Aurelian smiles and happily helps, letting hands (and eyes) linger at inappropriate moments, though also seeming to know what he's doing with the armor itself.
"Lovely," he proclaims when Fleur's re-equipped, though it's not clear if he's talking about the undine or the situation. "What shall we do with your old armor? It may be of some use once we have rescued any survivors and helped our companions on the Peregrine establish our new home again."
As Ashlyn and Elizar get further away from the others Ashlyn can be heard to remark in embarrassment. "No, not me either!"
After a moment she sighs. "You're incorrigible! Now clear those thoughts from your head and look at that field over there!"
Ashlyn and Elizar watch the field as Fleur changes her armour, and the others finish up their business in the smithy.
Fleur will swat Aurelian's hands away from any inappropriate touching and try to keep him focused on the armor... "Watch where you're putting those hands, mister... you're supposed to be helping me with the armor, I'm not stripping down to my smallclothes, you know! I do believe you're an incorrigible flirt, Aurelian."
After she's accoutred in the chain shirt, she nods at Aurelian's suggestion. "Aye, we should keep the leather for anyone else who might be able to wear it... perhaps we will find some survivors... That would be a good thing to have on hand then."
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"No, no, Aurelian didn't even think you would be wearing smallclothes! He does not, because they are binding and uncomfortable. And he is no flirt. Flirting is for children, when they are too young to do anything else. Aurelian Fache is an incorrigible lover. He will show you sometime, Fleur, when we have time and you are ready."
From across the yard Ashlyn's eyes widen and she blushes furiously. She pointedly does not look towards Fleur and Aurelian, just in case something untoward is happening behind her...
While there are many empty houses, fully equipped with beds, bed linens and all other requisite items, the GM is not responsible for what happens to two PC's who chose to make use of these facilities for a game of "Sheathing the Sword". Possible consequences include sterility, sudden decapitation, spontaneous combustion or the swapping of random body parts.
Evie's head bounces back and forward between the scene developing between Fleur and Aurelian and Elizar's unexpected comments, her face turning redder by the second. She takes a few steps away trying to extract herself from the situation.
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After assorted hanky-panky when Fleur is re-attired and Aurelian suitably chastened you all set out northwards from the stockade. As you approach the small field it becomes apparent that some sort of large burrowing animal has been at work here. As you spread out to search you find a dozen or more holes.
Aurelian looks over the field.
"There is probably something in there. You should send the crying man in to see what is in there and flush it out for Aurelian Fache to take care of," Aurelian suggests to Ashlyn after surveying the scene.
He adjusts his new buckler and takes a few practice swings with his lade to check if he is as limber as he expects. He is.
Ashlyn listens to see if she can hear any large creatures moving around.
She and Elizar move forward together, back to back, with Elizar looking in one hole while Ashlyn looks in another.
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"Are you hiding behind a ghost now, Aurelian?" Sarine taunts her companion, visibly annoyed with him as she moves into the field, looking for enemies.
Evie draws her bow and moves up to cover the party as they move forward.
Fleur, crossbow loaded and ready, moves with Evie to cover those ahead doing the scouting.
Aurelian laughs good-naturedly at Sarine's gibe.
"Haha. You are funny. Hiding behind a ghost," he chuckles again, shaking his head before mirroring Ashlyn's steps into the field, eyes scanning for the incoming threat of whatever made the holes.
He's too busy chuckling at Sarine's joke to pay much attention, though.
Jenner looks unimpressed at Aurelian's handsiness during his assisting with the armor. He clears his throat. "You know, there's a dwarven word for a fellow like you, Master Fache. It's a bit hard to translate accurately... comes out something like 'one who makes himself welcome'."
Jenner banks somewhat on Aurelian's hubris making him incapable of reading the somewhat subtle insult of the comment, but he could be wrong.
"If any of you ladyfolk ever need hand with your armor and just the armor, feel free to ask me," the dwarf adds. He frowns at Ashlynn's volunteering to scout alone with just her and the creepy ghost, and nods approvingly at the others choosing to move with her. Jenner takes up a spot behind the others, axe out, dwarven eyes sharply scanning the ground and the holes.
[b]"Thank you for the offer, Jenner.. I shall keep that in mind should the need arise again and none of my 'sisters' show willingness to assist. She smiles at the dwarf warmly... What a nice fellow. Quiet, but isn't that generally the nature of dwarves until they get to drinking? Or is that too much of a generalization?
Ashlyn tries to hide her smile at Jenner's veiled insult.
---
Noticing the others moving out to hep her explore the field, Ashlyn seems surprised. She turns back to the churned earth with a slight smile.
[b]"Thank you for the offer, Jenner.. I shall keep that in mind should the need arise again and none of my 'sisters' show willingness to assist. She smiles at the dwarf warmly... What a nice fellow. Quiet, but isn't that generally the nature of dwarves until they get to drinking? Or is that too much of a generalization?
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Aurelian nods at Jenner's words. Of course the dwarves would have a word to describe someone like him. It's perhaps more strange that other languages don't.
"Yes, most people welcome Aurelian Fache," he agrees.
The scouting party moves off into the field, finding nothing in the first few holes they peer into apart from various small bones which seem to have been picked clean, and in some cases partly melted...
Scuttling out from the ground ahead of Jenner and Sarine the source appears. Two of the small bug-like creatures you encountered in the fields to the south, accompanied by a much bigger specimen that appears to be a fully grown adult. The creatures chitter and hiss at you, before launching an attack!
Sarine pulls free her greatsword as she moves to face the first of the insect opponents, falling into the pulsing rhythm of combat as she does.
Unable to reach the strange bugs, Ashlyn rushes across the field, dodging tunnels and holes as she goes.
Elizar turns towards the sound of combat to realize Ashlyn's already half-way across the field. With a sob of confusion and wide-eyed worry he hurries afters her, dripping goopy ectoplasm all over the churned earth on his rush to catch up with her.
HP 13/13
AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13
Fort +2, Ref +5, Will -1 (0/1 reroll)
CMD 14 (16 vs. disarm)
Panache: 3/3 (0/1 deed reroll);
Effects:
"Jenner says Aurelian is quite 'welcome,' so now he will 'welcome' these creatures to his sword," Aurelian proclaims as he rushes to Sarine's side, taking up a defensive stance.
Fleur moves a little closer to the fight, enough so everyone can hear her, and begins to sing a rousing and inspiring song.
David walked into the valley
With a stone clutched in his hand
He was only a boy
But he knew someone must take a stand
There will always be a valley
Always mountains one must scale
There will always be perilous waters
Which someone must sail
Into valleys, into waters
Into jungles, into hell
Let us ride, let us ride home again with a story to tell
Into darkness, into danger
Into storms that rip the night
Don't give in, don't give up
But give thanks for the glorious fight
Evie advances carefully, trying not to slip into the holes that dot the field. Seeing Sarine and her glowing sword approaching the first bug Evie nocks an arrow and aims carefully at the largest beast.
Her arrow whizzes across the field and sinks into the creatures eye!
"Damned island's more full of bugs than a grain silo," Jenner grouses as he picks his way over the field towards the fight.
Sarine charges forward and, as so many times already today, slices right through the bug - leaving two twitching halves falling back into one of the holes.
As the rest of the party scrambles into position only Evie manages to do any damage, her arrow - seemingly guided by Erastil himself, flies across the field and strikes cleanly into one of the larger bast's eyes, exploding it with a wet 'pop' sound. The creature howls in pain and rampages forwards, its spawn by its side.
Ashlyn has the misfortune to be closest and both creatures try to savage her - ineffectively.
"Don't remind me about the grain silo, Jenner!" Sarine shouts as she skirts the edge of the battlefield to face the larger insect.
Aurelian skewers the remaining bug.
Ashlyn aims a punch at the bug in front of her .
Elizar drifts forward, finally catching up to Ashlyn. He lets out a moan of relief.
Then he turns his anger on the bugs.
Sarine's greatsword finishes what Evie's arrow began before Elizar, Ashlyn and Aurelian combine to bludgeon the last nymph back into the dirt it came from.
A thorough search of the remaining holes finds a human skeleton, bereft of clothes or equipment accept for a copper-coloured ring which has a faint magical aura and is engraved with arcane symbols.
As you survey the (formerly) ankheg colony and look back towards Talmandor's bounty you all feel a justified sense of satisfaction - this has been a busy and bloody morning, but you have overcome it! You all level up!
"What a wreck," Sarine grumbles as she looks back over the remnant of Talmandor's Bounty. "This will be a problem us. We didn't come prepared to start a new colony from scratch, but I'm not sure we can use this. We still don't know what happened to the first wave of colonists...maybe we can sort it out when we report back to Ramona."
Sarine plants her new greatsword into the earth and stretches. "That...was a long day. I'm worn out. Should we head back to the Peregrine?"
Jenner catches his breath as the last ankheg is summarily dealt with. "By all the gods! The Master of the First Vault should have made me with longer legs if I'm to get a chance to bring my steel to bear! Sarine, you're a terror with that great cleaver of yours," the dwarf says admiringly.
"Now this poor sod looks like he could have used a great ruddy sword like that. Maybe the ankhegs wouldn't have corroded his damn bones if so, eh?"
Placing his hands on the small of his back, Jenner squints over the landscape. "Damndest thing, whatever's happened here. I hate to say it, but my hopes for other survivors are gettin' slimmer. We should rendezvous with the skipper, tell 'em what we found so far, aye, I think. And is anyone still scratched from battles? I have a bit of gods' blessing left to me for the day."
After a half minute of waiting with baited breath, Ashlyn finally relaxes. She hops into the holes, exploring the tunnels burrowed by the large insects with Elizar at her side. Eventually she drags a dead man out of the holes.
"This poor man." she says solemnly.
At Jenner's pronouncement of his fate, Ashlyn shakes her head sadly.
Elizar nods along with Jenner.
Elizar leans close to examine the ring.
Elizar looks very frustrated. He wails loudly in
Suddenly he howls sadly and begins to sob uncontrollably.
"It's all right," Ashlyn says, patting Elizar on his goopy, shaking shoulder. "Someone else will figure it out."
Ashlyn holds the ring out towards Fleur and Evie. "Do you guys know what this does?"
Evie takes the ring from Ashlyn and examines it closely.
"Well wouldn't you know, it's a protection ring. They're pretty common, they provide a small amount of protection against attacks when worn. Perhaps it can even help Ashlyn here? Wouldn't that be good Elizar?"
Without a thought, Evie tries to pat Elizar's shoulder, forgetting his unusual state and feels a sense of cold gloopy water and quickly withdraws her hand with an uncomfortable smile.
Sarine looks on as her companions examine the corpse. "Whatever went on here, he should still be buried with his people. Let's see to their final rites before we go. It might be some time before we return here."
"Speaking of which, Evelyn, let's take another look at that logbook while we put the colonists to rest. It should give us a sense of how many people we're still looking for."
Aurelian nods at the others' suggestions.
"Yes, that sounds fine. Aurelian has a small scratch, but it is almost nothing," he says.