Annie just looks at the dwarf you want me to carry stuff? ok and she holds out her hand to take what the dwarf will give her.
as the group heads out. can I burn down that building now?
No you can't burn the building down annie. she replies with a smile.
Your journey starts off well. The nearly full moon provides plenty of light to travel by. A quick decent off the hill brings you to the 'Hill Road' shown on the map. Curiously, it seems to be made of gravel held together by a black substance. The surface is cracked, with grass and bushes growing through it. Obviously, it hasn't been used or maintained in a long time. Despite this, it provides a fine path for walking.
Following the road, it dips down and crosses the river of stone you saw from above. Up close, you are glad you took this route rather than trying to cross it some other way. Lava flow
As the moon sets it become more difficult to see, and the noises of an unfamiliar place make all of you uneasy. Soon however, the air becomes moist and you see starlight reflected on the lake you are passing, which seems to be only a few feet below the road. As the first rays of dawn break over the, presumably, eastern hills, the relative quiet of night is broken by a cacophony of bird calls. It's like a Katapesh market on auction day!
A reflection off the water catches your eye, and you suddenly see a familiar, though unwelcome sight. Stirges! The swarm of mesquito like creatures is headed your way, and there must be nearly two dozen!
Yelling Incoming, Thom get ready, Stirges.
Round 1
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E-Terah rolled her eyes at the elf at his jab but didn't take offense. She shoved some of the supplies at the pyromanic child,enough she could carry without being bogged down but hopefully enough to cease her skipping.
She didn't seem all that bothered by the myriad of bird calls at night,although she found it odd any birds were active at this time. The girls.behind them.huddled together in a fearful cluster,stumbling and half.blind in the moonlight and darkness.
As long as she kept in the shadows she could.see in monochrome or in areas of full moonshine she could see things in full color.She had one of the curious crossbows in hee hands and loaded with the odd hollow.metal bolts made out of thin shiny metal she.was.unfamiliar with.
Thom wracks his brain for anything he's heard about fighting stirges.
"Sh!t!" Thom curses as he yanks his bow from its sheath... drawing on his luck as he draws and nocks an arrow. "Everyone! Clump together and protect the girls! Geth! Annie! If you have anything that can blast groups, get it ready! Hit'em when they close!"
Unfamiliar crossbow
E-Terah cursed when Beylinda announced the presence of all-too-familiar stirges. Nasty,blood-sucking,diseased pests.
She winced when one of the girls latched onto her backpack and shrieked in her ear.It caused her to fumble,her shot spoiled and stabbing into the ground pathetically off-target.Shaking her off with a scolding sound,her voice deepened and sounding like tumbling rocks due to her curse.
The she dwarf moved herself to the head of the group of girls,who pointed and cowered in agitated fear at the sight of the approaching danger aloft on batlike wings.Switching out the odd crossbow due her unfamiliarity with it, she held up her maulaxe with one hand to either slash with its axes head or crush with its sledge end. It also have her a 10 foot reach--- she could attack and hopefully put them down before they even had a chance to stick a proboscis into her.
As an afterthought,she drew the hood of her leather cloak up over her head to protect her neck where her stoneplate didn't cover.
Once one of the fluttering vermin came close enough, she lashed out.Attk DMG
No you can't burn the building down annie. she replies with a smile.
Annie frowns at the restriction. shucks
Annie hears about the stirges. bugs....yeah they can ...Burn.. she says with a mischievous grin.
since at present they are not quite close Annie mumbles some arcane words and her whole body is suddenly engulfed in a flame for a few seconds then as the flame dies down annie has a slight reddish orange glow about her.
Once close enough Annie starts to count the stirges trying to pick one out. einey, meeny, miney...
she unleashes a fire bolt
AC: 17, T: 13
HP: 23 / 23
Round 2
Don't let any one them bite you, they will drain your blood.
Shrugging his shoulders Gethric laments "There is aught of use that I can be against such prey... unless of course... they dream...". He readies his morningstar in one hand and Naja grows agitated upon his shoulders.
You know about as much about stirges as the regular traveler. They suck blood from their victims and are a common pest around swampy areas. They are usually most active at dawn and dusk.
Beylinda's bolt tears through one of the creatures, dropping it into the reeds. E-terah and Thom have less luck, their shots going wide.
As the swarm draws near, Gethric extends his hand and a stirge begins to buzz in drunken circles, falling onto the road's edge. Annie's firebolt sears a wing off another, which immediately turns away. It's attention fully occupied with trying to fly. At the same time, two pink tentacles shot up from the reeds, wrap around a stirge and pull them down. A second later you hear the sound of chitin crunching.
Now the swarm is upon you! The creatures focus on those in the front, largely ignoring the girls behind you. Three land on Beylinda, Thom, and Gethric! The pathfinder and companions feel the needle mouths begin to suck them dry.
As they fly about her, E-terah cleaves though one with her axe. but her attack provides an opening for a lucky stirge.
Two leave the bigger folk to focus on Annie, their needles avoiding the magical barrier.
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The she-dwarf grimaced as one of the stirges bit her and proceeded to drain blood like she was a cold drink with a straw on a hot day.More.swarmed over her.
She growled in a deep bass baritone like shifting gravel and activated one of her few remaining spells for the day.She shook her head until her hood fell free,exposing her mohawked head. A thin outline of scintillating gold flashed around her and her hair and sideburns bristled and stiffened,standing on end like a dog with its hackles raised.It became jagged and metallic like a wire brush,giving her a rather frightening appearance.
An spell of dwarven origin,aptly named Ironbeard to grant more protection and an additional attack that enabled one to attack with hair or beard as though wielding cold iron spikes. She swung her head,raking at the swarming stirges with her sharp Mohawk like it was an axeblade mounted upon her skull.
She'd have to wash her hair throughly to rid it of chitin and gore.
Attk
Dmg
She held up her free hand,the leather glove encasing it starting to shed chalky white smoke as acidic alkaline salt seethed into being in her palm. She swatted at the crowding vermin with a backhanded slap,aiming at whichever one was upon her.
The shortbow drops as longsword and shield flick into Thom's hands. "Yes, mister Ranger who just saved my life," Thom quips blackly in a mockingly-high voice as he tries to gouge one of the huge blood-sucking bug-things, "you might also want to know that the road we mentioned is infested with big-ass bugs that'll drain you in minutes." He punctuates the sarcastic finish with a back-handed shield bash on a second stirge. "You could have mentioned the stirges, girls!"
Round 3
don't worry thom we will survive this like everything else...
Annie stats to freak out at the giant insects latching onto her. she frantically starts to grab at them trying to rip them off
HP 20 / 23(20) (lost three due to 2 con damage)
AC 17 | T 13
"Not us i'm worried about," Thom grunts with a dark look back at the girls.
I know they should be able to survive this encounter also if we kill the stirge fast enough thom
"Then who's to keep me from killin' em?" Its clear his dark humor is just out of frustration.
the fact that these blood suckers are flying i guess !
E-terah tries to cast a spell, but is distracted by the thing attempting to eat her alive. The spell fizzles. Fortunately, the stirge still buzzing around her is unable to find a chink in her stone armor.
Thom and Beylinda each dispatch a stirge, and Thom's shield batters another, but not enough to slay it, and only death will stop them now.
Gethric makes a disgruntled sound and gestures to one attached to him. It begins to twich and spasm, but remains attached.
Annie struggles to tear the things off her, but their clawed feet and barbed proboscis are more than her little hands can manage.
Round 4
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Grapple check
E-Terah tore at the stirge draining her with a frantic clawing of her free arm.
Feeling her heath slowly fade Annie again tries to rip it free
HP 17 / 23(17) (lost 6 due to 4 con damage)
AC 17 | T 13
surrent con score 11 / 15
A human man wearing some kind of light and unencumbering armor carrying a bow appears on the hill behind the party. He is close to 200 paces away but moving towards you. Your attention is attracted to him after he moves because of the casting of an obvious spell. He moves again this time moving a double move and ends right at 110 feet away. He is calling something in a strange language.
You get the feeling he is not hostile towards you.
Thom is too busy trying to squish blood-suckers to give too much attention to the approaching man. He slams his shield back into the injured stirge before trying to skewer the final one on his blade.
All the while, his black rant continues, "… and next they'll just kind of forget to mention that their town unilaterally burns outsiders as some kind of sacrifice to whatever idiot gods they pray to here.."
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In a few moments the remaining stirges lie broken on the old road. Though weakened by the loss of blood, it's good to know the locals, at least some of them, are friendly and competent. The bow-wielding stranger proving to be an accurate shot.
The girls seem happy to see him, though you get the sense that they do not know him personally and are merely happy to have someone who they can at least talk to. That Thom, and he is not alone in this, is glaring daggers helps provide motivation to get chummy with the newcomer.
The man himself is friendly enough, and, after some judicious spell use and pantomiming, he joins your band.
Continuing north between rock and water, the rest of the journey is uneventful, if a bit unnerving. The fowl are so loud you feel an ogre could sneak behind you unnoticed. Also disconcerting are the massive plumes of smoke rising across the valley, it looks like the arrival of a pillaging army! Though River and the girls pay it no mind, so perhaps this is normal?
As road begins to separate from ridge, the ridge itself turning into a line of hills and curves sharply to the west. The lake comes to an abrupt end. No reeds and gradually shallowing edge, but rather an abrupt transition from open water to earthen dike. A hamlet rests along the dike, many of the houses being built on the barrier itself, with docks for back porches, and here you see another curious thing, the boats. While the houses themselves seem familiar enough, made of brick and boards, though they all seem to have enourmous windows, made from one or more pieces of glass of perfect clarity and and smoothness some three feet by two. Only craftsmen from such fabled cities as Jadderhoff and Absalom can produce the equal, and charge a small ransom for such pieces. As for the boats, they all seem to be made of single, impossibly large, pieces of metal that were somehow pressed into the desired shape, rowboats mainly.
A welcoming party comes to greet you, consisting of some dozen individuals bearing crossbows and a swords, though only a few have donned any armor. The leader is a middle-aged man outfitted much like the bodies you found in the lookout hut. He is also the only one to wield a crossbow identical to yours, though some of the others seem similar. A rather long, and vigorous, conversation between River and the uniformed man seems to end the matter, except that the uniformed man returns with a horse and accompanies you. So much for subtly.
From the hamlet you can also see your destination of Merrill, a few miles further to the north and west and clearly a town of at least decent size. An odd tower, a cyclinder of shining metal mounted on five legs rises a hundred feet and more, rises from the middle. The road from the hamlet on is the black pavement, with cracks and holes obviously having been filled by the same material. The land from here on is clearly divided. Most being perfectly flat fields and pasture, anything elevated, such as the hillsides, covered in bushes and scrub-grass. Canels, some like small rivers crisscross the land, running along the hillsides and cutting the flatland into squares. Farmsteads, thorps really, occur every half-mile or so, probably a landowner and a few hired families. And here you see the source of the smoke, workers setting fire to ditches, and a few fields, clearing away last year's stubble and river reeds.
Though your band attracts some curious gazes, and some shouted conversations, mostly to the uniformed man, though some to River, everyone seem preoccupied with planting, herding, or irrigating.
Arriving at the town itself, you see all manner of houses, brick, timber, volanic stone, sheet metal, and even some that seem to be sided in a substance you have never seen before. The wagons, though mostly with wooden wheels and beds seem to have frames made entirely of steel. Aside from some odd constructions, such a entire sides of shops made of panes of glass, the people and businesses seem largely recognizable. Townsfolk are townsfolk wherever you go, and spend a great deal more time looking, pointing, and, undoubtedly, gossiping than the field workers.
Crossing a bridge to the center of town, you are met by a large crowd. Perhaps a dozen individuals with the same uniform as your escort, several persons, men and women both, with a look of officialdom, and several families that, judging by the shouting, crying, running, etc. are who your girls belong to. Noticably absent from the jubilation is your accused witch, who does a commendable job of hiding behind E-terah. Enveloped by the mob, you are maneuvered through the town's center, which is oddly just the intersection of two roads, to the metal tower, which looms over a large open area that appears to serve as the off center town square. Here the officious individuals begin to question you in earnest.
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Though River, at least you're pretty sure that's his name, doesn't seem to have any reaction to the 'witch' The hamlet official seems to have much the same attitude as the girls. Not the 'I'll tear your heart myself!' rage of Victoria, but if a Victoria were to do it well, no skin off my nose. Your mercenary sense of self preservation shouts, This is s&&& you do not want to step in, or do we wanted to get hanged?
Also, the engineering required to construct all these canals seem way beyond you would normally find in an area like this, unless a capital like Oppara is nearby. Actually, it does remind of Taldor and Qadira. Definitely wrong climate though, and the culture is all wrong.
Though River, at least you're pretty sure that's his name, doesn't seem to have any reaction to the 'witch' The hamlet official seems to have much the same attitude as the girls. Not the 'I'll tear your heart myself!' rage of Victoria, but if a Victoria were to do it well, no skin off his nose. As a Pathfinder, you've been in enough sticky situations to recognize this as one that will need to be treaded carefully.
Although you interest has been more in ancient civilizations, your eye for artifacts tells you that the Decemvirate would be most interested in this society's glass-working secrets. Clearly there is skill here unmatched in the Inner Sea, and nothing in this town looks capable of such work.
Fire! Fire everywhere! Entire fields burning! Reed filled ditches casting walls of flame up twenty feet and more!
Though River, at least you're pretty sure that's his name, doesn't seem to have any reaction to the 'witch' The hamlet official seems to have much the same attitude as the girls, and once you reach the hamlet, accused witch does her best to meld with your shadow. She is damned uncomfortable about something, and reaching Merrill has her upset as you've ever seen her.
The engineering required to construct all these canals seem way beyond you would normally find in an area like this, more like dwarven aqueduct work than anything you've seen humans make. All the irrigation work has you slightly in awe, and a bit concerned. Why would someone go to all the work, and it would have taken plenty, of changing swamp and scrubland into perfect fields? The valley isn't empty by any means, but it certainly isn't full, and there aren't any signs of a large city nearby to feed.
There are also a lot of machines in the fields most seem to be a type drawn by oxen that the user sits on top off, below 3-7 plows blades cut the earth. Efficient, but where are the dwarven forges to make something like that. The things are made entirely of steel!
Well, this is a strange group you've found. The girls are all locals from Merrill, you stopped in to stock up on a few supplies just yesterday. Someone had mentioned something about some girls that might be missing, but the law-keepers, here they call them sheriffs and deputies, seemed pretty competent. You remembered their description just in case, and this certainly seems like the bunch, though there appears to be one extra, and you get a faint sense of 'outsider' from her. She stays away from the others and near one of the strangers, the strangest of the strangers at that.
This one looks like an extremely short and wide woman wearing what certainly appears to be knight's armor made from stone! Looks pretty much just like the descriptions of dwarves you've heard, but nobody's actually seen one, because they don't exist. Demons, yes. Dragons, yes. Giants, oh my yes. Dwarves, nope. Or least that's popular belief. Guess the Rangers were right after all.
The others look pretty normal: White guy with sword and mail, indian girl with scimitar, white guy without armor and snake, spellweaver of some kind, and a kid. Hmm. They don't speak any language you've heard, and their gear isn't in a style you've ever seen before, and you recognize most.
Once things settle down the local girls tell you what happened. The four were staying at one of the girl's houses, a farmstead near the ridge, when a member of the Brotherhood broke in with a worm demon, killed those who fought, and threatened to kill everyone if the girls didn't come quietly. Traveling along the ridge to the Lava Beds, he captured a shepherd and his daughter out with their flocks.
Reaching an old pre-Change, he restrained the girls, handed the shepherd a piece of paper and told him to make the design on it. The shepherd complied, and seemed to know what he was doing, proving, in the girls' minds at least, that we have a demon-worshipper. People had suspected/knew it for a long time, but never had any proof.
Then, right before these five strangers appeared, the demon and man became extremely upset. At that moment, the shepherd slit his own throat, shouted something in an evil tongue, and laughed as he died. Then the worm demon crawled inside the fresh corpse and the strangers appeared and killed the Brotherhood and drove the demon away.
Also, that girl, the shepherd's daughter is clearly a demon-worshipper like her father, and therefore, well, you know... *hint*
Your experience is that people throw 'demon-worshiper' and 'witch' around pretty freely, often inaccurately. Then again there are plenty of witches, by some reckoning you are one yourself and are certainly friends with some, and demon-worshipers, also one yourself according to some people and have friends accused of the same, about. Though you have yet to interact knowingly with a true, in your mind, demon-worshiper. One of the CUT Seekers that can twist the mind and summon things clearly not from this world to do its bidding. Even the least of their servants that occasionally run loose cause plenty of harm, and everything you've heard of the ones summoned in the final battle of the CUT war tells you to keep your experience strictly third-hand.
After explaining the situation to the deputy in the lake-side village, named Stateline presumably because it lies on what used to be a state line, he thanks you for your help and asks you to accompany him and the party into town so the mayor and council can get the full story.
Once in Merrill, the crowd is much like you would expect. Happy families, curious neighbors, and council members impatient to get their questions answered. Once by the water-tower, the questions begin in earnest.
Aside, so brief Brotherhood info. Aryans are one of the main groups of Calis, this being a general term in Jefferson for people from the former state, currently so-called death-zone, of California. More specifically Cali refers to the brutal gangs of survivors that emerged from the chaos that was coastal and central-valley California and started moving/hunting north into Jefferson once supplies, and people, ran out. Here, calling someone a Cali is an insult that justifies homicide, implying as it does rape, murder, cannibalism, and, more recently, demon-worship.
Though most just say Brotherhood or Aryan interchangeably, to those in the know, Aryan refers to any member of the gang. Brotherhood refers to those members with magical ability.
Now Ranger info. It's a little spoilery-ish The Rangers, or as they prefer to be known, the Dúnedain Rangers, are one of the smaller distinctive groups in Montival. Founded by Astrid Larsson and Eilir Mackenzie, the group draws inspiration, or rather is based on, the works of Tolkien, whom they revere as the Translator and whose books are called the Histories and are regarded as holy, and are generally regarded by those who were adults before the Change as being bat-s~## insane. But hey, it's a insane world and they do good stuff. To those after the Change, they represent the epitome of Cool Good Guys. They live in forests and build their houses up in the trees, hunt down bandits and monsters, guard travelers, and have awesomely cool heraldry. They also have the only real elves/elf-kin in the descendants of Astrid. Thus Thom's pointy ears = high-ranking Ranger to anyone who isn't stupid. So the girls are understandably confused when he doesn't speak to them.
On more practical terms, they are all that and more, acting as border-patrol/FBI/CIA/Special Forces for the High Queen of Montival. They are supported by a universal tax, answer only to the High Queen, and have jurisdiction anywhere that isn't obviously controlled by someone else. To make things better, or worse, they accept probationers from any constituent part of the High Kingdom, regardless of social status, and even outsiders from beyond the borders. Laugh at social conventions, besides their own. Have two secret languages, sign and Sindarin Elvish. Worship their own pseudo-wiccan/catholic pantheon consisting of the Ainur and Eru Ilúvatar, particularly Manwë and Varda. And were founded by, and are still mostly made up of Mackenzies and Bearkillers, which does not endear them to others, Portland and Corvalis in particular.
What happened?
Who are you? Who are they? Why don't they speak?
Why do they E-terah and Beylinda have Sheriff equipment? This being the things from the look-out, particularly the fine crossbows.
Veronica says the girl's a witch!
Is the Brotherhood coming?
During our travel toward the city Beylinda will have used on annie to help her recuperate.
and yes DM she would have casted a comprehend language at the important moment in town (hers last 30 min)
also she would probably try through hands gesture to confer with Tthom and the girl accused of witchcraft to know if she wants to leave the party before it reach the town.
----
As the party moves trough the town beylinda's eyes look at the marvelous splendor of the structures before her. The technology those people posses was unparalleled, and yet they were all human. She had not been every where on golarion herself but she did read books about the major civilisation and while few secret old undiscovered old city stat were still left to be discovered in the Mwangi expanse nothing could compare to the city she now was walking in. A thought occurred to her maybe the Azlan artifact opened a door to a place where an Azlan colony fled to. And had used the millenias to further advance their civilisation. Excited about the prospect. Beylinda took her journal out and started to draw some of the amazing things she saw, including writing down her notes and idea.
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E-Terah grimaced at the ugly red puncture wound from one of the stirges bites,dapping at it with a wet cloth to staunch the bleeding and to clean it after she squeezed the ichor from it.Her flaring Mohawk and sideburns were standing on end due to her aggravation,much like a dog with its hackles raised about to fight.
She shared Thom's ire at the girls not trying to at least caution them about the blood sucking parasites.All of whom where intent on feasting on them to pay the quailing girl-children any mind.
She fought off a brief wave of dizziness from bloodloss before reaching into her adventurer's satchel at her hip and withdrawing a bit of her dwarven trail rations and hard applejack cider to bolster her recovery.A bit of food and strong drink would make her brisk.
She offered the strong cider to any of the others to partake in as an afterthought.Almost getting drained by a swarm of oversized mosquito creatures while herding noncommunicative teenagers through an unknown landscape was taxing.
E-Terah noticed that the so-called 'witch' had apparently chosen her as her new companion.The girl hovered around her much like a newborn lamb scurried underneath its mother's hooves.She scoffed in resignation--she always seemed to attract the oddest brats.
The stranger,who through extensive gestures and pointing,told them his name was simply River.It didn't take them too long to decide to follow his lead,especially since the girls greeted him excitedly in apparent recognition.
She also noted how he more or less gawked at her as though she were exotic,bizarre specimen he'd never laid eyes upon til now.She gave him an irritated glare in response,maulaxe swung casually over one shoulder.
All the while,the supposed witch became her shadow.
~~~~
A pang of homesickness made E-Terah watch the field workers toil away clearing the land.How she missed her family and the farmstead.Especially her animals....
By the Forgefather!
When she set eyes upon the massive oxen drawn plows,she was delighted and alarmed at once.What sort of forge churned that efficient bit of ironmongery forth? She would have to see for herself exactly how such examples of fantastic craftwork were produced and by who!!
A gleam akin to lust flashed in her eye at the thought.When she saw the excellent quality of the glass windows,all placed in odd positions upon equally unusual buildings,she tapped on to test its temper with a gloved knuckle.Making a satisfied noise in her throat,she eyed what appeared to be seafaring vessels molded out of streamlined metal.
....Gonna be takin me some samples when I get th'chance. Get me hands on th' schematics f'r th' designs here.she stroked her sideburns as she pondered.
~~~~~~~
The girl considered a witch by the other females grew paler with apparent apprehension the further they ventured into the township called Merrill. E-Terah squinted at her in scrutiny before clapping a hand on her back in what she hoped came across as reassuring.
She didn't truly know whether or not she was a malign demon worshiper or simply an outcast conveniently labeled.Accusations without proof often lead to tragic situations--especially those who aren't evil,simply misunderstood.
She would monitor the girl and keep her close.Determine what choice would be best.Guide and protect her like any responsible person would with an orphaned child hated and reviled by everyone else.
And put her down herself for the good of everyone else should such accusations prove true.
She held up her arm in a protective gesture as the girl hid behind her bulk,nearly crouching to better fit in the shadow she cast.'Til I find out what's what, this brat here is under mah protection.Her actions will prove whether 'o not she's tellin' th' truth o' it. Bear wit me,y'all.I jus' don' like condemning somebody based on speculation an' superstitions.
~~~~~~
When asked what happened,all E-Terah could do was shrug and quirk her brows.Damned if I be knowin'.
When asked who she was,she drew herself up proudly and flicked a hand through her flaring crest of hot pink tresses.Mah
name is Eldeth Terah Deepheavy,sister o' Gatherine,daughter o' Torgil Terah, of Houndshearth.She-dwarf.Farmer.Oracle o' stone. Now who be you? ...And,where we be?
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Thom slyly checks one last time to make sure the tips of his ears are hidden in his unruly hair as he crosses into the town's center… under the strange tower. He wonders for the dozenth time what purpose the tower serves. Tall enough to be a watch tower, but getting into, out of, and around it seems too ungainly… it's gotta be the worst watch tower ever. Though it's certainly tall enough.
He doesn't even seem to realize that the miles spent marching – or, more specifically, the series of strange discoveries of this place – has completely melted his earlier black mood. As they pass over the bridge, he mutters back to Beylinda and the group, "I still don't know where we are. These canals are too developed for such a back-water-looking little town. Maybe we're close to a capitol city? Oppara, maybe? Never been there. Then again… other than the weather, this place could be Taldor or Qadira." He shrugs as if to say, if that makes any sense.
As the group stops in the center of the town, Thom looks at the gathered crowd of locals, somehow sensing that this would be a good time to understand what people are saying. He wipes his forehead, muttering a few sounds that are gibberish even to him, and rubs the sweat between his thumb and forefinger. With the usual mental twisting sensation, the words of everyone present do a supernatural side-step, locking into an "understandable" position to his ears. What was a second before a chorus of alien words is now mirrored in his mind with comprehensible statements and questions from everyone present.
He shakes his head, barely keeping himself from scowling at his group, "Beylinda.. E-Terah… give them back their gear. I don't know how we're going to convince them we didn't kill those boys back at that station, but it's not gonna look good for us if we don't look like we're trying to be helpful. And I don't suppose any of us have a way of getting them to understand what we say? Otherwise, this could be a frustrating conversation for everyone."
He looks over at E-Terah, and the 'witch' that's sheltering behind her, "You want my advice? We should let them handle this. It's their conflict, and we don't have a clue what kind of sh!t we're stepping in." His look to E-Terah clearly says, I have your back, but until I know more, I don't have hers.
Annie just follows along thanking Beylinda for the healing.
She does not engage in much conversation though during rest stops she does have a tendency to star small fires to burn insects.
also talking to her bear, Tibbers. As they walk on Annie gets bored on occasion Are we there yet? comes out every once in a while.
Annie occasionally wanders toward what she believes to be a big fire. but is quickly ushered back to the group.
eventually they reach town Annie just keeps quiet not understanding anything said. but she pays particular attention to anyone that points at her, or stares at her for any length of time. she tries her hardest to not summon any flames while in the village, based on the fact to how they treat the other girl they accuse of being a witch. of course burning the village would be neat, it would not be practical.
During the the fight with the stirges River proves deadly with his bow, launching what seem to be metal shafted arrows at the creatures in the air with better than average precision. He closes as he fires, moving and firing over multiple rounds. When no more stirges remain flying he drops his strange compound bow (pulleys) and closes with an axe of a strange material whose handle is not quite metal or wood. When no one is in any danger he goes around making sure each stirge is dead. After the fight he tends to your wounds with considerable skill (+10 Heal) and a healers kit full of all sorts of wonders. He uses healing magic on the most wounded of the group.
He does take particular note of E-Terah and is frustrated that he cannot talk to her. He also notes Thom's ears, and seems to switch languages afterwards, trying to speak to him in what likely sounds more familiar to the group. (Sylvan anyone?) He is obviously positively influenced by Thom's ears and discourages him from covering them up, but does not prevent it.
He talks to all the girls to get their story, and spends more time with the "witch" than the others. He seems to scold the others, but gives up. You might get the idea that he is frustrated with their behavior towards the girl. After hearing her full story he actually hugs her, and attempts to comfort her.
Just before the group is ready to move on he whistles loudly and a young mountain lion comes bounding up. He introduces the cat to each person there letting the cat get their scent and encouraging everyone to pet the animal to the point of familiarity. Finally he seems ready to go. He gives the cat some sort of command and it bounds off ahead of the group, obviously scouting ahead. At one point it the trip it comes back with a game bird in its mouth, obviously proud of its kill. River takes the bird almost reverently and quickly field dresses it with the obvious skill of a practiced hunter.
As the group passes through the farm land River stops to talk to some of the farmers. He seems to give them advise now and again. In one case he casts a quick spell and creates gallows of water to fill a trough for a man trying to carry water a long way for his livestock. In another he casts a spell of guidance on a woman trying to repair a tool. A few of the famers seem to either know him or know of him; you are not sure. All seem to appreciate his help and a couple make small gifts to him; An apple hear, a small loaf of bread there. River shares whatever he gets with the group, but always thanks the river and they says some sort of prayer before he shares.
In general you get an earthy wholesome feel for River. He would come across as a cross between Grizzly Adams and a 1970's flower child. He seems very comfortable outside in nature and because he cannot speak with you gravitates to talking to the girls, doing what he can to ease any tensions between them.
beylinda took an idea and used.
the one thing all race had in common to communicate was drawing. So while she understood the strangers she mimic the act of righting and even produce some parchment to help communicated her desire.
once paper has been brought to her she looks at it bizarrely trying to figure out how it is different from her parchment. Same thing with the writing pen. it was something she had never seen before.
With those in hands she began to draw their story (her skills at it are no better than those of a 5 year old) starting the moment they appear in the summoning circle
then follow up with the battle, their going into the strange glass building (with the corps and the "items" and then their trek to get to their current location.
she then take a new sheet of paper draw a for small arrows (N=S=E=W) and a small island (absolom) then draws her and the rest of the party.
then she points to River and ask him to do the same. (mimic to him to make the map as big a complet as he can)
Promptly handing over of the equipment you appropriated is well received by the sheriff, a vigorous middle-aged man of the, seemingly, Andoran ethnicity.
Thanks for bringing 'em back. Don't know how you got tangled up with Aryans or April's family, a sideways glance at your accused clarifying his meaning and I'm guessing you don't either, so we won't hold it against you. Though if you could tell us where you're from it'd be helpful. Last thing I need is some Indian king thinking we stole his daughter or something. And don't worry about borrowing the gear, I'd have taken any help I could find crossing Devil's Homestead at night too. That takes balls.
At Beylinda's gestures, pen and paper are brought forth, as well as a slate with chalk. The officials, mostly clerks and some town council members, watch the drawings with interest, asking the girls for clarification as to what particular images mean. After a bit of back and forth, they realize that Beylinda can understand them also, promptly overwhelming her with another barrage of the questions already asked.
Encouraging Beylinda to expand her drawing of the Inner Sea, the expressions only become more confused, not less. A shouted request sends a person running, to later return with the most exquiste map you've ever seen. A globe, about the size of an ogre's head, showing all the continents and oceans of this world, a quick examination tells you that this is clearly not Golarion, in precise detail and scale, the mountain ranges are even raised!
The gestures seem to center on an area that looks suspiciously similar to the Inner sea, but far too different for there to be any hope that this is just a extremely precise, but inaccurate map. Gesturing to themselves and the valley around them, they indicate a point not too far from the ocean on a continent on the far side of the globe.