"What is the nature of this service?" Veronica asks warily. She seems to be a bit uncomfortable with the proceedings, pacing as little as one can in the cramped room and occasionally looking like she's about to reach out and pick something up, but stopping herself at the last second; finally she just wraps her hands around her girdle to keep them occupied.
Larisa gives a smile and a nod of thank you to the old man. "Certainly, thank you for seeing things so, reasonably." She says, reaching into her belt pouch and withdrawing a small bag full of coin. "Just to show that we are interested in doing business," A small smile touches her lips as she opens the bag slightly and shows the gold to the man. "Between our gold and whatever, service, you would ask of us I'm sure we come to a mutually beneficial arrangement."
As she picks up her coffee again she shoots a side long glance at Connor and Aldarion. "However I should remind you that I don't speak for all of us, I would think carefully about what you want us to do."
Seres shakes his head, "Friends, may we speak on this outside?"
Assuming everyone politely complies, Seres continues out of earshot from Bokken. "I must confess to a certain discomfort with the tack we're taking with the poison. Besides being an indiscriminate weapon -- and a waste of good liquor -- I truly think we won't have time in the bandit camp to see it bear fruit. If we meant to sneak in while delivering the poisoned booze... I just don't see it working."
"I suggest we stick to the original plan, and leave poisons to spiders and vipers."
Complying with the elf's request Larisa goes outside. "I understand your concern, but I do believe this plan has the highest chance of working, without getting us killed in the process. It's a simple case of bluff our way in, deliver the liquor to the Staglord and wait for it to work. At any rate, even if we don't have time to wait for it to kill him it's likely that the poison will make it easier for us to fight him. Even if it doesn't we still have nothing to lose from doing this, all we need to do is poison one cask and ensure it is given to the StagLord."
She thinks for a moment before turning to Jax. "Do any other bandits drink this stuff, if we poison it what's the chance they'll drink it before the Staglord does?"
Seres chuckles without humor. "Bluff... and wait? I think you're highly overestimating our ability to remain anonymous once we're inside. I give them about thirty seconds to realize we're not one of them."
Larisa opens her mouth to reply, before looking over at Connor. "Ahhh, I see..." She takes a step back, thinking. "Then, the less of us that go in the better. I'm skilled in subterfuge, with the help of Jax and his men I'd be able to pass for a bandit easily. If they'll cover for me I don't doubt that I can do the job. At the very least I can sabotage the gates and let you in if things go wrong."
"Not only is it not my strength, but the Stag Lord left that note when he razed Oleg's. He knows that this team is at work fighting his bandits. If any of the ones who were captured and then turned traitor during the battle at Oleg's survived, they will recognize us on sight."
"You're all right." Connor speaks finally.
"We are unlikely to hold a bluff long, but with the right disguise and an expected delivery, we should be able to get close and get in without an assault on a fortified position. I will remind you that they don't know about Jax and crew, and they don't know when or if we returned to Oleg's. They sent men to track and kill us, remember?"
He turns to his elven companion, "Seres, I normally am not a fan of poison. Too easy for the wrong person to take it. However, given that entire den of thieves, I don't really care if someone other than the Stag Lord drinks it. Drunk, poisoned, or healthy, I'll be burying my axe in his chest."
He waves back at the cottage, "This fool is uninterested in doing the right thing. Buy what you want, but let's get back on the trail soon."
The would-be knight stays outside and tends to the horses as the others complete their business.
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Seres shrugs, "My main concern was that we wouldn't have time to let the poison work, regardless. Seems like a waste of coin and effort for such a longshot chance."
"We could try Larisa's plan to sneak in a few, but I think splitting the group would be a huge tactical risk... and Veronica's point is sticking: they know who we are."
Larisa nods her head in deference, before giving a slight bow. "Alright," She says, looking the knight over. I can't put my finger on it, there's something almost noble about him. The thought flicks through her head momentarily.
"What poison should we buy, I recommend the Dark Reaver Powder but it's pricy. We may have to do this errand he's asking for."
Veronica seems a bit torn, then after a moment of hesitation she follows after Connor.
Connor combs Cinder as he listens to the priestess. He smiles slightly as he listens to her. "I am thankful that you two have taken up this banner so quickly. There are so few willing to help one another out here. It's a hard and unforgiving land and it makes hard and selfish people out of its survivors."
He glances at her holy symbol, "Old Deadeye expects us to take care of one another in our communities. We have a writ of exploration but it called upon us to end banditry. Our lords knew what the threat was. But we, in our naivete, failed to take that threat seriously and instead of cutting right to the heart of the festering corruption, despite all indications of where it was, we left our community vulnerable to it."
He sighs, stopping his grooming and patting the massive red haired mare affectionately before turning his full attention to Veronica and speaks bluntly.
"One of those we left behind to help guide and protect was Jhod. You ill disguised your contempt for him earlier. I've been wrong about judging newcomers before, so in the chance that we run into him again, what's your history?"
"True, Seres. I'd prefer not to throw away money on a outside chance as well. I certainly don't think we have the time to perform any services for the man. Let's see what they come back with."
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The poison idea is likely not going to work. Its quite pricey, and that is for a single dose. We would need a half dozen doses for a single bottle of whisky. But the whisky itself is a poison. If we can get it delivered before our planned attack, say 4 or 5 hours before I am confident it will do its work. We have heard the stag lord is quite fond of it after all.
Her hands clench against her belt and she says, "Of course my cousin was no werewolf. He was, it later turned out, a spy; they found evidence that he'd been gathering information about local communities to send abroad. So the church was a bit lenient, given the circumstances."
"That doesn't change the fact that before anyone knew, Jhod raised up a lynch mob and executed my cousin on charges of 'being a werewolf' without any proof. The mandate of the priesthood of Erastil is to protect our communities, not to turn them against each other on the base of one's fevered suspicions. He's lucky that he wasn't excommunicated."
Bokken smiles at you coldly as he returns the poisons to the secret compartment. "Very well then, poisons are not for he faint of heart."
He then hands over the potion of healing to Ezekial after taking his gold. "If you are in need of further potions or if you change your mind on the poisons, you know where to find me. Please take the herbal liquor - I pray this is the last time I have to brew these spirits."
He then pauses to gaze at a painting on the wall. "If I may ask a favor of you, I would ask you to find my baby brother Davik - Davik Nettles. I haven't spoken to him in over a year and I fear the worse. Davik, an engineer by training, went south to build a toll bridge on the Shrike River. If you can find him and bring him back to me you will have my eternal gratitude - he is the only family that I have left. The last I heard his bridge was about 25 miles south of here."
Seres nods, "We will check on your brother's whereabouts, likely after we deal with the Stag Lord."
Outside, he groups with the others by the horses. "Time is of the essence for the prisoners in the Stag Lord's clutches. We should not tarry much longer."
As you ride out from Bokken's Apothecary, the temperature begins dropping precipitously. On the western horizon, thick, dark clouds begin rolling in. A cold wind forces you to clutch your cloaks tightly as your horses trot steadily into the gusting headwind. The steady drizzle begins transforming slowly to falling snow.
You make it to the edge of the Narlmarches as the last of the day light begins to fade. Around you, snow is already beginning to accumulate. From the woods your hear the call of distant horns.
Jax gazes long into the darkness of the forest before turning to you. "The Stag Lord hunts you - we must be weary."
The sage remains on the quiet side, perusing the arcane tome as the group debates the merits of how to handle the Stag Lord. He raises a brow as Larisa seems a bit too familiar with the art of deception... and the art of poisoncraft.
He also raises a brow as Veronica follows after Connor to speak privately. He remains where he is, but his keen elvish ears cannot help but perk up at the sound of their distant conversation.
Eventually, he puts the tome back down to join his companions outside. He at last chimes in to offer his wisdom. "Poison or not, a man who goes through this much liquor on a weekly basis may inebriate himself enough to give us an advantage." Looking at Jax, "The Stag Lord, is he the type to drink himself to the point of unconsciousness?"
He adds, "I believe this plan would be best... if we are indeed heading back to the Stag Lord's fort. But his letter instructed he awaits us at the Tuskwater."
He scratches his thin half-elvish goatee a moment, then considers, "Yet perhaps this plan can work nonetheless. I doubt this thug lord would camp out for weeks, waiting for us. He likely remains at his fort, having stationed some at the Tuskwater undoubtedly to meet us... which would also work to our advantage. Divide and conquer."
His last addition, "We must make haste to the keep, then, and again move with speed to the Tuskwater from there. We must do all this within a week's time, lest we lose another life."
Connor listens intently to Veronica's story, nodding once or twice as she speaks.
"That's a terrible thing to have inflicted on your family. It is good that you told me about Jhod. There was always the sense he was running from something. But then, who isn't out here?" He puts his hands up to accentuate the point.
"It's not my story to tell, but I feel you should share with the others. Zeke, especially has been converting to the faith and has begun a connection with Jhod."
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He adds, "I believe this plan would be best... if we are indeed heading back to the Stag Lord's fort. But his letter instructed he awaits us at the Tuskwater."
"I'm all for pushing to deliver the booze. If the Stag Lord and a bunch of his cronies are out hunting us, all the better. We may even be able to rescue our friends, assuming a skeleton crew was left to defend the fort."
"We certainly should not confront the Stag Lord on his terms."
"We are assuming, of course that our friends are at the fort and not with the hunting party. " Connor cautions.
"But I agree, to the fort. Let's gut them now and mop up what remains later."
Connor turns to Jax. "Lead us to the canoes. "
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To the team, Veronica nods and says, "I can't think of any reason for further delays. Let's see what we can accomplish."
Connor smiles wryly, "I may be concerned about your guage for trusting others. I did try to kill a man out of guilt for having let my friends down."
Connor starts, surprised at himself for his own admission out loud, then clears his throat, face flushing "Huh, must be the holy symbol. Gets us all feeling community minded. Ah, here come the others ... let's go see what they found out."
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Jax helps you set up camp for the night. While gathering fire wood with Aldarion and the rest of you, he answers some of the druid's questions. "Legend has it that the Stag Lord's fort used to be an old Taldorian outpost. It ain't nothing but mostly ruins now. I guess those old colonists used it as a waypoint or something for the river trade. You see, all of these rivers drain into Lake Tuskwater - whoever controls that fort, controls the Narlmarches. Not that the Stag Lord seems to care too much about all that strategery - he's bloody drunk most of the time from what I hear. Yeah, a normal man would be passed out, but he ain't no normal man. But who knows, I ain't never got that close to him. We'll find out soon - the fort is about sixty miles south of here."
Later, during the last watch of the night, Veronica stands a lonely sentinel over the campsite. As the last coals in the fire begin to fade from red to gray, the disciple of Erastil is deep into prayer and meditation. Around her the snow has accumulated about two inches and continues to fall. The silence of the witching hour is suddenly interrupted by the faint sound of a distant snapping branch. Veronica looks up to see the black shadows of six figures creeping out of the forest treeline. The figures are led by a large wolf like creature with glowing red eyes.
; 1=A, 2=C, 3=E, 4=L, 5=S, 6=V
"Attackers! We're under attack!" shouts Veronica. "RrraaHHH!" her shout rises into a screaming growl.
Seres's eyes open as Ver's shout breaks his reverie. He takes up his bow and enchants it with a magic word.
"Who goes there? Friend or foe?"
Connor will whistle to Cinder to come to him, stand, fast mount and equip a shield. He will call on the animal aspect of a bat to see in the dark.
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Veronica screams the alarm and then begins a dreadful transformation.
You each scramble out of your tents and prepare for battle. The six shadowy figures and the worg break into a dead run towards you.
Connor shouts out to Veronica as he reaches for his lance, "Give us a lane!"
Assuming she does move on her round 1 action, Connor and Cinder will charge bellowing out a challenge, drawing his lance as he does so.
Move action Load Crossbow
Standard actionFire at the shadowy figure opposite her, activating deadly aim
Veronica sidesteps to give Connor a charge lane, draws her bow, and calls down a blessing on the team.
Seres fires an arrow at the worg.
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Aldarion swiftly but calmly releases his serene trance and stands up. Seeing several approaching, he decides to go with his good ole reliable plant trick...
As the figures pass by trees, Aldarion outstretches an arm towards them, palm up. Muttering an ancient prayer, his eyes momentarily glow a soft green hue. He sways his fingers like serpents... tree branches and shrubs begin to mimic his movements, reaching out to grasp the limbs and bodies of their attackers.
Veronica maneuvers and then graces the group with a divine blessing.
Jax and the two bandits move up to Veronica's flanks and ready for attack.
Ezekial launches a dagger at the worg, but misses - he then backs up against the fire.
Seres fires his gravity enhanced arrow at the worg but misses.
Connor spurs Cinder and charges forward against the worg. His lance makes contact and spears through the beast's head. The worg's momentum caries him forward crashing into Cinder, whom grind the worg's body into the snow.
Adarion mostions with his hands and the roots under the middle four figures begins wrapping around their feet. Two of the four are entangled - the other two manage to pull forward and continue their charge.
Larisa hits one of the non entangled figures squarely with her crossbow - grievously wounding him.
Two of the figures close with Connor. The fanged humanoids have their faces painted black and white in the visage of grinning skulls. They wield wicked looking battle axes. They swing mercilessly at the cavalier - one the blades cuts through Connor's armor .
The other two charge towards Jax, but are unable to reach him.
; L to R
Veronica takes a bead and fires her bow at the southernmost attacker along the line facing Connor. She seems quite good at shooting past Jax and his friends without any trouble.
(no penalty for firing past cover due to trait bonus)
Larisa draws a bead on the closest entangled figure and fires.
Connor taps Cinder to hold and attack the northern creature as the woundd cavalier himself stabs out at the southern humanoid.
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Drawing his trusty sling, Aldarion hopes he doesn't take out one of his allies' eyes as he loads, begins to whirl, and take aim...
Seres recites a spell that sounds awfully like a fey lullaby, pointing at the center bandit.
Veronica draws her long bow and fires an arrow at the southern attacker - the shaft ricochets off the humanoid's armor.
Jax and the two bandits step up to engage the southern two attackers. One bandit manages to draw blood.
Seres begins casting a spell.
Cinder rears up and smashes the northern attacker in the face with a hoof. Connor attempts to spear the other attacker with his lance but is unable to hit.
Aldarion draws his sling.
Larisa fires on the attackers but misses.
The two humanoids on Connor continue to focus their attacks on the cavalier - the northern one lands another hit with his battle axe . One of the bandits takes an axe to the head and goes down screaming. Jax is wounded by an axe strike but keeps on fighting. The entangled humanoids struggle in futility to escape their bonds.
; N to S
; N
; S
Seeing her shot miss, Larisa curses and reloads, studying the figure engaged in combat with Jax.
move action Studied Target
standard Reload
Connor and Cinder continue to fight, attacking south and north respectively. The cavalier grits his teeth through pain as blood flows freely from his two wounds. He checks Cinder to fight with more precision and after she does her round of attacks he pulls the charger back a bit.
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