Ushari sighs in relief as the zombie is destroyed. When she hears Rashgari request via Straehan's translation, she smiles at the gnome, "I would be thankful to help our newfound friends.
She walks over to the fallen goblin warrior, and lays her hand on him, calling forth her deities power to bring this one back from death's door.
Once finished with her healing tasks, she nods in agreement with Jayse. [b]"This Dweller in Darkness has awoken, Thrane. I fear the goblins and Forestal must stand together, ot both will fall separate."
Due to Ushari's timely intervention, 9 additional goblins awaken to find that their world has changed significantly and that they are once again in control of their own actions. The rest are too far gone to be saved.
Rashgari makes sure that none of her people act up and to ensure things stay peaceful, she has them set aside their weapons and help with the clean-up.
Fin scratches her head at Straehan's translation, but all the fuss everyone is making soon distracts her from any further thoughts on the matter. It doesn't take long before her elvish friends from earlier find her and she is soon involved in girlish chatter, all thoughts of battle left behind. The fact that everyone in town regards the four of you as heroes seems to confuse and embarrass her a bit, especially when young men in town start approaching her.
She mouths a single word to Straehan in Aquan: "HELP!"
Seizing on the goodwill happening now, Thrane talks with Rashgari through Straehan when his own amateurish goblin isn't enough. The key issue is competition for resources. Thrane points out that Forestal can produce more food and broader types of food than the goblins can with subsistence farming and hunting. If Forestal were able to expand their farms and not have to worry about attack, they could grow more and provide some of their crops to the goblins along with a portion of their fishing endeavors. Dragging several farmers into the discussion, it is clear that Forestal would not be able to provide enough supplemental food to feed the goblins. There is a tense time when it seems an accord cannot be reached until someone asks about all the expensive jewelry worn by the shaman. She responds that there are many 'soft metals' - too soft for good weapons - in and around their mountain warren. When the value of gold and silver are made clear to her, the solution presents itself. The goblins mine soft metals in trade for food. The Forestal townsfolk will expand their farms, supply food, and will act as brokers for the goblin metals in the larger cities of Colona and Orfallen to meet the goblin need for food that cannot be produced locally for a modest 'brokerage' fee.
Everyone's needs are met and a peace is forged. By the time the negotiations finish the evening feast is almost ready....
Straehan can only smile at Fin's apparent distress at local boys eyeing her while being unconcerned about the message carved into the giant's chest. He just shakes his head and fends off her would-be suitors, "Lads, the lady barely understands common and she isn't used to this much attention. You are more likely to get her interest if you pay a little less attention to her."
Young men being young men, they don't listen. So Straehan sends a fan of flame into the air, growling, "OFF with you, you randy goats!"
It is enough to send the boys scurrying. Later in the evening, when they try to gravitate closer to Fin, their worried looks stray to the gnome who seems protective of the tall Elven lass.
Thrane looks with satisfaction at the slight goblin shaman, pleased to have ended the feud. "Would you and your people share our meal with us?"
Rashgari looks as uncomfortable answering the question as Thrane looked asking it. "Yes. My thanks. We must watch our peoples closely, make sure no clashes happen."
And so it is, on the 11th day since you washed ashore, that you find yourself at a banquet in your honor among new friends and former enemies. You are wined and dined in as lavish a fashion as the folks of Forestal can muster. Liquor flows freely and the food is the best the townswomen can manage. The less hide-bound villagers make a point of bringing food and liquor to the table set aside for the goblins whose table manners are 'exotic'. Buli, ever curious, grabs a plate of food and sits down at the goblin table to eat drawing stares from the townsfolk and more than a few of the goblins. Rashgari smiles at his daring.
Sitting among the goblins and eating with them, Buli hoots loudly to any who listen. "Battling giants in the morning and dining with goblins in the evening! My grand-dad would die all over again if he weren't dead already! What a day!"
Jayse pauses as he passes by Buli, overhearing the man's excitement. "You should have heard about the thing we fought in their cave!"
Then he recalls the fight as best he can, telling about the disgusting opponents they felled in the circular room.
Buli listens, engrossed in the story as if it were a fairy tale. When Jayse finishes he asks, "What was up the staircase?"
Jayse shrugs, "I don't know. We didn't have time to really look around, much less go up the stairs. I mean, sticking around there pretty much meant leaving you all to this fight alone."
He looks back at Rashgari, "So what will you do with that cave? I mean, it does need a proper exploring if you're not going to shut it down."
Ushari spends the time before the feast trying to decide whether to wear that dress she has in her possession. Her mind vacillates between fear of what the dress may elicit in her memories, and a sense of excitement and passion when she thinks of how it feels against her body.
She thinks of asking Etta for some motherly advice , but just before she heads off to look for her, her attention is drawn to her Music Box.
She pauses and decides on an impulse to figure out what other functions the Music Box has.
Once her explorations of her Music box are finished, on impulse, she asks the box, ”Should I wear it or not.” The box just sits there, almost giving her a look of reproach.
”Oh very well, I will wear it…”
Later at the feast, Ushari seats at the table in her blue silk dress, wondering if she will have even more trouble fighting off suitors than Fin had earlier…
When Ushari is about to leave Thrane's house, she finds another daisy (with roots attached) waiting on the porch.
Ushari stores the Box in her pouch, and when she notices the daisy, she cleans off the roots, and puts it into her hair braid like she did before. She idly wonders what happened to the first daisy she had been given.
He looks back at Rashgari, "So what will you do with that cave? I mean, it does need a proper exploring if you're not going to shut it down."
She thinks on this for a moment. "We will snoop around carefully before we bury the room again."
Jayse looks back at Buli, a half-smile on his lips, "See there? Taken care of. She's gonna snoop around."
"Oy! I wasn't saying you should know. I was just curious!"
Later at the feast, Ushari seats at the table in her blue silk dress, wondering if she will have even more trouble fighting off suitors than Fin had earlier...
Strangely enough, Ushari has no difficulty with over-eager townsmen. While all are friendly and thankful, they all seem particularly respectful of her - neither leering nor approaching her with clear intent. It is almost as if she has an invisible shield around her.
Strangely enough, Ushari has no difficulty with over-eager townsmen. While all are friendly and thankful, they all seem particularly respectful of her - neither leering nor approaching her with clear intent. It is almost as if she has an invisible shield around her.
Ushari notices the strange behavior of the townsfolk, and wonders about its portent. She knew they were responding unfavorably to her dress, but she was unsure why. It was just a dress, albeit a very expensive one.
she decides to make some small talk with several townsfolk, and determine why they have given her a wide berth.
As the evening winds on, Thrane taps his mug with a knife. Everyone goes silent and Thrane stands. "I just wanted to say, before everyone is too drunk to remember this..." his comment is greeted with some chuckles and a few nods of agreement, "...that we are here to celebrate our friends here who saved our townsmen and our town." He leads them in a toast to Fin, Jayse, Ushari, and Straehan before continuing.
"But I think, given our new trade partners and allies here," he indicates the goblins with a tip of his mug. "that we should be celebrating a lasting peace that will ensure the security of all the folks that share this forest and this little corner of the world. As Hetmon, I've got a lot of say in what happens in town, but I'm asking for a vote... that we declare this day a new holiday - maybe 'Peace Day' or some such."
His statement in greeted with a chorus of 'Ayes', 'Hell yeses', and 'its about damn time!' - the last being from Buli naturally.
"Fair enough; motion carried! Now, you can all get back to drinking..." He is about to sit down when a glare from his wife, Etta, reminds him of another task. "Right, sorry. I forgot about the gifts." He motions to different folks who start coming forward as he says, "We don't have much but what we have, we share."
Fin's elven friends present her with an item of clear elven manufacture. It is a finely wrought, delicate, silver and mithril circlet. It looks like a single vine that winds around her temples and rises into two joined trumpet flowers cradling a single flawless blue gem. They laugh upon resting it on her brow saying, "Now you can understand what everyone has been telling you... and you have no excuse to ignore the boys." To Fin's wonder, she understands all the conversations going around her.
Milaflora approaches Jayse and hands him a pair of black silk, tabby-toe slippers. "You move fast and well. I think you'll find occasion to put these to use - getting in or out of trouble." She then says very quietly, "I've got another private 'reward' in mind for you later, if you like." She gives him a kiss on the cheek, then saunters back to her chair.
Etta and Thrane present Ushari and Straehan with two pairs of boots. Etta says, "We adventured some in our younger days and we always found these helpful. You take them now... put them to good use."
To Straehan, Thrane adds "And you can't be going piggyback forever. I had a hard time keeping up with folks til I got these." Noting the boots are dwarf-sized and just a bit oversized even on Straehan, he also provides a pair of thick knit socks. "My Missus knitted these herself, they'll keep your feet warm in winter and make sure your feet don't slip."
Straehan thanks them both for the socks and boots and eagerly tries both on. The boots are floppy brimmed and clearly oversized. It reminds you of a character from a fairy tale called 'Puss in Boots'. Straehan models the boots and obviously thinks they are quite fetching even though he trips over his robes from time to time. Easily remedied, Straehan borrows some scissors, the skills of a local seamstress, and a mending spell to expertly shorten and hem his robes. He is delighted with the results even though it only accentuates the 'Puss in Boots' looks of his footwear.
Fin's eyes go wide and her jaw slack as she is finally able to understand everyone around her. Even though the spell it is based upon does not allow her to speak or write in kind, she is still surprised at just how much everyone has to say and with such frequency.
The tall girl raises her eyebrows in distress and laughs helplessly. "Noisy!" she complains motioning to the auditory overload all around her. When she's finally able to understand what the boys are saying, Fin's eyes go wide and starts yammering mile-a-minute like an angry seagull before she and the other elves head off to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet for the evening.
Buli comes over to Fin scratching his head. "Miss Fin? I was roaming around the battlefield lookin' for souvenirs and whatnot and I found this in the remains of that giant. I took a peek and there's some money and such in there. Anyhow, it rightly belongs to you since you folks did near all the killin'. It's not much of a gift since it was yours a'ready, but I just wanted to say thanks and see you got this." He drops the unusually heavy pouch in her hand, tips his jaunty cap to her, and wanders off in search of more ale for his 'parched throat'.
Ushari thanks Etta for the gift with a grateful hug. She stows the boots in her pack, as they do not go with her dress.
She pulls Etta aside, and asks her quietly, "I have been meaning to ask you, I noticed all of the...umm... eligible boys have ben avoiding me, since earlier this evening. Could it have something to do with this dress I am wearing?"
She pulls Etta aside, and asks her quietly, "I have been meaning to ask you, I noticed all of the...umm... eligible boys have ben avoiding me, since earlier this evening. Could it have something to do with this dress I am wearing?"
Etta c0cks her head to one side at the curious question. "Well, no, dear. It's a lovely dress. They are respecting the daisy in your hair. Since you are favoring a particular young man, they wouldn't think of approaching you in that manner. This is a small town and everyone knows everyone. We respect boundaries."
Etta c0cks her head to one side at the curious question. "Well, no, dear. It's a lovely dress. They are respecting the daisy in your hair. Since you are favoring a particular young man, they wouldn't think of approaching you in that manner. This is a small town and everyone knows everyone. We respect boundaries."
Ushari blushes like a schoolgirl, "I...I had no idea I was favoring a man by putting this daisy in my hair! I mean, no boy has owned up to leaving the daisy for me to wear. How do I find out who gave me the daisy?"
"Oh! Since this is the second time you are wearing a daisy, I assumed the fellow presented it to you... Hmm... He must be very shy."
Milaflora approaches Jayse and hands him a pair of black silk, tabby-toe ninja slippers. "You move fast and well. I think you'll find occasion to put these to use - getting in or out of trouble." She then says very quietly, "I've got another private 'reward' in mind for you later, if you like." She gives him a kiss on the cheek, then saunters back to her chair.
Jayse smiles at the gift, "Oh, thank you so much." He's about to ask what they do when she makes her second offer, and his smile broadens. "I think I'll take you up on that." He watches her walk back across the room, then makes eye contact with Straehan, giving a 'what have I gotten myself into' look.
He does shake his boots off and slip on the slippers. They fit surprisingly well for something he just got as a gift.
Having seen the exchange between Jayse and Mila as well as the follow-up saunter and look, Straehan is quite sure what was offered. He wanders over to Jayse, still admiring the benefits of his new boots. He says obliquely, "She really is quite enchanting. And skilled."
"Oh! Since this is the second time you are wearing a daisy, I assumed the fellow presented it to you... Hmm... He must be very shy."
"Oh, well, I suppose I could understand that, I guess." Ushari responds after a moment. "I an quite shy myself as well..."
Etta looks amused. "Perhaps 'shy' is different where you come from. You don't act like a typical wallflower. Now, Fin, she is shy."
Ushari thinks on the strange elvish girl who is about as complete an enigma as she would have ever believed possible to encounter. Fin was not of this world, she was from some world called...something...
After a moment...it came to her: Elsemar. She wondered how in this Gods blue sea would they ever find a way for her to return home.
I wonder if this Elsemar is a pleasant world to live in?
Bringing her mind back from her thoughts and to the present, she replies,"She is not very comfortable around humans, Etta. I hope she grows to be less shy, though." She laughs, feeling at ease with Etta. "Do you have any idea who my admirer could be? Or are you allowed to say anything about the subject?"
Etta smiles, "If I knew, I'd tell you. I didn't see who left you flowers and no one is gossiping about it. At least, not to me." Her tone leaves little doubt that she would know of the gossip, if it were being discussed.
"Miss Fin? I was roaming around the battlefield lookin' for souvenirs and whatnot and I found this in the remains of that giant. I took a peek and there's some money and such in there. Anyhow, it rightly belongs to you since you folks did near all the killin'. It's not much of a gift since it was yours a'ready, but I just wanted to say thanks and see you got this."
"Oh!" Surprised by the gesture, Fin gives the old man a thumbs-up and waves her elf friends over to have a look, pouring out the contents out on a large flat stone nearby to see what's inside.
Jayse nods, finishes with his shoes, and stands to test their feel while he responds. "I know, right? I wonder what brings her to such a remote place. I guess I'll get the chance to ask her tonight."
Fin upends the heavy pouch and way more coins and items pour out of it than could possibly fit inside. The pile of coins avalanches off the sides of the rock carrying a small vial and an innocuous looking pearl...
Fin looks at the other elves and scratches her head. In aquan she asks, "Isitjustmeorshouldnotalltheseshinieshavefitinthere? Hey,let'sfillthiswithsand,thenpouritbackoutinabigcontainertoseeexactlyhowmu chitholds!"
As an after-thought she adds, "Cananyofyouseeifanyofthisstuffismagical?"
The crash of coin brings Jayse's head up, his grin becomes even bigger, "Holy crap! This day just gets better and better! Next round's on Findelgwing, right?"
Ushari wonders over to where the commmotion is, a distracted look on her face. She idly glances at the items, and (after a well timed translation from Straehan) murmers a magical phrase, holding her hand out in front of the pile of treasure.
The crash of coin brings Jayse's head up, his grin becomes even bigger, "Holy crap! This day just gets better and better! Next round's on Findelgwing, right?"
Straehan greets his eye. "Hell YES, next round on Fin! I've been carrying that girl through this entire adventure." He winks, clearly disbelieving his own hyperbole.
Fin manages to pack a whale-load of sand in the pouch. She marvels at how, whether empty or full, the bag weighs the same - about 15 pounds. Her friends caution her to not 'test' the limits of the magic by putting in too much sand... and they are tired after helping her shovel at least 100 pounds of sand in the pouch.
"Round?" Fin looks perplexed by Straehan's figure of speech. She picks up the pearl, puts it atop her head and shrugs. When she does so, it slips off and bullseyes her cleavage eliciting a cry of surprise as it disappears down her bodice.
After a bit of contortionism and jumping up and down (which doesn't seem to be helping any with the unwanted attention she's been getting), she finally manages to retrieve the innocuous-looking "round". With an exasperated sigh, she puts it on Straehan's head to see if he does any better. "Next!"
Thankfully, Straehan has no 'man-cleavage' in which to lose the pearl. He catches it before it rolls away and eyes it closely, pulling out his pince-nez glasses.
He explains to Fin, clearly distracted by the pearl: