Ruhk shrugs, he was not well informed enough to know if it was a common thing not to divide spoils near the dead.
She had according to Velnik wanted the group to have her things, so sharing them next to the grave did not strike Ruhk as inappropriate.
Then again, he was not a religious man like Vestilet, so he decided to simply accept it.
Out of a sense of curiosity, Ruhk then casts Detect magic on the pile.
No matter what he may or may not detect, he then points to the Falcata, tries to speak, (which comes out as a strangled croak) and indicates himself.
At Alendrethalas question, Ruhk merely indicates Velnik with his thumb, he would know after all.
Inwe simply asks her goddess to see that this trouble soul, has the afterlife she deserves, and let's the others handle the ceremony, assisting as necessary.
@Ruhk: the falcata radiates a faint air of magic; the other two items do not. A DC 18 spellcraft check should reveal it's secrets...
@ Inwe: Velnik nods his thanks to you. That's all one can ask for, lass. I know Mielikki is a friend to the elven Gods; I'm sure they'll let her know one of her followers is coming home. With that he walks away quickly, wiping away a tear.
"Alright Velnik, I'll go with ye and guard the wagons. When do we head out?"
Too much death, not enough killing.
@Lockjaw: Velnik nods at you in thanks. We head out first thing tomorrow. We've been here overlong; I don't want to be callous, but this caravan must go through, or we'll all be paupers.
Second time I failed to do that...but I have to grant myself the excuse of having studied no magical auras before.
Seeing Ruhk in difficulty with the examinaton of Natasha's falcata Alendrethala approches him with the most polite manners she is capable of.
Last time he examined a weapon it was magical, maybe.....
"Excuse me mister, may i help you? You are trying to read the aura of that sword?"
She is good...guess there is something to this whole "elf magic" thing afterall.
Not trusting his voice to speak anymore, Ruhk simply picks up the sword, nods and hands it over to Alendrethala.
The elven mage thanks Ruhk deeply, then checks the blade.
"What's that there fancy sword you got?"
Lockjaw looks at Ruhk and Alendrethala with interest while looking out over the plains with boredom.
Didn't that belong to that poor girl Natasha?
"Well, we are not stealing it, it has some faint aura om it.We were trying to determine its magicl properties"
People may notice that Kathai has returned to camp without fanfare and has been mostly keeping to herself. Anyone who asks a direct question gets her typical smile and enthusiastic answer. Anyone who asks what's wrong is told that nothing is wrong with the same cherubic smile that seems etched on her face. But the fact that she doesn't offer up anything of her own would be a strong indicator to the observant that the day's impact has had a huge effect on her.
Unless prompted, she mostly just sits around, waiting for the caravan to resume it's journey.
@ Alendrethala & Ruhk - Your magic and deductive skills reveal the sword to be a +1 blade; the studded leather is masterwork and the composite longbow is a +2 strength bow.
Velnik yells out: We leave at first light! Get some rest, those who can, I intend to make time up tomorrow, even if we have to speed by a burning orphanage! Velnik seems to think twice about his analogy. Well, perhaps not a burning orphanage, but we must make up time! He stops briefly to pat Kathai Lli on the shoulder, then is off to make ready for the trip.
Say your goodbyes to Natasha and the village, and divide the spoils of your battles, tomorrow you're off down the Soldier's road, towards Krennasar.
Kathai lifts her head, claps her hands together, and hops up from where she was moping. The big grin has returned, but she shifts frequently to keep people from noticing her watery eyes.
"So, what's this about spoils? I like spoils. What do we have? Anything good? Anything for me?"
Hearing Kathai's question Ruhk nods and indicates the small pile with one hand.
He then shrugs and let's Kathai judge for herself if any of it is useful for her.
Doubt it myself, too small to use any of these things. She did good in battle however, mustn’t underestimate her...
"There is Natasha's falcata which is a magical blade, and i still have this magical dagger from that evil cleric encounter"
"I don't fight in close range, and even thou i know how to use a blade maybe they are better used by some of the close range fighters"
Ruhk leans his head to one side and looks curiously at Alendrethala, he then indicates the dagger and then the Falcata, hoping that Alenderetha will understand his question.
Maybe he got wounded in his throat
Not sure what Ruhk means, and having said she isn't using them, Alendrethala hands over to the man the dagger and the falcata.
"Hope you were asking me to give you these, or else feel free to do whatever suits you once you have them.I'm more at my ease with rods and wands"
Vestilet looks over at Kathai Lli before saying "As they have said there are the falcata, and the dagger. There is also some studded leather armor, a longbow and some gold."
Ruhk looks confused, then he shakes his head and begins to hold the dagger towards Alendrethala, after a moment he thinks on what she said, shrugs and tosses the weapons into the pile instead.
I was only asking if they were carrying the same enchantment, but I guess I can ask again later...once I CAN acctually ask again.
"You heard the man, we ready to move out in the morning?"
Lockjaw's gruff demeanor hasn't softened, though you notice his table manners have improved slightly.
Not sure what all the noise is about.
maybe i should ask Inwe to check his laryinx
Alendrethala recovers the weapons, until someone else asks for them.
Kathai holds up the dagger. "Well, I already have a short sword, but since it's too small for any of you to use as anything but a dagger, I guess I could put it to good use."
@ Kathai Lli - I could see it being wielded as a short sword by one of the little folk. That works for me; besides, who am I to gainsay Aragorn, who presented the knives of westernese to the halflings as short swords for their use?
At last we are moving again, let us leave this god forsaken place. Getting away from here shoould improve the mood all around.
I can't wait to leave this place, but i'm not too confident for the near future anyway
"As i said, i have no use for both.I'll simply put the weapons in the wagon carrying the party shared equipment, then anyone who want them can do as they like"
Kathai slides the snake-handled "short sword" off the wagon and onto her belt.
"Welcome to your new home, Slither. How does it feel?"
In a high-pitched, bad impersonation of a ventriloquist, she mumbles out the side of her mouth...
"Why, quite comfy Kathai! I think we're going to be great friends!"
She pets the sheath lovingly, then looks up and winks at everyone. She walks off whistling, ready to continue the journey.
My friends,
First, let me express my profound apologies for letting this game die and for leaving you all in the dark for so long. I had high hopes for the game and its longevity; and despite my missteps, I felt I was doing my best to entertain everyone involved. Despite what has transpired in my life, I acknowledge that orphaning this game was entirely my fault and that I should have handled things better. You all deserved better. But I would like to explain what happened.
My wife, my best friend, passed away in late january due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. She had been complaining of headaches for some time, and had been prone to migraines in particular. She was unwell during the christmas season, complaining of headaches, nausea, dizziness and such. Neither of us took it seriously enough. I woke up in the middle of the night on december 28th and found I was alone in bed. I got up to find out what Katherine was up to; she would often stay up later than I would, watching TV or whatever. I found her on the couch; I figured she was sleeping. But she was pale, her breathing shallow, and she wasn't responding to anything I did to try and wake her. I never got to speak to her again. She spent almost a month on life support machines before the end. I won't go into what that time was like; suffice to say, it was the hardest time of my life.
After Katherine passed away, I lost my ability to cope with life. I couldn't work, I barely went out except to get food. I ended up losing my job; a great job as a security consultant for a major bank. I lost touch with friends and family. Things that used to give me pleasure didn't matter any more. I had to sell the house we had waited so long for, I couldn't live there any longer and I needed the money. I finally reached out for help from veterans' affairs in late may, and things have started to level out.
I know this is really heavy stuff, and I hate to lay it on you guys. It's still no excuse for just abandoning you; I wish I had at least taken a few moments to let you know what was going on, maybe pass the game to someone else. I just wanted you to know what had happened that caused me to disappear like that.
Apologies again.
Graham