Inamm starts as an amused voice piped in behind her. She turns to face the newcomer, intrigued as the voice is matched to the cute-haired, pouch-bearing girl that she had noticed in the caravan.
"Don't worry about me. I've got it all wrapped up. Will a potion work on a dog? Use one for him, no creature so brave and beautiful should suffer, meaning no disrespect to your philosophy." with a glance at Sasha. "Anyway, I am barely wounded, perhaps we could split one between he and I. Besides, I did nothing but protect myself, instinctively. I do not deserve a reward for such."
Inamm sheepishly pulls her tunic to cover her bandage, feeling self-conscious in the presence of someone with actual healing abilities.
ooc: assuming that Wil (or is it Wes?) allows Alex to help....
Alex hummed as she bandaged up the pitbull and made him feel more comfortable. Then she continued the conversation started minutes ago which had been interrupted when she started working on Wil. "There are many ways to reimburse someone for things. No need to worry about money right now.". Alex winked at Sasha, "We'll work something out.".
Alex turned to the unique looking sylph and said in her best doctor voice, "I can tell that you were hurt a lot worse than you are letting on. You need to drink all of this and soon before infection sets in." Alex placed the potion in Inamm's hand, smiled, and leaned in almost nose-to-nose as she waited for Inamm to drink.
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Ok...Wes it is..I will alter it on the HeroLab console (where I track all this sort of stuff.) As an aside, when treasure and goods come into your hands, you will be required to divide it up. It just makes it easier for me to attack items to your characters via Herolab so we can track who has what. If not decided, then the item could be lost. You can always have someone default as the treasure carrier..and I will try to tell you when you are carrying too much.
Inamm gets one potion and Sasha can have the other one since she is our meat shield :) Alex can be default party treasure carrier unless someone else wants to...
Inamm is taken back by the sudden close proximity of the vivacious healer. Nervous energy courses through her as she quickly quaffs the potion, plants a kiss on Alex's cheek, and then attempts to backflip to a more comfortable distance.
Acrobatics:
Sasha was startled by the exotic-looking woman's extreme friendliness, then again by her acrobatics. It takes all kinds, she thought, unconsciously echoing one of her mother's many sayings.
"It would seem that we are all well met," she said to the two of them. "And I for one, would like to continue this conversation in more comfortable climes when we reach the Keep. Preferably with an ale in one hand. Would you care to join me when we reach our destination? We can regale the locals with our tale of treachery and courage."
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The wagon continues to bump and jolt along the rutted path for a few more hours, until you hear someone at the front of the caravan call out.
"Keep ahead! By the gods of light we made it!"
Upon a granite outcropping you can see a fortress of some substance. Maybe not quite as large as some of the great castles of the south, but still sturdy and quite strong looking. A long switchback path leads up the side of the mesa to the main gate. The road is well kept, but only a little wider than your wagons. Upon the walls you can see movement; most likely guards.
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Over the next hour or so, the caravan slowly enters the Keep. All of the goods are search, and questions are asked of all members of the caravan. Even the recent dead are examined, not by the guards, but by a Black Friar. The woman examines the deceased thoroughly, making sure no taint of the necrophage is present, you assume. Finally it is your turn at the gate. A powerfully build dark skinned woman in chain armour holds a number of papers and is writing something on them using a charcoal writing stick. She finally looks up and addresses you.
"Good afternoon and welcome to the Keep. I am Sabine the Gatekeeper. Could you please give me your name, where you are from and your reason for visiting the keep? Also there is a 2sp fee for entry into the keep. This fee has already been paid by your employer."
Sabine the Gatekeeper
"Sasha of Brayor," she said to the gatekeeper, "here on business. I'm a guard for this caravan. I'll be looking for further work while I'm here."
Alex stepped forward and opened her cloak wide as she curtsied before Sabine. "I am Alex of Gilfort Manor. Alchemy and the mysteries of nature bring me here."
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The older woman smiles and bows back. "Greetings and welcome Alex of Gilfort Manor. The rest of your company are within and waiting for you. Enjoy your stay here at the Keep."
The Gatekeeper then turns to face the last member of the caravan.
And what is your name and business here at the fort young lady?" she asks Inamm.
Inamm steps forward and bows deeply to the imposing Gatekeeper.
"My greetings to you Sabine Gatekeeper, may the air always flow sweetly around you", she responds in the formal greeting of her family. Straightening she continues,"I am Inamm Treesbreath, from the Swift Air Clan in the Farstair Mountains to the South West. I travelled with the caravan as a porter and hope to find work here around the Keep."
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"Welcome Inamm Treesbreath and join your companions waiting for you within."
As the last of the caravan enters the keep, the heavy metal-banded oak doors close, and an iron portcullis slides down to further protect those within.
The majority of the caravan is unloading by the big open doors of the stable. The pack mules are being offloaded, then placed inside the large stable. The horses are also being removed from their harness and given stalls to rest and eat. The goods are being moved to another building with a huge set of double doors, as well as a winch on the second floor. Many of the crates and boxes are being loaded onto a thick rope net, which will then be hauled up by the winch to be stored in the warehouse.
The Caravan master waves your group over. He has been talking to a well dressed man and introduces him as the Castellan's "buyer", Kelus. The man has been checking off the cargo from the manifest, but looks up long enough to get a good look at each of you.
"Master Zelburr has told me very good things about the three of you. He says you almost single-handedly defended the caravan from attacking orcs. He has also paid for you to stay a week at the Guild House. If you can wait but a moment I will be finished here and can escort you to the building, as well as acquaint you with the amenities here at the keep."
Alex watched Kelus leave as she stood with the other two women in front of the door. She looked at the pull chain and then looked at the other two expectantly. Just as Sasha was about to pull the chain, Alex's hand shot out and she pulled the chain twice. Then she burst into a fit of giggles and waited for someone to answer the door.
Inamm tried to listen carefully to Kelus as he started his tour of the Keep. This lasted for about two minutes before the smells, sights and sounds of the Keep pulled her typically fleeting attention away.
The Keep was too small for the typical hustle and bustle she was used to. She quickly realized that strangers in this town were not likely to go unnoticed as her party drew numerous quizzical looks from the people they passed. Lost in her own thoughts, she almost bumped into Sasha as everyone stopped in front of the sturdy iron door of the Hostel.
Not wanting to be rude and push passed Sasha to reach the chain, she patiently waited, and then waited some more, for one of them to pull it. Then, just as she was beginning to see the advantages of pushing forward, Alex preempted Sasha's attempt, and her consequent giggling drew a fit of laughter from Inamm as well.
Startled by the giggling surrounding her, Sasha wondered if she'd made a mistake. We're these two childish creatures really the same ones who'd fought so effectively with her? Perhaps she'd do better to go her own way, as both seemed to be slightly mad.
Well, that was a decision that could wait. She strode forward, happy to have a comfortable place to sit for a while. The offer of tea was disappointing, but she could wait a bit to find something stronger. "Thank you," she said, moving towards the parlor.
Alex noticed that Sasha's pace had quickened towards the parlor - almost like she was trying to escape. She inwardly chided herself for not being more professional around strangers. Not everyone could see the joy in everything that surrounded them on a daily basis and were taken aback by those who did. She mentally made a note to try and be more serious. Wrinkling her brow and scrunching up her face in what she thought would be a serious look, she marched into the parlor after Sasha and took a seat.
After her comrades enter, Inamm steps forward and bows deeply to the innkeeper
Thank you kind sir. May the air around you always be sweet. After my travels a sweet tea would be welcome. However, after the exersion and bruising I received this morning, I , for one, would love something a little more medicinal, if you understand my meaning.
She finishes her greeting with a hearty clap on his shoulder and a wink, the fit of laughter still evident in her voice and lessening her usual discomfort around new people. Her levity is short-lived though as she notices the sour looks on her new companions faces. Maybe I should forgo the 'medication'. Perhaps I am accompanied by teetotallers. .
After her momentary startlement at Inamm's request, Sasha felt herself begin to smile. Perhaps this strange one was more akin that she looked. "I, for one, would appreciate a stout ale, should it be available," the fighter requested. She wasn't sure if she was being rude, but as usual, she didn't much care.
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The elder gent moves spryly to a sideboard and quickly returns with your requested drinks. A few moments later a elderly woman enters the room, dress as a cook.
"Now then, what would you all be having for this evenings dinner? We have boar, and beef and some plump chickens, if you like. Buttered greens and baked potatoes to go with it. And for dessert, a selection of cheeses, fruit and wheat cakes with honey and cream. Now how does that sound!"
The gentleman has gathered up your backpacks and is moving them upstairs, likely to your rooms.
"If you like,he calls down,you may freshen up in your rooms. I am sorry but baths will have to wait until after dinner as it takes some doing to warm the water, and Mrs. Peta needed the stove fer cooking."
After the woman listed the food available Alex realized how hungry she was. It all sounded very good and she said as such, "It all sounds delicious! I'll have that.".
Then she caught the gentleman out of the corner of her eye as he gathered their backpacks. "Be careful with mine. If something happens to break then things may go 'boom'!" Alex added to her words by making a large motion with her arms. She noticed him gently put her pack down on the floor while he carried the other two upstairs. He then came back down and carried hers separately holding it out from his body by the length of his arms.
Alex smiled at the mention of a bath. She yearned to wash the days of travel off of herself. "A bath would be most lovely after dinner, many thanks."
I would love a piece of boar, but it has been a very long time since I have enjoyed a sweet dessert. If it is not too much trouble, could I start with the dessert and see where that leads me? I would not want the offered vegetables to mistake me for the garden they grew in. I will reimburse you for any additional cost my odd request subjects you too.
With that said Inamm flops herself down as gracelessly as possible at their indicated table. She takes a long swig from the tankard already sitting there and closes her eyes. Even from the short trip that they had since the fight the dust from the road coats her, but she resigns herself to wait until after some food.
Oh, could I also get a flask of your best wine for my companions and I?
Sasha ordered the boar as well, and sat back with her new companions. She enjoyed her ale, and drank Inamm's offered wine as well, though she normally didn't hold much for fruity drinks. This one was rather nice, however, and got better the more she drank.
"Well, my new friends," she said, after they'd eaten their fill, "shall we continue together for a spell? I have a feeling that we could make some good coin in this place, working together."
Alex nodded and smiled at Sasha's proposal. "Keep buying me wine and I'll follow you anywhere." Then Alex remembered that she was supposed to be more serious so she again scrunched up her face and said, "I meant to say that I too agree that working together would be very beneficial to us all."
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The food and wine is of good quality, and you are allowed to eat in any order that you wish, though Mrs. Peta does tsk when you have your sweets first, it does not stop her from adding an extra dollop of honey onto the oakcakes.
Once finished, you again retire to the comfort of the parlor. Shortly the door opens and Master Zelburr wearily enters.
"Ah, I see I have come late to dinner. My apologies to all, the unloading and selling took longer than I had expected."
Mrs. Peta and Greeves direct the caravan master into the dining room where Master Zelburr has his dinner.
Again after a short while, Greeves comes in and announces, "The bath is ready for whomever wishes it. We have more water on for the next person, as well. If you will follow me, I shall take you to the bathing room. Towels and a robe will be supplied."
He waits until one of you make a move to follow.
Alex's hand shoots up in the air, "Oooo, me! I'll go!" She jumps out of her chair and skips out of the room after Greeves.
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The bathroom is a wood panelled, stone floored room just off the kitchen. You can see the steam rising from a large, brass bound wooden tub. A number of plush towels are set on a shelf, along with a number of jars. Upon inspection they all contain pleasant scents; lavender, honeysuckle, jasmine and the like. Mrs. Peta comes in and asks which smell you like best, then sprinkles some of the contents of the jar into the water. Almost instantly the smell envelops the small room. She also has a plain white cotton robe and a cake of hard lye soap.
You enjoy the back, and when finished pull a bell-cord, as you were told and Greeves comes in and empties the water out of the tub via a plug in the bottom and a grate in the floor. Once empty, her sets about to refill it with water from the kitchen.
Sasha frowned at the mention of a bath - surely immersing yourself in hot water was unhealthy. Who knew what kind of vapors one could acquire? Out of curiousity, she poked her head into the bath room, then quickly wrinkled her nose in disgust and backed away. She wasn't really that dirty, after all; the orc blood would flake off in a day or two anyway.
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You wake for a restful sleep. Breakfast is as delicious as supper the previous night, and once done you are free to explore the keep. Before you head out, Greeves meets you at the door.
"Master Zelburr wished me to give you this. He said it was your pay, as well as a bonus and spoilers from the orcs."
Inside each of the money pouches you find a variety of coins, including a few platinum. A quick total shows you 200gp, much more than your pay.
Inamm eats her fill of the offered breakfast, again leaning towards the sweeter of the offerings. When Greeves offers her the money pouch, she is immediately taken aback by the weight of it. Did he pay us in copper...So help me I'll..., quickly taking a peak inside..have to thank him for his generosity.
Looking to her new companions, she mentally compares the sizes of the pouches each where given, although Greeves had made no apparent effort to give them out specifically. Well, I would love to explore the Keep further, but am reluctant to wander alone in a new city. Would either, or both, of you care to join me?
Alex held the pouch in her hand briefly before putting it away on her person. It would be good to use to get supplies but she wasn't really concerned with the amount inside.
Alex nodded at Inamm's invitation, "Let's go paint the Keep orange!"
Sasha wasn't sure what paint had to do with it, but put the expression down to the ginger's apparent madness. "I wish first to visit the stables and see how Tella is doing with Will and Wes. They can be a handful when healthy, never mind injured."
The girl was in the process of handfeeding Wes - the rottweiler was lapping up mashed meat like a puppy. Wil was nuzzling the girl's hand, begging to share. Shocked, Sasha stammered, "You have quite a way with animals!" The dogs jumped at the sound of Sasha's voice, and the pitbull had the sense to hang his head in shame.
The young girl laughed, "They're such lovely dogs! And Wessy is getting so much better already! Aren't you, Wessy?" She rubbed the rottweiler's ears, and he closed his eyes blissfully.
"Hmmm....Indeed," Sasha said. She hoped the girl hadn't spoiled the dogs for battle - she'd invested a lot of time into training them, and if they turned into lapdogs it would be time wasted. Still, nothing to be done about it now. Thanking the girl, somewhat grudgingly, for caring for them, she went back out with Inamm and Alex. "Where to now?"
"How about we check out the shops and then get a bite at the tavern?"
Sasha nodded by way of reply. This was a military type town, surely there were shops that traded in armour, weapons, and perhaps even handy magical items. Her purse was weighing heavy in her pocket - it would be good to upgrade some of her equipment if possible.
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From your tour the other day you know that the fortified tower in the middle of town also acts as an armory and smithy. The row of homes across the street contain the workshops for a tailor, tanner, cobbler and a carpenter. There is also a baker and a dairy that produce fresh goods daily for the keep. Beside the tower there is also a general store (which contains many of the goods produced by the keeps's craftspeople) and a pawn shop beside that.
Inamm fell into her old habit of alertness combined with unobtrusive observation. She had long developed an ability to participate in general banter with companions without actually devoting more than a little of her attention. Her main focus however were the people and the buildings that they were passing, looking for the tells she had learned to indicate hidden wealth or suspicious behaviour. She wanted to gather information about the Keep and it's inhabitants quickly in case she needed to disappear quickly. This was a habit she had developed after some difficult lessons.
Her interest was peaked when she got a better look at the workmanship displayed in the tailor and cobbler's windows. She also made a mental note of the Pawn Shop just down from them.
As the others didn't seem to mind, Sasha led the way to the Smithy Tower. She was curious to see what sort of goods and services were available in such a place.
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The smithy is a stout square fortified tower some 40' tall. Entry is up a narrow set of stairs to a heavily fortified door on the second level. It is on this floor that the main smithy is located. A huge hearth and bellows occupies one side of the cavernous room, with light coming from a number of arrow slits which pierce the walls at regular intervals. Several anvils, water troughs and tables strewn with tools are scattered about the space, but each work area is tidy and well kept. A set of wooden stairs leads to a balcony and 2 sets of brass-bound doors...most likely the living quarters. A stone set of spiral stains descends into the undercroft.
Working at the forge is a great burly man and two younger men whose likeness bespeaks a family tie, most likely the smiths sons. They turn as a bell sounds when you enter the hall.
"Greetings. Just a moment and someone will be with you", calls the younger of the two sons. The three then go back to their work at hand; the smith and the older son are taking turns hammering on a metal rod, while the younger son holds it with a set of metal tongs. After a dozen or so strokes, the now somewhat flattened rod is thrust back into the fire, and the young son set to on the bellows. The smith, wiping sweat from his brow walks over to greet you.
"Greetings. I am Rafe, bondmaster smith to the Keep, and these are my sons, Jankin (the older) and Kemble. How may we help you?"
"Greetings Rafe. I am Sasha, and these are my companions Alex and Inamm. We have recently arrived, and I am interested in seeing what wares you have available. Also, my swords could use sharpening, and my chain shirt has a few broken links. Could you or your sons take care of this for me?"
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Rafe looks the three of you over quickly, then switches his attention to your armour and weapon.
"Not too bad, will take a short while to fix. Come back tomorrow for them. Now what exactly are you looking for? I keep most of my finished stock in the undercroft. We make selected weapons and armour, usually for the local guard and militia, but I do have some surplus gear that I would be willing to part with."
He motions you to follow as he descends around the stone spiral staircase. The temperature drops as you follow him into the dark, but dry vaults beneath the smithy. Here you can see racks of armour and weapons. Almost anything you can think of...hundreds of items.
"So, do you see anything you like?"
Sasha grinned as she browsed the racks of armour - she felt like a child in a candy shop. It had been a long time since she had money to spend in a place like this. The equipment was plain, but as she hefted a few items and gave them a swing, she could tell that they were well-made.
As she tested out glaives and morningstars, flails and swords, she felt the urge to buy them all, to attach weapons to every part of her body until she bristled with them. However, she wasn't that rich, and would need a little money for other things. She considered a crossbow, then regretfully put it back. It would cost a quarter of what she had, so for now she'd content herself with her throwing axes for distance.
In the end she picked a longspear, a flail and a warhammer - it was good to have options.
[ooc - I'm assuming nothing here is better than my MW weapons? She's taking her time looking around, so if there's anything noteworthy hopefully she'd notice it. I've spent 25 on the weapons. Do I add them to my character sheet or do you?]
"My compliments to you and your sons," she said to Rafe, "You do good work. I'll take these if I may. I'll pick the spear up when I return for my gear," she added, though she brought the flail and the warhammer with her. She didn't like to be unarmed in a place like this. Well, she didn't like to be unarmed ever, truth be told.
Turning to the others she asked, "What about you ladies? Need anything?"
Inamm heads straight to the section of the wall that holds the throwing weapons. Though she tends to be diligent about policing her daggars once thrown, she knows that having extras is never problematic.
Alex leaned on her quarterstaff while watching Sasha and Inamm look around.
"What about you ladies? Need anything?"
Alex shook her head, "Much too pointy and heavy for my liking - but pretty to look at. Very shiny."