"Let us speak in Common, then," he says graciously. "I am told there is some matter you wish to discuss with me?"
Mel, having a little more clue as to where she is in the conversation, "Yes. As we were traveling, passing through your fields, we met Hege. She did me a favor, and in thanks I gave her a bag of gems." Mel shrugs with a small amount of embarrassment, "Later, it was pointed out that her new wealth would have to be vouched for. So I am here to assure you that she was given what she was freely. You are lucky to have people like her."
Mel, having a little more clue as to where she is in the conversation, "Yes. As we were traveling, passing through your fields, we met Hege. She did me a favor, and in thanks I gave her a bag of gems." Mel shrugs with a small amount of embarrassment, "Later, it was pointed out that her new wealth would have to be vouched for. So I am here to assure you that she was given what she was freely. You are lucky to have people like her."
Eilif blinks in surprise. "Well," he says. "Not at all what I expected to hear. But I am glad that you found welcome and aid on my lands, and hope that Hege has in turn thanked you for your generosity."
Eilif blinks in surprise. "Well," he says. "Not at all what I expected to hear. But I am glad that you found welcome and aid on my lands, and hope that Hege has in turn thanked you for your generosity."
Mel shakes her head, "She did, but with what she did, it was not needed." She pauses, "What were you expecting to hear, Mr. Krigersson?" a curious smile playing on her lips.
Mel shakes her head, "She did, but with what she did, it was not needed." She pauses, "What were you expecting to hear, Mr. Krigersson?" a curious smile playing on her lips.
He spreads his hands. "A Varisian Caravan has stopped by my lands. I expected an offer to buy, sell, or trade, of course."
He spreads his hands. "A Varisian Caravan has stopped by my lands. I expected an offer to buy, sell, or trade, of course."
Mel's smile turns abashed, "Sorry, to get your expectations up, but that is not my job in our caravan." The smile tweaks up, "But perhaps we will have something when we return this way."
"Thank you for your time, and unless you need me for something, I should allow you to return to your work."
Hege shoots you a grateful look.
"I think you've misunderstood what he's proposing a bit here, Ameiko," Sandru says. "He's not talking about the Inn idea now, just getting together enough money to free enough people to free the rest here."
"Oh," Ameiko says. "Sorry. I tend to ... get swept up by grand visions."
"But the point," Sandru says, "Really still stands. Right now we don't have enough resources, enough knowledge, or enough time. Even for that. We don't know if this is the best place or way to do this. We could scrape together some money, I'm sure, enough to free some ... And we surely won't stop you if you want to do that yourself, although I think Ameiko's right that you should keep the book. But giving a slaveowner money could very well mean as many more people get caught and bought as we free here. It's really far more likely the case than not. If we do this, I for one want to be dead sure I'm doing it in a way that really helps rather than makes things even worse."
"And, less importantly but still important, our lives may be in danger, and we don't know what we'll need."
"We'll come back," he continues. "We'll come back and do it right sometime, the way we should have done it in Cheliax."
Ameiko, looking a bit miserable, nods.
"Alaric," she says, her tone serious. "I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you."
|
Looking at Ameiko, Hrithik pauses. He does not know specifically why she has such self-loathing, but imagines it is some other circumstance of not being able to accomplish what good she would like, perhaps related to her old party.
"If it would be of help, Ameiko, can the three of us pledge to return, if we survive Minkai, to begin doing right by this area? I think the idea is a solid one, but I do not expect most of the others to have a passion for it in anything other than the abstract. If we swear to come back and do this deed, we may be able to sleep better in the coming days" He meets her eyes, caring and searching. "Banish ghosts new and old."
Sense Motive: What is up?:
”Yes, I’ll make that pledge,” says Ameiko. ”Banish ghosts. Sure. Banish ghosts.”
Her laugh is hollow and self-mocking, nothing like the light humor you are used to from her.
”Hrithik, I just want to say ... before we move on from this place ... I’m so sorry we left all of you behind.”
”Gods. We left you there. Swanning in like we knew everything, spend a couple days and fix everybody’s problem. And then we left you there.”
”The way you talk about me sometimes ... I wasn’t a hero, Hrithik. I was a teenaged airhead. Walking in there with a chip on my shoulder. ‘I’m gonna stick it to the Chelish aristocracy! I’m gonna free the slaves! Look at me!’ And we spent a couple of days trying to fix it, and then we moved on thinking job well done and LEFT YOU THERE.”
”We left you there to get RAPED. We left Kyriya there to get KILLED. All the others ... years and years and years in that festering CESSPIT.”
She looks like she is about to throw up.
”I am NEVER doing it that way again. I am never going to go in and spend a little time and a little money and think I’ve solved it. I am going to go to Minkai and I am going to do it RIGHT. I am going to come back here and I am going to do it RIGHT. It’s going to take time, and effort, and sweat, and pain, but I’m going to know what I’m doing and, and dear sweet gods above I am so sorry we left you there.”
She gets up and leaves. Quickly. Runs off, actually.
”Best to let her go right now,” Sandru says softly. ”She’s not going to be able to hear anything from anyone else for a while yet, when she gets like this.”
”You have my pledge, too.”
"Something sweet, perhaps?" Rhost thinks for a moment. "Have dried fruit. Have honey."
"Thanks," Rhost says, and starts to sort through the mushrooms. After a moment, "Hrithik, most of these are delicious. A few are deadly. Have you use for deadly mushrooms in your Art?"
Again, Rhost sets up a makeshift forge and goes to smithing.
Toward the end of the crafting day, Rhost swings his hammer onto the hot metal, and the noise is wrong. Instead of a strong ringing, there is a wet metallic sloughing sort of noise. The metal slips off the anvil in four directions at once.
Rhost makes a noise of disgust, and throws water on the individual irregular chunks of (almost-molten) metal.
After a long day's travel which included a frustrating encounter with the unfairness of the world, Kalimac sets up his lists and gets himself and Attatoq into gear.
Kalimac attacks his targets with fierce determination, far beyond his normal focus of practice. It's as if each list contains all the evil in the world, and his lance can make the world a better place at a stroke.
He ends his combat practice not in a particularly better mood, but the exhaustion will at least allow him to sleep tonight.
|
|
Further post will invite Spivey to the very meta event of crafting a potion to help someone else's craft roll.
Bridge Day will also be second Crafting day, but the poor result with Zaiobe is going to push dye work off the front burner. With apologies to Spivey and a promise of a raincheck for the dye part, Hrithik will craft more story. Specifically, he will Craft the stories, sometimes absurdly short, of the non-Corby denizens.
The hunting spider gets a haiku about waking up with its Ettercap friend, getting dragged into a play, then being lanced and burned and killed.
The Ettercap gets barely more than that. Less than a page, most likely.
Zaiobe gets hyper-brief inversion of damsel in distress story. She is a beautiful harpy in need, but more than capable of defending herself, and the key to defeating her psychotic boyfriend (who may have something to do with her muteness). She has embraced the faith of the Corbies, and gives the statuette wing to fly with her into the wider world.
Buttersnips gets what history Hrithik has of her travels from the Shimmerglens and establishment in Brinewall, her philosophy of competition at all times, her history of artwork, the extent of her gallery, and her virtual hostage situation, being lumped in with the Corbies by the adventurers, ending with her bond to a fey-descended adventurer, and her crucial effort to recruit Zaiobe against Kikonu. (while chronologically before Zaiobe, the tale will fall after, and presume upon reader knowledge). This story reads something like an advertisement and a hero-tale ... because Hrithik wouldn't mind making some amends to Buttersnips, but also because Buttersnips may be willing to distribute and support printing of these tales if they support her nascent business and reputation.
Nindinzego gets a comic relief page or two. Monstrously powerful. Hideously insecure. Hiding in darkness and using illusions and fumbling with a wand. Hatched spawn of Pazuzu, adored/feared by Pazuzu priestess, somehow not running the show. His turnaround speech, then his hilarious last words, then his complete lack of self-confidence in the face of scathing speech, leading to a floating mope, then his exploding head.
Finally, Kikonu, one of the genocidaires of Brinewall That Was, who gets as many words as everyone above put together, and probably half to two thirds as many as the Corbies-history, all to himself. The tale alternates between insightfulness and incompetence, two sides of the same coin. He sees deep truths about everything, he can't be bothered to find painfully obvious treasure spaces. His nihilism is his way of being and his utter undoing, because he never bothered to do any competent tactics or strategy, for 30 years, that would keep him and his alive.
Instead, he arranged really bad plays. The throne room play, in all its insightful ridiculousness, and a précis of Hrithik's still-owned first pages of his abysmal larger play. Ettercaps and spiders and Pazuzu priestesses as bad dancers. Stealing voices to use them in combat. Summoned into an ambush, too nihilistic to flee, cut down swiftly.
Craft (story) (using crafter's fortune extract):
Finally, Hrithik, while scouting, will keep asking field hands about the quality of the owners around here. He wants to set up something of a map, labeling the nightmarish and, if any are found, the good. He wants to be ready to investigate and implement the Deal for when he comes back.
Gather Information rolls:
Diplomacy (2nd part of Day 25):
Diplomacy (1st part of Day 26 (Bridge Day)):
Diplomacy (2nd part of Day 26 (Bridge Day)):
"Better luck next time, eh?" says Hrunndalf with a sympathetic look at the hissing ruins of Rhost's metal.
"So, tomorrow... ladle or hammer? Been missing your creations, frankly. All those emotions today, carvan morale could use some bolstering."
|
|
Again, Rhost sets up a makeshift forge and goes to smithing.
** spoiler omitted **
Toward the end of the crafting day, Rhost swings his hammer onto the hot metal, and the noise is wrong.
At the evening of the fourth day out of Kopparberget, Hrithik approaches Rhost with a vial. "For the Whispering Shrike, some oil of crafter's fortune."
"Better luck next time, eh?" says Hrunndalf with a sympathetic look at the hissing ruins of Rhost's metal.
"So, tomorrow... ladle or hammer? Been missing your creations, frankly. All those emotions today, carvan morale could use some bolstering."
"You need not eat this failure," Rhost says with a weary grin. "Tomorrow cooking, then smithing. Alternating for my own morale as yours."
|
|
”Best to let her go right now,” Sandru says softly. ”She’s not going to be able to hear anything from anyone else for a while yet, when she gets like this.”
”You have my pledge, too.”
Hrithik gratefully smiles to Sandru. His heart is swelling with love for Ameiko. So hard on herself, so firm in her resolve to do better. So, so good at heart. "Thank you. It means a lot to have that from both of you." After a moment, he adds, "Ameiko is going to be an incredible Empress. Even if it is just for one hour."
Hrithik looks Sandru over. "I need to make a potion for Rhost tonight, but first I think I could use a drink. Nightcap when we stop, sir?"
Rhost nods. "Mushrooms are hard. I will dispose of the deadly ones. The others will be tasty."
At the evening of the fourth day out of Kopparberget, Rhost takes the vial carefully. "This will help. Appreciate."
Liothonae keeps walking away, she walks without really seeing where she is going, towards the north.
Random Direction:
|
|
Day of Meeting, much later:
Hrithik finds Reta, "If you would like to see what I do to tame my voices, you are welcome to watch me at potioncraft tonight. I do not wish to court you, Ms. Reta, as I am sure you know, but I would be happy to show you any of my Crafts, and train you in any of them if you are ever so interested."
Diplomacy:
Hrithik finds Spivey, and says, "I will craft a potion to help our blacksmith tonight. Dyes will have to wait. If you are still interested, I would be honored of your company."
Diplomacy (this one is calmer and unstressful: take 10 for DC 20)
Mel sits next to Reta in quiet conversation. The conversation seems to be focusing on the role of the written word. Although there is also mention of circular breathing and how to hold oneself still.
”I’m going to spin a few hypotheticals. I hope they’re far-fetched.”
”If we go to Minkai and I get told, ‘The last Imperial heir? Why, that’s the only person the country will rally around for the revolution!’ ... I’m willing to do that.”
”If when we’re done with everything, I get told, ‘Amatatsu Ameiko! You must at least hold sway over a transition government, or the country will dissolve into civil war!’, then I’m willing to do that, too.”
”I’m not willing to stay there.”
”But here’s my great temptation, Alaric. I could do so much good in a position of power. I could very easily go, ‘Hey, look at me! I’m freeing the slaves! I’m passing progressive reforms! I’m the Good Empress Ameiko. Ameiko the Just. A bunch of old conservatives in a Senate isn’t going to do any of that. Just a few months more. Just until I get this next law through. Just until. Just until.”
”I think most of the people here, if I do that, will shrug their shoulders and get on with life. Some of them will even be happy about it."
"You won’t be. Which means you're the only one I can really trust to do me this favor.”
”If I’m ever in that position and you think I’m ... dragging my feet, if you think I’m not seriously doing my absolute best to arrange a smooth, nonviolent transition where I can step down and elections can be held, I want you to remind me we had this conversation.”
She pauses.
”And if that doesn’t work ... I want you to do whatever you need to do.”
After leaving the presence of the 'master', then turns to Hege. In Skald, "Will that be enough? Or do we need to do something more?"
"That was more than enough," Hege replies in the same language. "Thank you."
If you permit it, she gives you a hug.
After a moment: "If that last... becomes necessary, they'll have to dig two graves. Hrunndalf and Kalimac would see to that. And... then there's Melinda."
He sighs, but in for a penny: "I realized something the other day when everything in me was screaming to wander off and start a slave revolt. I realized that in so doing, I'd be offering up her life as well as mine. And suddenly that was more important to me than something I've fought for my entire life. If I had to..." he can't quite say it, "she wouldn't understand. And I want to tell you that I'd do this, but I'm worried that in the moment, I'd hesitate out of fear of losing her."
A self-mocking chuckle. "Some revolutionary, huh?"
Temple of Boom: "We wondered if there was any material, at either Temple, about the Quest for Sky, the founding of Tar Taargadth, or the death of Curchanus? How old are the two Temples, how extensive their libraries? My last shrine visited was Riverhill, in Cheliax."
The dwarf seems extremely surprised by the question about Curchanus. "The death of Curchanus? I don't know why there'd be anything about that, in particular. As for the rest, this is a working temple only, and is just a few centuries old, but the one in Karlsgard has an archive, and must be at least 2,000 years old or more. It won't be anywhere near as extensive as the Hall of Records in Highhelm, but it should certainly contain a good number of texts on the Quest for Sky and Tar Taargadth."
Hrithik finds Reta, "If you would like to see what I do to tame my voices, you are welcome to watch me at potioncraft tonight. I do not wish to court you, Ms. Reta, as I am sure you know, but I would be happy to show you any of my Crafts, and train you in any of them if you are ever so interested."
Reta nods. "Do not teach me. Too dangerous. But I will watch."
Hrithik finds Spivey, and says, "I will craft a potion to help our blacksmith tonight. Dyes will have to wait. If you are still interested, I would be honored of your company."
and i wouldbe honoredto observe.
"You're right. It's not fair to ask that of you. I hadn't thought it all the way through. It's been a ... trying couple of days."
"How about we just agree to the first part, then. Remind me. Remind me of what I really believe, if I ever slip away from it. And I'll take the burden of holding to that on myself, as I should."
"But Alaric, please ... be convincing."
Hrithik looks Sandru over. "I need to make a potion for Rhost tonight, but first I think I could use a drink. Nightcap when we stop, sir?"
"That," Sandru says heavily, "Sounds like an excellent idea."
"And hey ... I'm really happy for you and Melinda, by the way. What's the point of Revolution if it doesn't include love?"
Mel approaches the cooking area with a smile, "ಬಲ ಇಂದು ಅಡುಗೆ?" A pause. "ನಿಮ್ಮ ಅನುವುಮಾಡಿಕೊಟ್ಟಿತು ನಿನ್ನೆ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಎಂದು ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ ಹಾಕಿರುತ್ತೇನೆ. ನನ್ನ ಚರಮಗೀತೆ ಹೃತಿಕ್ ತಂದೆಯ ಸ್ತೋತ್ರಗೀತೆಗಳು ಎಂದು ಉತ್ತಮ ಪಕ್ಕವಾದ್ಯ ಅಲ್ಲ ಊಹೆ." Another pause, longer. "ಆದರೆ ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ ನಂತರ, ನಾವು ಈಗ ಕೆಲವು ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮಾಡಬಹುದು ಕೇವಲ ಹೇಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ತಿಳಿದಿದ್ದ ... ನಾನು ಮಾಡಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗಿತ್ತು ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ. ನಿನ್ನೆ ನಾನು ನನ್ನ ವಿವೇಕದ ಇರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಮಾಡಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗಿತ್ತು ಕಡಿಮೆ ಮಾಡುವ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತುಂಬ ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿದುಬಂದಿದೆ." She smiles sadly at Rhost. "Allura dak li qed tagħmel illum? U kif nista 'tweġġa' dan?"
During a slow section of the road, Alaric awkwardly hauls himself up onto the wagon next to Kalimac. That's when Alaric runs into an uncomfortable truth. They're guys. They can't just come right out and discuss feelings, even if they're haunted by the same thing. That would be unheard of. Instead: "So. Here's what I'm thinking. Next town, you come out with Rhost and me, drink way too much and you teach us a bunch of those dirty halfling drinking songs."
"Hemm il-laħam jiġi mqatta. ಅಲ್ಲದೆ ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ, ಕ್ಯಾರೆಟ್, ಟರ್ನಿಪ್. Ja ma ei usu, võite rääkida hunt." Rhost nods. "Ftit jiem ikollok l-ors.
Ftit jiem l-ors inti tikseb."
Rhost steps aside so that Melinda can get to the implements of chopping.
"There is meat to be chopped." ... "Some days you get the bear. Some days the bear gets you."
"As well as onion, carrot, turnip."
"And I do not think you can talk to a wolf."