The Once & Future KingMaker

Game Master Aest

That would be a good idea.

The next morning, Elaina is up at sunrise, fully dressed, and fully unaware of the fact that she'd sleep-cuddled Torod's leg.

"So! What's for breakfast? I'm starvin'!"

Her tail, now covered in white fur with red markings, wags back and forth as she eagerly waits for the others to answer.

Kressel throws on a scowl and looks totally disgusted and in her gruffest voice...
"Chop the wood Kressel, make the breakfast Kressel, and when you get time, by the by Kressel...."

Asta says, in a deadpan voice: "By the by, once Jhod declares you graduated from his cares, would you care to join the Greenheart Guard, Kressel? We could use a drill sergeant with your kind of experience, and there would be chances for promotion."

"Exactly! I have an idea for riders to patrol the edges of our holdings. You would be perfect. You're a natural leader, you know the land, and you're among the best most tenacious warriors I've ever known. Part of your mission would be maintaining good relations with the hamlets, homesteads, and hermits that populate that area. Don't let her turn you into a soft city girl."

Kressel "Who would be the riders and would they know who was in charge? I can keep rowdies in line through threat of force, but I would rather deal with those with honor."

"You're a shoe-in for the rank of sergeant," Asta says as she claps Kressel on the shoulder. "But first wait for Jhod's seal of approval. Come see us when you have that and we'll talk. Sound worth staying the course for?"

Jhod "Well Kressel now you have no choice but to marry me!"

Kressel "I refused you already,you old goat, you have an important work and I have a poor reputation, find someone respectable."

"Shoe in for sergeant? Stop insulting her. Kressel you would be the Captain. In charge of the riders, who you would have a hand in choosing and training." He looks over to Asta, "There's details to work out, but chances are you'd answer only to me."

Elaina watches the exchange between Jhod and Kressel, wondering if it would be a bad idea to play matchmaker.

Jhod looks around the group especially at the gals....

"Respectable? In these parts!"
He snorts....
"It is either you or I will be a sworn bachelor."

Kressel: "Fine then I will."
Sense motive DC 0 she says in feigned exasperation....

Jhod: "I knew my charms..."

Kressel cuts him off....
"But not until we have a king or Queen to make it official."

"He has a thing for girls that have names that start with K," Elaina says to Kressel in a stage whisper.

???!

Seraph stays removed from the conversation, not wishing to get in the middle of it. She instead busied herself with morning breakfast over the hot coals of last nights fire prior to switching to sharpening her blade with a whetstone in preparation to which direction Asta chose. Her collar jangled every once and awhile with her movements but she was quite content in what she was doing.

Kressel hands the green hair to Torod.
"Assemble the riders an I will take the lead of them."

Jhod: "Any more I can do for anyone before you head out again?"

Want to go visit the Kobolds and ask about emeraldlocks, and if they can't help, the Mites?

Why would the kobolds or mites know about the green hair?

"No thank you Father Jhod, I believe I have overstay my welcome. Kressel, thank you for your hard work." With that she gets Julius saddled and ready to move out. With her weapons ready she waits to see what Asta decides adding. "If needed we could separate and cover more ground while others investigate the rumors of this green haired Bandit Lord inspiring vixen."

As before Seraph will go with what Asta deems their best route to take, she serves her afterall. Doesn't mean she will jump off a bridge or anything silly like that but you get the jist.

Seraph runs her hand through her hair as her amusement from her previous statement fades. "We can do both, cover ground to the east of the Fort and check with our allies on any information they may have. Milady Asta and I can check with them if Torod and Elaina wish to go on ahead to scout the hills east of the Fort." Her tail twitches as she expands her thought. "Not being the skilled woodsman as you two I cannot assume how long it would take to check out such ground thoroughly. If there is time we can hit the Fort, check up on those staying there before setting off to rendezvous with you both."

After charting the two hexes west, we'd go south one hex and return east along that hex row. There are only five or six hexes total before we return to known areas. From there we are only a short distance from our kobold and mite allies.

Jhod:"It sounds my friends as if you have nearly completed that you were chartered to do."

"I guess we have," Elaina says thoughtfully before turning to Torod.

"Well, give me a second to get everything, and we'll be off."

Torod proudly stands tall. "A week, maybe two and we'll be done exploring."

"I hope these Swordlords have more work for us after this. There is much in the south I would love to explore as well." She smiles at her companions then, recounting what seemed only a short time ago when se joined them and their adventures had been fulfilling thus far. Amusingly so and frighteningly in some cases.

She does however look to Asta, calmly awaiting her decision as she would follow her lead ultimately.

Jhod: "Safe travels my friends. I shall look at building a holding cell near the rear of the cave in case another cursed being needs to attempt the cure..some silver nails I could bless would be useful."

"We'll talk to the Sootscales and see what they have," Elaina tells Jhod as she and Torod begin to leave.

Having already readied their horses that morning Seraph straps on her large sword and nods to Asta. "Are we to finish our exploration or do you wish for myself or us to break off and look into this new development?" She motions to the readied horses. "We can all discuss along the way then." She jumps into the saddle and guides Julius with her knees as they depart together.

Nodding in agreement to Elaina Seraph adds. "If we find anything we will see it is sent back post haste Priest Jhod."

While heading to the unexplored area Seraph rode with her bow at the ready and on high alert.

Readied action, fire at anything that threatens the group openly.

Julius wickered and complains after having only one night to recover from his ordeals with the stump. "You will have plenty of time to graze, so quit your gripein' Julius."

Seraph bids her companions good luck, giving Elaina a strong embrace before heading off with Asta in search of information on this Green Haired woman!

While heading to the unexplored area Seraph rode with her bow at the ready and on high alert.

Readied action, fire at anything that threatens the group openly.

Elaina returns the hug before following Torod to wherever it was they were going next. Along the way, she keeps an eye out for anything interesting, or worth hunting.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20 another +1 if tracking

Though he thinks he hides it well, Torod excitement about going out alone with Elaina is obvious.
He goes to Seraph. "Can you take Gertie (pack horse) with you? Elaina and Strawberry and I can move fast and light. And I worry that old Gertie won't be able to keep up."

"Elaina, before we go, I want to make tell you our route. We're going southwest from here until we reach an area we don't know. Then we'll go due west for a time before going south a while then return east to the Stag Fort. Unless you have another suggestion, that's our plan."

Seraph nods at the simple request and ties Gertie off to Julius prior to heading off with Asta.

"We'll take an eastward route, cross the river by way of the Thorn River Crossing before heading to the Mite lair first Milady. Once we settle our business with them we see the Sootscales and then proceed to the Stagfort. depending on how long this takes we may be heading to the southern areas to explore and meet up with Torod and Elaina there. If you wish to add a detour to the plan by all means do so." She bows her head then, having presented her plan.

"That works for me," Elaina agrees after Torod lays out the planned route.

Both groups will travel through portions of the greenbelt they have already explored. Who knows what weather and strange sights they will have to tell each other about.....

At this point assume the groups have separated and can each speak about anything they like.....

"These greater Fey are shaping up to be a problem," Asta says during the ride, almost as if she's pondering out loud. "We should try to find a way to ... make arrangements with them somehow. Diplomacy would of course be preferable, but if this green-haired woman proves innately inimical ... We need to know more about the local Fey."

Seraph nods at Asta's wisdom. "Respect the land, the spirit and the fey to skirt trouble along the way. As my mother would say, it is all very troubling to contemplate really. Fey are something I am not so used to. No offense my little friend..." She directs her apology to their dragon companion before continuing. ... Befriending more of the local fey would be for the greater good. I am sure we could, perhaps a more amicable relationship could be formed."

Perlavish winks into visibility....
"I thought you had befriended the fey, including the mites, other fey must live elsewhere, as all those I know are minor kinds, who care not for the affairs of man."

where is that other group?

K-Arcana - Stories of Fey: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

She smiles at Perlavish and nods "Lady Asta has with the ones we know. However I am sure there are others. The mites spoke of something rather ominous when we them. Like yourself and Tyg I would love to see even more become our friends, not just the fey but any who wish to succeed in a fledgling nation."

As Eliana, Torod and Tyg leave the temple for hexes unexplored it occurs to you that you will need to traverse at least one hex you already passed through. There is the flooded building where the boggard lives or there is the hot springs where the giant frogs reside......

I'd say the springs.

Torod is fine with going to the hot springs

Bump?

Asta and Seraph enter the hex where once the mighty Tuskgutter laired.

Perception or Survival DC 16

Sometime later on Torod and Eliana come near to the giant frog pond. The pond is more active than usual as the frog eggs are now frog shaped, though they still have tails.....

Perception 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

"Look," Asta says, as she points out claw marks on a tree - and the lingering traces of gore beneath it. "Some predator had taken Tuskgutter's place. Proceed with caution, my knight."

Seraph nods to Asta as she trades her bow for her large bastard sword and proceeds to keep Julius moving. He checks on their other charg, the donkey in tow, as they pass the area by. "Aye milady, best we press on then. I'd rather not run afoul of any creatures when we have our supplies at risk." She keeps her eyes moving as they pass the old lair by.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

With you both actively watching you notice that a small pack of wolves have taken over the area. You count about four shy wolves....

"Let's see if I can muster us some more troops. Stand ready! This could turn nasty if it goes wrong..."

Unless Seraph stops her, Asta rises up in her stirrups and actually howls like a wolf, the ululating noise interspersed with snarls and baring of teeth.

Feral speech...."You are not the lady we seek, but you smell of her."

Seraph doesn't stop Asta, merely smiling as she enjoys the tricks her lady employs. She doesn't show a hint of wavering to the small pack, in fact she is confident that four wolves wouldn't be enough to bring the two of them down if a fight broke out. She wasn't aout to show any creature a hint of lacking resolve, lest that embolden them to attack.

Feral speech: "The new, white she-wolf? She is pack with me."

Feral speech: "She is alpha. Direct us to her."

"Until we are with her again, you will obey me as alpha. Go where I lead. Do not attack unless I command it. Do this, or I will not guide you to your alpha."