If Rhost remains downstairs, then she makes sure she orders enough tea for the half-elf as well.
Rhost is too curious to go straight to bed. He stays downstairs, failing to make small talk. He sips tea slowly.
Seeing that this altercation with the belligerent drunk is resolving itself without need for halfling-style violence, Kalimac starts leading Attatoq upstairs.
"Call us if you need us. But otherwise I'm going to see if I can't get some sleep before our morning activities," he says. "Tule, Attatoq. On aeg voodisse."
Mel leads the way inside the inn, ordering a pot of green tea. While they wait (and other people go talk to Reta or lurk or join in or ignore the conversation), "So, where was your dog killed?" Tilts her head to the side, "I'm not used to such a large city as this one. And I'm an absolute dunce when it comes to finding my way around."
"My stead in Horn Quarter," he mumbles. "He was a good dog."
Up in the suite, Reta is playing some kind of card game with Zaiobe.
"But everyone knows goblins kill dogs. It's a fact."
"And everybody knows poisoners wear hoods. We seem to be at an impasse. You don't happen to know where to find this mysterious stranger?"
"And everybody knows poisoners wear hoods. We seem to be at an impasse. You don't happen to know where to find this mysterious stranger?"
"What?" he says. "No. Poisoners wear gloves. Because of the poison."
Seeing that this altercation with the belligerent drunk is resolving itself without need for halfling-style violence, Kalimac starts leading Attatoq upstairs.
"Call us if you need us. But otherwise I'm going to see if I can't get some sleep before our morning activities," he says. "Tule, Attatoq. On aeg voodisse."
Attatoq drops out of guard duty, ceases to warily watch the door, and trots into the room he and Kalimac share.
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Up in the suite, Reta is playing some kind of card game with Zaiobe.
"Hi, you two," Alaric says, clearly not relishing this in the slightest. "Before I begin, I want to apologize. I hate even having to ask you this, since you've gone literally nothing to warrant this kind of suspicion."
He sighs, continuing in a tone doesn't just betray the fact that he thinks this whole thing is stupid, but full on stabs that fact to death on the Senate floor. "There is a man downstairs accusing you, Reta, of poisoning his dog two hours ago. Now -- again, I am very, very sorry to have to ask you -- but did you do it?"
Rhost is too curious to go straight to bed. He stays downstairs, failing to make small talk. He sips tea slowly.
"So," Gormun says blearily. "You're an elf."
"Hi, you two," Alaric says, clearly not relishing this in the slightest. "Before I begin, I want to apologize. I hate even having to ask you this, since you've gone literally nothing to warrant this kind of suspicion."
He sighs, continuing in a tone doesn't just betray the fact that he thinks this whole thing is stupid, but full on stabs that fact to death on the Senate floor. "There is a man downstairs accusing you, Reta, of poisoning his dog two hours ago. Now -- again, I am very, very sorry to have to ask you -- but did you do it?"
Reta thinks about this very, very hard.
Finally she regretfully answers, "No. Reta did not have time for such a thing. Reta am sorry to disappoint."
Reta thinks about this very, very hard.
Finally she regretfully answers, "No. Reta did not have time for such a thing. Reta am sorry to disappoint."
Alaric lets out his breath in relief, that, while expected, is no less pleasant for it. "He's going to ask, but what were you doing around two hours ago?"
Lio stays quite near the teenager, but does not touch him. She does offer him her hand.
He does not take it.
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Alaric lets out his breath in relief, that, while expected, is no less pleasant for it. "He's going to ask, but what were you doing around two hours ago?"
"Being bored. Then later we played cards. But Zaiobe say Reta too young to play for money or clothing, so we play only for glory and right to throw loser's shoes out the window."
Lio smiles at the close snuggling. She has never felt quite so wonderful near someone before. So at peace, yet still so wildly excited. "Think we we will be Minkai by then?"
"I hope so. It sounds like something to look forward to - Minkai in the spring."
"I think," she adds, "That hair pulling is like pet names. How pleasant it is is highly ... contextual."
"My stead in Horn Quarter," he mumbles. "He was a good dog."
She smiles sadly, "I really am sorry for your loss. I also really don't think that Reta did hurt your dog. Would you like me to find out who did?" Now that the man has calmed down a bit, she seems much more willing to be sympathetic.
She smiles sadly, "I really am sorry for your loss. I also really don't think that Reta did hurt your dog. Would you like me to find out who did?" Now that the man has calmed down a bit, she seems much more willing to be sympathetic.
"Know who did it. It was the goblin. Need to get weregild. Or there will be BLOOD!"
"That's the tradition," he adds.
"What?" he says. "No. Poisoners wear gloves. Because of the poison."
"There you go. Our goblin has no gloves."
"Planning. We expecting a fight?" Rhost takes a moment to stretch out his neck, shoulders, arms, legs.
"We should bring weapons, but only what armor we can swim in. Maybe cast some protective magic before we enter the ship."
"So, are we all going? The more we are, the more likely we are to be discovered, but the more treasure we can salvage. That fog had better be dense like pea soup."
"Know who did it. It was the goblin. Need to get weregild. Or there will be BLOOD!"
"That's the tradition," he adds.
"There you go. Our goblin has no gloves."
"Well, of course the goblin doesn't wear gloves. Whoever heard of a goblin wearing gloves?" Gormun mumbles into his tea. "Don't know what the world is coming to, if goblins have started to wear gloves. Didn't wear gloves in my day, I can tell you that."
"Thank you, Reta. And again, I'm sorry." A pause. Then he awkwardly hugs her. "Glad you two had a good time." A smile for both, and then back downstairs.
"Reta is innocent. She was with Zaiobe all evening. So unless you want to produce your witness, this conversation is over."
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She hands the man another cup of tea, her voice going a bit colder. "And what if it wasn't the goblin that killed your dog? What if it was some bastard that just wanted to cause you pain? And how did the hooded man know it was your dog that was killed, anyway?"
"Because ... because, uh ... because he ..." Gormun seems to be growing somewhat confused on this point.
"Because ... because, uh ... because he ..." Gormun seems to be growing somewhat confused on this point.
She pats his hand, "Isn't it possible, that he killed your dog? And then set you after us because he has a problem with us too?" Her voice low, consoling.
She looks up at him mischievous, curious, "I wonder..." the if you can do any better is lost. She teases, trying to keep him on the edge for as long as she can.
And as she begins to tease, all semblance of thought goes right out the window. "This too. This should happen more..." He surrenders to her utterly, occasionally gasping out guidance, fingers knotted in her greenish hair.
At the finish, he lies still for a long moment, his body nothing more than a single, live nerve. Then he hauls her into an embrace, burying his face in her hair, wrapping his arms about her belly. "Have I told you I love you today?"
"So," Gormun says blearily. "You're an elf."
Rhost sips tea. "Half," he says.
Then he sips more tea, and looks at Gormun. "What's your weregild price?"
"We should bring weapons, but only what armor we can swim in."
"That leaves out Alaric," Rhost says, then narrows his eyes in the uncleric's general direction. "Unless you have more surprises."
"That leaves out Alaric," Rhost says, then narrows his eyes in the uncleric's general direction. "Unless you have more surprises."
Alaric is genuinely flummoxed. "Surprises? What'd you have in mind?"
Alaric is genuinely flummoxed. "Surprises? What'd you have in mind?"
" Do not hit anyone, for I shall make them placid " Rhost does a very poor imitation of Alaric.
"Hitting them is what I do." Rhost's voice starts to raise. "I hit things, I swim, I cook." Rhost slams his fist into the table in the common room. "Then I hit things again!"
Rhost starts to get red in the face, and loses coherence. "It just ... I ... argh ..."
Rhost's words trail off, and he closes his eyes, and holds his hands up near his eyes, shaking with anger.
Alaric is genuinely flummoxed. "Surprises? What'd you have in mind?"" Do not hit anyone, for I shall make them placid " Rhost does a very poor imitation of Alaric.
"Hitting them is what I do." Rhost's voice starts to raise. "I hit things, I swim, I cook." Rhost slams his fist into the table in the common room. "Then I hit things again!"
Rhost starts to get red in the face, and loses coherence. "It just ... I ... argh ..."
Rhost's words trail off, and he closes his eyes, and holds his hands up near his eyes, shaking with anger.
Alaric calmly waits for the punchline of this very odd attempt at humor.
Her arms drop down, fingers running up and down his sides. "And, yes. Should happen more. This to." A purr underlying the tone. "What were we talking about... before? I think it was important."
" Do not hit anyone, for I shall make them placid " Rhost does a very poor imitation of Alaric.
"Hitting them is what I do." Rhost's voice starts to raise. "I hit things, I swim, I cook." Rhost slams his fist into the table in the common room. "Then I hit things again!"
Rhost starts to get red in the face, and loses coherence. "It just ... I ... argh ..."
Rhost's words trail off, and he closes his eyes, and holds his hands up near his eyes, shaking with anger.
Mel looks over at Rhost, steps over and hugs the half-elf. "You do much more than that, you know that right?"
Mel looks over at Rhost, steps over and hugs the half-elf. "You do much more than that, you know that right?"
Rhost holds his breath.
After a beat, two beats, three beats, he resumes breathing. Ragged, panting, as if he had just come out of a Rage.
Rhost gently disentangles himself from Melinda's hug. "Sleep," he pants, and turns to go to his room.
Alaric pats Rhost on the back. "I'll try to warn you next time. Or actually plan for it. Still new at this whole combat thing."
"Careful," he murmurs softly into one of her oddly green-and-pointed ears. "You'll spoil me." He brushes kisses along her hairline. "I think we were discussing doing this out in the snow at some point."
Alaric pats Rhost on the back. "I'll try to warn you next time. Or actually plan for it. Still new at this whole combat thing."
Rhost nods, steps into his room, and closes the door behind him.
The sound of something large falling into something soft is muffled but audible, and thirty seconds later, the snoring is distinct (and familiar to those who have slept in the men's wagon).
Rhost nods, steps into his room, and closes the door behind him.
The sound of something large falling into something soft is muffled but audible, and thirty seconds later, the snoring is distinct (and familiar to those who have slept in the men's wagon).
"I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd think he slept with a bullhorn," Alaric mutters.
Rhost sips tea. "Half," he says.
"Which half?"
Then he sips more tea, and looks at Gormun. "What's your weregild price?"
"Fifty gold," Gormun replies. "Someone going to pay it, now?"
The attempts to convince him that Reta was not responsible do not seem to have penetrated his alcohol-fogged brain.
At some point, someone will probably point out that a wolf isn’t going to be much use in a two-man kayak. You can, of course, decide whether you wish to take them along and leave them on the shore, or leave them behind to guard the rooms. Zaiobe and Reta both feel they might be of more use on this mission, but will stay behind to guard if asked, as would any of the others among your companions.
There is a frigid pre-dawn chill in the air.
You make your way to Spear-shaker’s Point without incident. It proves to be a peninsula just west of Kalsgard. There is a large dock on one side of the peninsula, but the other side is undeveloped wilderness. You have assembled on the wilderness side, but you can hear the voices of what sounds like hundreds of men across the hilly peninsula from you, boisterously celebrating the death of Snorri Stone-Eye. As Uksahkka predicted, there is a fog over the water.
An exhausted-looking Uksahkka meets you there. She has assembled a number of two-person kayaks, and starts giving you lessons. It proves to be a relatively simple task, at least over a short distance. But she quickly assesses who is doing better than the others, and suggests pairings accordingly.
Melinda and Alaric
Kalimac and Rhost
Myriana and Liothonae
Hrunndalf and Zaiobe
Ameiko and Shalelu
Reta and Buttersnips
(Spivey flying)
Uksahkka herself is going back into town to sleep at the safe house she has prepared. She gives a clay token with a songbird stamped on one side to () Myriana, and tells you to present it to the priest at the shrine of Shelyn in the Fire Quarter when you return to town with Ulf. The priest will show you to the nearby safe house.
As Ukshakka departs, you can hear a thunderous cheer from many voices across the peninsula. The funeral boat, you suspect, has just been launched. The fog is just beginning to thin, but still looks to be thick enough right now to cover your approach to the funeral boat.
Wisdom roll:
unless someone decides otherwise for some reason, Silmemir stays and guards the room.
"Snow?" Remembered gooseflesh tightens her skin for a moment. "Furs, magic, both, or" the thought alone is enough for her to press into Alaric's warm, "neither?"
Rhost is highly in favor of taking Reta and Zaiobe, but leaving the wolves. He comes fully beweaponed and armored, but has emptied his backpack of all except his swim fins.
"Which half?" ... "Fifty gold," Gormun replies. "Someone going to pay it, now?"
"Top half." Rhost finishes the tea, and leans forward, into Gormun's personal space. "Where's the dead dog?"
He does not take it.
She did not expect him to. Rather she lowers it carefully, no movement sudden. Smiles a little, possibly even reassuringly. When the other thralls take him away, Lio makes sure she gets a good look at them, and at any visible tattoos.
Perception:
The kisses drift own to her sleek shoulders. "It's not that you're doing anything special. It's that you are special. Eventually, you'll understand that."