takes six people to hold old Larimus back from storming the stage.
Argentov claps in genuine approval. "Encore! Encore!" He's the only one who stands to do so.
Posh pauses for a moment at the sight of Alia and Eseme on the stage before it takes a few moments to come back to where he was.
"Wait, what was I...oh yes!" he states as his memory returns.
"Pleasure to meet you, Fauxish. I hope I pronounced that correctly?" he asks with a smile "I'd recommend moving south if I were you. There are far more barbaric people down there. One of them is even a self-made king who has a fascination with strange machines that shoot out steam and generally do something." he shrugs having no idea as to what those machines were in the past."Oh?"
"Yeah, I wouldn't suggest going down there. Very boring, but what about your home town? Where do you come from?" Posh asks as he returns to the topic at hand. "I was considering travelling to somewhere far off, but for the moment I've too little coin to go very far."
Seeing as they seem tobbe having so much fun Zokon will wander over to the stage and even give an encouraging "Woo! Hoo!"