Tavern Tales

Game Master ButchersBrew

Perfect!

Abd immediately sets to work distilling the wine. A steel flask and copper alembic appear from his pack. He limps around to find what else he needs around Baldirog's tower. Soaked bran and pine pitch seal the apparatus for boiling.

Slowly, at intervals, spirit drips into the flask.

Won't be long.

Rook get down from there this instant Bale yells alarmed.

Bale, check this out! There's a dead guy and a chicken up here! Come look!

Rook says, peeking out from the second floor.

Bale makes his way up the broken staircase, carefully stepping over the space where a step once was. As he reaches the top he sees a sort of bedroom, decayed and old. There is a dusty bed pushed against the wall of the tower facing the mountains. Next to the bed is a closed wardrobe. On the southern wall is a broken window and a desk, where a skeleton sits with its head lying against the desk.

The chicken has made a nest on the dirty floor near the wardrobe. The animal squawks loudly and pecks the floor uncomfortably.

Sorry for taking a little bit of control of Bale but I think it's quicker and easier this way.

Lin smiles at Bale's concern for Lin. He summons his blades and works through some weapons drills while Gotama cooks and Abd distills.

Abd wipes the sweat off his brow. "I think that just about does it. I've got a quart of alcohol here for you Baldirog. I just took a small flask for myself. You can use it as a cleaner or you can drink it. Up to you. Careful though, it's highly flammable."

Everyone ready to head out?

"A dead guy?" Lin says looking up then at Baldirog. Does he still have that axe with him?

Baldirog (unarmed) looks just as confused as Lin. Defensively he says,

Must've been a soldier back when this tower was used as an outpost. I never went up there before. I doubt the staircase could hold me up.

now rook im going to show you what any real reaver does when they find a body,.......they loot it

bale attempts to investigate/ loot the body

investigation: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 141d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 141d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17

The dead body is covered in the rags that used to serve as its clothing so you push it off of the desk and the skeleton falls to the floor. You flip through the book on the desk that is lying next to a dry inkwell. The book is the diary of a general, presumably the owner of the body.

The diary is filled with memories from the writers life in the Southern Nation, and accounts of a war that occurred about twenty years ago when a southern nation tried to invade this part of the Spine. They were rebuffed by the Dragon Lords who allied themselves with the Vertebraen Giant Clans.

Near the end of the war the writer of the diary was stationed at this tower. His scouts saw an oncoming host led by a well known and greatly feared Dragon Rider referred to only as The Dread Sovereign.

Upon hearing that this foe was approaching, the commander (and writer of the diary) drafted a suicide note, and took his own life, presumably using the dagger that can now be found at his feet.

You also find some useful but dated maps of the Southern Nation and the lower Spine.

Everyone can use creative license to create the Southern Nation. Here are some prompts, which you are free to ignore or edit as you please.

During the war ______ was a _______. Now they hold the position of _______ in the Southern government.

The war broke out/had a turning point/ended after the Battle of ______ when ______ was killed/captured/destroyed.

The current ruler of The Southern Nation is _________. They are ________ed and ________ed by their people.

________ is an important faction in The Southern Nation. They emerged after ______ occurred. They want _______.

Lin relaxes and looks over some of the records. He can't read well but he opens the diary and one part of the page jumps out at him. The general is discussing an assassination carried out by an operative named Zheng.

During the war Zheng was an operative for the general who carried out several assassination missions. Now he is an influential and trusted advisor to several important people in the Southern Government.

When his companions seem ready to head out he extends his hand to Baldirog.

"Thanks again Baldirog."

Exploration: 3d20 + 0 ⇒ (20, 8, 12) + 0 = 40

Arrive but at a cost!

Baldirog gets down on one knee, bending his crippled leg, bringing his weathered, wrinkled face eye level with Lin's. With a massive hand, he shakes Lin's and says,

I wish you well, young Reaver. You remind me of my own youth and I hope that you fare better in these cruel lands than I did.

And with that you all make for the Mountains under the late dawn sun. Following a dirt road lined sporadically with boulders you approach The Spine.

Gotama guides you along the same trail that he says the thieves must have taken and by noon you've reached the foot of the Mountains and the ground has turned from dust, and grass, to cold, dark dirt and occasional piles of snow. The hills have become more and more severe, and the masses of stone that breach the ground seem larger and more closely scattered.

You eventually enter a forest where tall thin trees stand all around the path, obscuring the distance as you move higher and deeper into the mountains. The path carries you along the side of a steep slope, carved to be flat and easy to tread, on an otherwise slanted terrain.

The path turns and reveals something strange further down. About fifty feet ahead of you the path appears to have been burnt. The ground is blackened by fire and the trees and plants along the road are charred, black and grey. The ashes are cold.

I saw you fight a woman who could harness fire back in the town. This is a sure trail to her.

Gotama says to Bale. He says to himself,

But why did she immolate the path?

After a few hours of walking, the burned trail ends and you resume walking on normal ground. Gotama notices some thorn-berry deeper in the woods near the path. He pushes his way through the cold, thorny undergrowth to the plant and begins to harvest the berries from its bush with Abd's help.

Silently, a tall, broad shouldered woman emerges from the surrounding plants. A pair of large antlers emerge from her forehead. Matted, dirty hair falls over her face which is painted with blue and black ink. She wears armor made from wood, bone and animal hide, piled over more furs that keep her warm in the cold woods. She holds a long and beautiful spear carefully carved from some kind of bone, covered in intricate carvings and designs and wrapped in leather at the staff.

Flanking her are two animals as tall as she is. They have the heads of wolves, with glowing yellow eyes to match, but a pair of antlers just like her's crown their heads. Their bodies resemble those of bears, wide and strong, but their back legs seem built for running.

The Stag-Woman points at you with her white spear and says in a demanding voice,

Why are you in our woods?

Bale draws his blade and readies his shield. posed for battle, his dark blade and shield glimmer in the light cascading through the thick leaves of the forest.

We follow foes, villainous curs who steal and kill, and by action of their own deserve death at our blades. Now I've answered your question creature and you shall answer mine. Who are you.

as he says this his eyes and armaments glow dark black and purple and a sense of death and dread fill the air. intimidation/Aura of Death: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 21d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 21d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

Bale attempts to intimidate the creature into telling him who she is and to dissuade her from attacking the party or being hostile to the party.

I think bale is a little hostile because he thinks she is a sorceress, and i don't think bale likes mages vary much

Bale takes in his surroundings in attempt to see if he and his allies have been ambushed. detection/perception, mind: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 171d20 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 11d20 - 1 ⇒ (10) - 1 = 9

Abd looks at Bale, surprised by his apparent hostility.

I'll just see how this plays out.

"One of the bandits used strong fire magic. We were following that burned trail. If these are your woods, would you know what happened there? Did she pass through here?" Lin asks. He holds his hands out and up showing he isn't reaching for Hakan's blades.

She reacts to Bale first. She senses Bale's dark aura and grimaces, insulted by his question. The beasts at her sides lower their heads and bare their teeth, growling.

How dare you trespass in my home, and then demand answers from me! You are an impure creature, I can smell the corruption that seeps from your heart. You will lower your weapon and be silent.

Bale analyses his surroundings and tries to detect an ambush. (Mixed) The sounds of the woods and the thick foliage obscure his senses. He has a lingering feeling that something lurks behind the trees but he has no evidence to support this claim.

She turns to Lin and recognizes his peaceful gesture. She says,

I saw the woman that you pursue. I followed her as she ran down the path. She was weeping and her tears began to burn and steam off of her cheeks as if her skin was aflame. She ran until she was too exhausted to continue and fell to her knees. She weeped until she screamed and fire erupted from inside of her and enveloped her entire body, scorching the ground and the woods. She stood and began to sprint, still burning. Luckily she did very little damage to the trees, only damaging the area around your path.

She kept to the path, so I left her to cry. You and your lot must stay on the path. You have no right to trespass in the woods. Take your berries and get out of my woods. I will not warn you again.

"We don't want to hurt your woods. We were just trying to get some of those berries. Our friend was injured," he says pointing at Abd.

"We don't want a fight. Who are you? Are you the protector of these woods?" he asks.

Abd shirks when attention is drawn to him. He makes a mock attempt to cover his face so none might recognize him.

Lin! I was traveling incognito

I'm feigning modesty to convince them that I'm a celebrity. Hoping for better treatment.

cynosure: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 41d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 81d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

8.. bad results. I'm not liking this cynosure trait so much

The antlered woman doesn't recognize Abd, but seeing his attempt at discretion, she begins to wonder if he's a criminal. Or a poacher!

She seems further frustrated by all of you.

I don't know who you people are, but I don't trust any of you. I will not let you disturb the forest. Do not ask any more of me. I will say this one final i.

She raises her ornate, bone-carved spear and the beasts at her sides take one step forward, baring their bright teeth and emitting a low growl. In a voice like a furious thunder, she says,

Stay on the path, and get out of my woods!

Fine... bale sheaths his blade and shield. and turns to the path and mutters under his breath you overhear something about wolves and sorceresses.

Lin drops his hands to his sides and follows Bale.

"Will we be able to track her?" he asks Gotama as they walk.

Rook looks back over his shoulder and sees the Forest Woman disappear behind the trees. He rushes to keep up with Bale.

Gotama pushes branches out of his way and moves to the path with the rest of the group. He replies,

The Flaming Woman? Absolutely. A magical outburst like that leaves many traces. Fire is rarely subtle. It was also probably very exhausting, so she may slow down. If we're lucky we may even be able to catch up to her.

You find the trail after a minute of pushing through the trees but the sun is going down. You may want to find a place to rest before you continue on your journey.

You should make another exploration roll when you set out in the morning. You also still have that map from the town, which shows a hidden path to a place labeled "Sanctuary", and a standing stone that marks a trail to a grove in the woods. The map also gives you one exploration advantage, which I don't think you've used yet. You could also pursue the Flaming Woman or any number of other things. It's all up to you guys.

Ok, we need to find a decent spot to camp. Somewhere water is available. Not too far from the path, or the elk-lady will come after us.

Here's a general exploration roll to see what our rest-site looks like.

1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 151d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 21d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Result 5 = terrible. Maybe someone else should roll from now on.

Looks like there's no good campsites anywhere on the path. Do we risk entering the forest to find a better place? We're not going to get any sleep here. There's no water. It's not defensible.

"We'll have to make do unless you feel like killing that woman. I'll keep the first watch. You should use those berries to treat your wounds Abd."

Lin tries to set up camp as best as he can. They should be able to get a few hours of sleep each at least.

Rook settles into a blanket, rubs his eyes and lays his head on the ground preparing to sleep.

Gotama lays out the map near the small fire and plans your next route while he knows on some of the rest of the jackwolf meat.

Lin sits at the edge of the woods on a rock, staring into the black forest, smelling the smoke from he fire, listening to the quiet and ever present sound of wind, insects and birds. You have an implacable feeling that you're being watched.

Unless you guys have something you want to do at camp, you can roll decreased exploration for tomorrow because you haven't gotten enough sleep. The bitter cold keeps you awake.

Lin go to bed i'll take the watch, I've got enough monster blood to keep me up for quite a while

lin nods his head and goes to bed, Bale stands sentry all night, and leads the party in the morning because of how tired they are.

exploration: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (13) - 1 = 121d20 - 1 ⇒ (11) - 1 = 101d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0

11 mixed...i'll let bb tell us what we find....if thats ok...

Upon waking, "God, my neck aches! This ankle's looking none-too-good either.

I wish it were as simple as eating a berry and feeling better. I still don't have the milkweed I need. Even then, it's a precise alchemical process, involving 2 reaction steps and at least 3 distillation & crystallization purification cycles. Won't be easy to formulate out here.

We might find some milkweed along the path, but the way things have been going, I won't count on it.

Lead the way, Bale"

"Thanks Bale," Lin says. "I forget you don't need sleep like the rest of us."

In the morning Lin stretches and tries to look around without looking like he's looking for anyone or anything.

Perception: 3d20 + 1 ⇒ (11, 9, 15) + 1 = 36

"Hopefully we catch up to that sorceress today."

Lin, through your discreet investigation you notice a broken tree branch about knee height in the woods near your camp. You think you can recall seeing the same branch last night, but unbroken. Perhaps there was something in the woods. Or perhaps your just imagining things and it really is just a broken tree branch.

After a modest breakfast, you all pack your things into your respective backpacks, rucksacks and satchels. You set out back on the path and walk through the wilderness as beams of light fall through gaps in the canopy. You walk, breathing in the cool, clean air. You smell the trees and the scent of fire and smoke hangs onto your clothes from the camp the night before. Still, you hear the ever present sound of birds and insects in the trees and in the air.

Bale leads the group and Gotama provides input and advice on the best way to track the Flaming Woman. Rook walks alongside Bale, sleepily marveling at the natural beauty all around him.

The path winds up the sides of the mountains and carries you higher and higher through the beautiful boreal forests of the mountain valleys until it begins to follow the edge of a cliff. Cold water cascades down the mountain streams over smooth, weathered rocks and through the roots of trees. You cross these streams stepping on the larger rocks, or walking on the occasional old plank bridge.

What do you guys talk about while you walk?

Gotama interrupts the conversation and says,

Get off the path, hide behind the bushes and the trees! Quickly!

His voice is low and quiet and fearful. As you all crouch behind the foliage near the side of the trail you see a group of three people standing further down the path near a stone bridge, ten feet wide and twenty feet long that passes over a deep, fast-running, gurgling stream.

You can see a large-bodied Orc woman standing near the front of the bridge, speaking to the other two figures. Her face is stern with a sharp jaw. She has a shaved head, grey skin the color of ashes, and a pair of tusks like those of a boar. She's wearing old bronze armor covered in dents, scratches, cuts and cracks, and painted with deep blue wide stripes and designs. She holds a large rectangular shield make of wood and bronze, painted with the same blue as her armor. She carries a battle axe in her other hand, also painted blue.

She's speaking to another Orc, a lithe young man carrying a longbow. The Bowman's face is plain with a slightly upturned nose. One of his tusks is broken. His eyes are strange and dark. He wears warm looking fur and hide armor, neatly stitched together from the skins of wolves and lynxes. On his belt is a curved dagger and a leather pouch. He also has a quiver of arrows strapped to his back.

The third creature is about seven feet tall, with huge horns like the those of a buffalo. A Hill Troll (named not for their environment but for their similarities to actual hills), his face is square, dirty and rough with small eyes. Moss grows all over his back and wide arms, and tiny almost invisible organisms crawl over him constantly. His uneven dirty hair is filled with roots of small plants that grow on his head and his back. You think you might see a bird's nest on his left shoulder but from this distance you can't quite tell. Dirt and mud crusts on his forearms forming a kind of earthy chitin.

A pair of Orcs and a Troll. Probably planning on attacking travelers. Or they might be friendly.

Says Gotama, hopefully. Rook looks to Bale and whispers,

What should we do?

well rook, killing them would get us some more blood, but the warriors of DetraxI do not rush to battle so hastily

bale says as he looks around perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 21d20 - 1 ⇒ (19) - 1 = 181d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14

Bale sees..... gonna leave that up to bb he informs the others on what he sees and asks them what they think we should do...

Bale stealthily peers through the trees at the three standing on the bridge. The Armored Woman is speaking calmly to the Bowman as the Troll sits with his back against the weathered stone parapet of the old bridge, staring at the sky.

Bale can't understand all of their conversation but he overhears the Bowman use the words, "burnt", "hidden", "beast", and "travel". Bale also hears the Bowman refer to the Armored Orc as "Sentinel".

From the way Bale sees them talking he can tell that the three haven't noticed any of you.

Lin can feel his shadow tingling in the back of his mind, offering answers. He's been ignoring the itch for days.

"There's one way to find out. If I do something crazy, well, just try not to let me hurt you," Lin says.

Are those three friends or foes? Are they bandits? he asks his shadow. The others can see Lin mouthing something to himself.

Abd follows Gotama's advice and attempts to hide behind the bushes.
He also begins to levitate in order to ease the pain from his infected ankle.

stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 191d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 91d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
16 is good enough

Whispering: "What do you mean by 'crazy'?"

Still whispering: "I suggest we double back and take the long way around. No point messing with orcs and trolls."

I love how you're describing Knowledge from Beyond! This doesn't really seem like a super desperate situation but the way you wrote it makes it seem like Lin is using it as an excuse to indulge his "itch". Maybe that's reading too much into it, but I think it's cool. It seems almost like an addiction. Plus the way the rest of the party is just seeing you talking to yourself, not knowing exactly what's going on, is fantastic. You look totally crazy and it's amazing. I love it.

Lin's head is filled with the rising sound of unintelligible whispers. They start quiet but quickly grow to a deafening volume as a thousand voices murmur in your ear. It all disappears suddenly and the world around you grows cold and distant. Color fades from your sight and your vision darkens. You can feel dry breath on your neck, but you force yourself not to turn and look at whatever is breathing it from behind you.

A horse voice whispers not in your ear, but inside of the ear itself as if it burrowed into your skull and started to speak to you. It lets out a quiet laugh that sends shivers through the inside of your body and out.

I knew you'd give in eventually... It's nice to hear from you again, Lin. Or should I say, Bane of The Fury?

It laughs again.

Such a dramatic title. I quite like it. That Giant was a kind one, wasn't he? Though with such a huge form, he did cast a long shadow...

More laughter.

Enough chat, it's time I answered your question. The three that stand on the old bridge are not bandits. They are members of a near tribe nestled very deep in the valleys of the Spine. The Bowman is young and clever, The Sentinel is old and brash, and the Troll is wiser than he seems. They're friendly enough, as people go. Though I doubt that with blood that runs as black as the void they'd take kindly to a traveling bunch of Reavers. And yet I wonder with blood as dark as theirs, are their hearts as black as ours?

With that, laughter explodes inside your mind, loud enough to send quakes through your entire body, sending you to your knees from the pain. You're left with a splitting headache.

You know that the shadow has left your head for now, but you feel almost like it also left something behind.

Lin takes a few moments then gets up from the ground. He pinches at his temples with one hand and winces.

"They aren't bandits. They should be friendly, but they might not be if they know we're Reavers," he says to the others. Then he gets out of the bushes and strolls forward.

Bale moves forward with lin. as he does so he makes a few hand motions, telling rook to keep hidden and move to a flank the monsters just in case this goes south.

"Ok. If they're friendly, then perhaps they can help."

Playing the wounded bird, Abd presents himself for the mercy of the strangers.

"Greetings and well wishes! I am Abd Aalal Al-Sa, merchant of the five kingdoms. I come seeking aid. Some dastardly jackwolves have nipped at my heels a bit. Would you happen, by any chance, to have some milkweed?"

non-threatening charm: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 71d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 51d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
7=bad. We can expect no milkweed and no help.

I like how "Five Kingdoms" sounds... I think I'll use that.

Don't move any nearer, strangers. Says the Bowman, steadily, who pulls an arrow from his quiver and knocks it, but doesn't raise his bow.

The Troll stands up, and waits behind the Bowman, scratching at his mossy, flower covered right shoulder.

Allow me, Josiah. Says the Armored Woman that he called Sentinel, with an air of authority.

Who are you, and what are you doing here? What kind of a merchant travels without any wares to sell? Unless you're some kind of a slaver.

She spits the last word as if it tasted rotten on her tongue as she spoke it.

"His wares were stolen by bandits. We're on the trail of one of the bandits, a fire sorceress," Lin says.

"We think she might have came this way."

and we are his hired help. here to help him take care of the bandits and any who would wish abd ill will.

I see. Mutters the Sentinel. She pauses and looks you over with a critical eye before speaking.

We're from a nearby valley town, here to look for a scout of ours that didn't come back from his patrol. Did any of you see an Orc in your travels? About six foot four, medium length black hair, boiled leather armor, big bronze bastard sword on his back? Mean and ugly face?

I don't remember seeing any orcs. But come to think of it, I'm pretty sure the Fire Sorceress was using slaves.

bald faced lie: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 171d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 151d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
17: good enough to be believable

Figures. I never trust a Burning Mage. Well we're not going to find our scout by standing around. If what you say is true and there are bandits traveling in this area then we ought to get moving. We'd be safer if we traveled together and it looks like we're going in the same direction for now. What do you say?

The Armored Woman called Sentinel offers her strong hand as a symbol of trust. Behind her, the Bowman called Josiah looks skeptical and the yet unnamed Troll picks a colorful flower off of his bicep with a massive but gentle hand and smiles.

Why thank you! Abd says as he begins to lean on the Sentinel's arm for support, possibly misinterpreting a simple handshake offer.

You're a kind woman. And so strong!

Let's be off

I've had stranger allies, why not bale takes the flower from the troll. I'm Bale a warrior of Datraxi, this is lin, and.....rook come out and meet our new friends, sorry my apprentice is a bit shy.

The Bowman looks surprised and says,

Wait, Datraxi? Wasn't he the founder of that Rhonin cult that tried to invade the Bleeding Arm? They opened the Citadel Rift, right? Did they ever even come back?

The Sentinel looks at him and then at Bale, curious to hear the answer.

The Citadel Rift is a portal located in The Guardian Citadel. The Rift is the only known portal to the Bleeding Arm and the Five Fingers of Hell. The Guardian Citadel is a massive fortress built around the Rift to ensure that nothing and no one is allowed to enter or exit the Rift.

"I don't know this story," Lin says softly to the hill troll.

"Josiah, the Sentinel," he says pausing after each name. "And who are you?"

of course Lord Datraxi's armies could never fail! Datraxi leads from the halls of our fortress REX, we are more preoccupied with demons and blood then this land, but he still sends his agents out to help all those who live on our great titan! Bale replies

The Sentinel laughs and says to Abd,

Well, I don't think I've ever been called that before! Kind, that is.

She almost seems to blush.

The Hill Troll stands next to Lin, looks down at him and says in a small voice,

Me neither. It doesn't sound like it will have a happy ending. I am Thern. It is good to meet you.

He picks another flower off of his shoulder and hands it to Lin.

Josiah is too busy talking (or arguing) with Bale to consider Lin's greeting.

To Bale, he says,

It seems a little hypocritical to me to open a portal to the land of The Five Hells and say that you're helping. And what do you mean, "Help all those who live on our Great Titan?" What makes your bunch different from any other group of Reaving Blood Cultists?

The Bowman is obviously passionate, but he's interrupted by the Sentinel.

Enough! You will be silent, Josiah. I hope that he hasn't offended you, Bale. He is young and he still thinks that he knows more than the rest of the world.

She says, sending a stern look at Josiah. She continues,

We can talk more while we travel.

Do your two groups continue down the path?

You guys should describe dialogue. You don't need to roll for exploration because you already did for today. Plus I know what you will find further down the road... Bale, I think you're at full health because of getting two full nights rests (which would heal life equal to your toughness twice), but I could totally be wrong. I'll figure it out tomorrow.

I'm not offended, Maddox teaches us to convert by the word before the sword

bale says and continues his argument with Josiah, Bale describes how The knights of Datraxi, the knights THRAEX, are meant to help the world by teaching, by teaching how to convert Asavara into more helpful forms of Keriva, that Violence and hate in the soul should be released. But not on to others but on to demons and destructive monsters, for all hate and anger should be put to constructive and productive ends. He talks about how Datraxi leads people and this path and how Maddox teaches those on this path. How this path is the path to enlightenment, peace, power and a better world. Bale seems zealous in his beliefs and has his little black book out, quoting dogma and the great leaders of his religious order.

Abd makes small talk and strokes the Sentinel's ego with various appreciative noises and compliments. He talks about his travels in the world, of the various types of sailing vessels, caravans and pack animals. He talks a little about his merchant business which has been temporarily disrupted by loss of goods. He's always in good spirits though. Never sad.

"My business disruption is an opportunity to see the world. I never expected to travel into the Spine, yet here I am! Had I not been robbed, I would not have had the good fortune to meet you! Always a golden lining."

Still leaning on the Sentinel's arm, Abd says "By the way, have you met the elk lady and her two wolves? She wasn't nearly so helpful as you have been. Seemed to think the forest belonged to her."