I have heard that you distinguished yourself in the battle. This is. . . well. The council is preparing to reorganize the defenses of the Peak, and you are to play a part in this, but for House Dawnstone, I fear our fortunes are not flagging high tides- worse still because our last caravan from the Empire pass is long overdue. I fear that something has befallen them, and without the gold they were meant to bring I do not know how we can recover.
You might help the family in this, then? I can give you the route they were meant to come, you can rally some of your companions and follow their route back and find some trace of them?
I know, of course, that you could not leave immediately- but you could depart within a week, after the Council meeting?
If you will consent, I will make preparations."
"Are there any politics among the members of council that I should be aware of?" Durnim asks.
”Thank ye. I’ll do the clan proud.” Truth he told this was the last thing he wanted to hear. He enjoyed his life as a miner and mason. There was a reason that he hadn’t marched with the army when it left. He had never thought of himself as a warrior. And yet here he was. Being given an order to join the defense of the hold. It was not something he could turn down, nor would he dishonor himself by trying.
”As the defense of our home is a priority, I saw first hand our defenses. They can be improved. Oldstone should be the ones to do it as well. The walls...the moat was too narrow. A battering ram was used by the orcs to bridge it. Luckily my powers made it fall into the water, but it should not have been that easy. Also, the orcs put ladders up on the gates. Again, far too easy for them. The gates should be doubled in height, so siege engines would be needed. And, with an expanded moat, that will be doubly hard. Third!” As a mason he was getting into the swing of this. ”The walls need artillery. We were fortunate that the orcs swarmed us. But if they had brought catapults or trebuchets, then we would have been defenseless. Even more than that, back to the gates. Ah, if they were twice as tall, we could expand it into being a gatehouse. Double portcullis, with murderholes. We barely held off what was it? It seemed like fifty or so orcs in that charge. Even with them falling at every step they still managed to reach the courtyard. That was unacceptable. We are Oldstones! Given a few months, maybe years, we could make our city impenetrable.” There was a hint of yearning in his voice. He wanted nothing more than to be on such a project. Between him in Khazuk he was sure that the battlements alone could be made strong enough to beat back an orc attack twice as large with ease. And that wasn’t even considering an attack by giants. Or dragons! Now that he was leaving, his mind was suddenly awash with scores of projects that needed completing.
Rubius walks over to Zechariah and nods, smiling. "Some fine animals you've got here. Good stock. Plenty of heart. Strong. I like the look of them."
Durnim heads to the cathedral of Spiryth. He will casually gather information about the Kragmores among the priests. Maybe, he'll get an audience with a Kragmore.
Thurgrom asks around about the Kragmores. The main response he gets from several sources is this, "Kilgain Kragmore doesn't take appointments anymore. He's rarely even seen at the Cathedral outside service days." The third time you get essentially the same answer it certainly stands out.
[Spoiler=Status of family contacts]
Cirrus- complete (Durnim)
Dawnstone- complete (Ungebrochen)
Goldbeard- reports (Vargas)
Ironfire- reports (Vargas)
Kragmore- reports (Durnim)
Oldstone- complete (Kragg)
Tunderbar- scheduled (Thurgrom)
Wrenwrain- in progres (Rubius)
Later the first day, the mynrughdaer returns with a masterwork bow to the barracks, and looks for Halfbeard. When the inquisitor is found, Thurgrom presents the weapon to Rubius. "I hope you find it to your liking, Rubius."
When the rest of the newest defenders of Goldpeak return to the barracks, Thurgrom calls them all together to tell them about the appointment with Donella Thunderbar on the 23rd Attrianna and that among them who wish to present themselves may attend.
Ungebrochen just nods and replies.
"Your will be done! I will inquire what can be done and return!"
Afterwards he will return to the others to inquire what their plans are for the next weeks.
The next day Vargas spent looking up what information he could gather on the Goldbeard's upcoming plans.
Vargas Diplomacy: As you work your way through the various vendors and hirelings who are being enlisted in Grimm Goldbeard's plans they are seemingly unusually tight lipped about what's going on, the Goldbeard must be paying top coin for secrecy for the time being.
Eventually, however, your efforts pay off and you meet with a baker named Fillandro.
"I'm up to my beard in baking flour! So many cakes to bake, big ones too- one for every table at the Goldbeard's ball! Oh my! Please don't tell anyone else, would you? Lord Goldbeard's planned a massive ball for Midwinter's Night- the most elaborate that the Peak has seen in a generation, and he's sparing no expense- all the young nobility will be there!"
Rubius nods with a grin "Aye. I'd like nothing better than to take to the skies with these fine beasts." He waves Tawny over, who had been staying out of the stables nervously "Unfortunately my furry friend won't get to ride with me..."
When Thurgrom presents him with the bow, Rubius is overjoyed. "Alright! This thing will fire like the wind! Wow I can really feel the ZIP it's got behind it. Thanks!"
He then goes to find Ungebrochen. "I've been working on a belt for Kragg. I think I'm getting there but I could use a hand with the finishing touches. Could ya help me out?"
Downtime
Kragg stood in front of the walls, surrounded by death. There hadn't been time to clear out the bodies of the orcs. They lay in mounds, where they had fallen. The orcs of the vale had charged in with suicidal bravery, throwing themselves against the walls. Kragg looked over the carnage, lost in thought. He didn't want to be a soldier. He didn't want to be a warrior. He was an Oldstone. That meant that he was SUPPOSED to be a mason, a miner, an engineer. Behind him were the walls of his home, and in front of him were piles of orcish dead. That truly was the position that he was in, literally and metaphorically.
But until the council demanded his presence, he had freedom to do what he wanted. So he went to work.
Basic Geokinesis
* Element(s) earth; Type utility (Sp); Level 1; Burn 0
* You can move up to 5 pounds per kineticist level of rocks, loose earth, sand, clay, and other similar materials up to 15 feet as a move action. You can search earthen and stone areas from a distance as if using the sift cantrip.
This day, it was the moat that he would be working on. Khazuk had told him that Gold Peak's moat should be at least thirty feet deep and twelve feet wide. The purpose of it was to keep siege engines away from the walls, something which the moat had nearly failed to do. If another force attacked, one that had the patience for a long siege, it would have been easy enough to fill in the moat, or to make their own bridge. That wouldn't do.
Tirelessly Kragg went to work. The depth of the water wasn't a concern for him, as dry moats could be just as effective.
Hour after hour, Kragg worked. One of the practical benefits of what he was doing was that the orc bodies were slipping into the water, causing them to be carried away by the flow. It was certainly a method of disposing of bodies, even though it meant that they were now someone else's problem.
What he cared about the most was making his home safer. Everyone would know that the Oldstones stood with Gold Peak, and that even if they did not produce the greatest of warriors, they were just as integral to the hold's security. He just wished that he had a few years to work on the walls themselves. They were just far too short. He was sure that between him and Khazuk, real improvements could be made. Improvements enough that Gold Peak would never have to worry about barbaric hordes of orcs attacking as such ever again. Sadly, that was not what his fate had decreed. So he had to settle on leaving what mark he could.
Vargas pondered for a while on the invitation by Donella Thunderbar. A powerful member of the Council. While it looked to be a thank you with honor there could always be more. She could be looking at shoring up status and position. Or perhaps effectively associating their group with her; causing other Council factions displeasure. Safely weaving the high seats of power was always treacherous. He gathered his shawl for anonymity and sought out what information he could, hoping that his fears were unfounded.
Profession Spy: As you work the sources and informants you have you find that there have been scouts and spies out on missions scouting locations- various defense towers, forts, and other battlements further out from the core of Gold Peak. The scuttlebutt is that her play is to strengthen her power by consolidating control of the military by building a force projection platform, but none of the military minds can offer a rebuttal to the idea that the outlying battlements need to be restored to working order for defense. . .
Rubius hems and haws a little then spits it out "Look. I'm no good with fine talk. But I gotta ask ya something. We've got a meeting with the Council coming up and I think they're gonna task us with something. I want to be as ready as I can so Tawny and I can do our duty. If we're gonna be traveling, I gotta pack dried meat for him and all that. Maybe even something warm to wear since he doesn't have his full winter coat in right now. Do you have any ideas what they're gonna ask us?"
The young Wrenwrain scion leans in and takes on a hushed half whisper as he speaks, "I don't know it all, I don't know it all by half, but I know that the council, Thunderbar really, wants to man some posts outside the city. We've had riders out scouting, and House Wrenwrain and some of the new Skycaptains have selected a post, an aerie really, that overlooks towards the Hidden Plateau. Well, towards where we've always thought the Hidden Plateau was, you know, since it is hidden.
So we are manning that. I hear the Ironfires may be setting up a force at a fort out in the hinter farmlands. I don't know who else- Ariel was almost browbeaten into agreeing to this, what with her being so distraught over her father's death.
Regardless, if they want to see you, they most likely want to assign you to some fort, or post, or . . . something?"
I think this has wrapped up basically everything ahead of the meeting with Donnella Thunderbar; I'll post this update when I get home from work tonight.
I added influence tracker to the folder, and some basic guidelines on gaining influence to the subsystems document- basically is 100x new rank temporary to gain a permanent influence, with influence gained through story awards, or in downtime checks with a roll/10 rounded down to nearest 1 rate- so roll/check of 10+ for 1, 20+ for 2, 30+ for 3.
You can use Diplomacy for that roll, or another appropriate skill for the House/organization, but need to declare which house/organization you are working on (or general Fame which is also on the sheet and works the same way.)
Thunderbar Hall impresses you with its scope and grandeur as you wait in a series of three separate sitting or waiting rooms, having been ushered to the next after various periods of time. If the tales are correct, only Goldbeard Citadel, Nimbus Palace, and the Cirrus Summer Palace are as ornate or large as Thunderbar Hall.
You half expected to be ushered into a grand throne style receiving room, as even some of the lesser houses use, but instead at the end, the hook nosed accountant who comes to retrieve you from the parlor you sat in leads you past the door that must house the House Chair to a small, almost tiny office.
Donella Thudnerbar sits behind an ornate desk, made of richest mahogany, and ornately carved with figures depicting the history of the Thunderbar clan, with oversized Bruidon Storm, Tareth Thunder, and Morten Thudnerbars featured prominently in the center.
Donella is dressed in a stylish, though practical dress, and wears only a single ornate ring- the Thudnerbar crest as way of jewelry. Her graying hair is pinned up with a pair of ivory combs, and her clear blue eyes seem to piece through to your souls as she looks up from her papers to greet you.
"Good morrow, friends. I assume you have learned some of what I mean to use your little cabal for already, orders all around for secrecy being practically invitations for loose lips as they are.
I may as well get right to it then. We did well in this last battle, in no small part thanks to your own efforts, but the Orcs of the Hidden Plateau may be the least of the enemies arrayed against us- hill giants, dragons, and the fire giant King Nechezzar himself may one day come bashing down our door.
Fortunately, it is winter. The orc assault will almost surely be the last until the spring- and by then we may be able to regain the initiative. There are stragglers of survivors making their way back to the Peak every day, and there are. . . other plots in play to generate fighting forces.
But we need to harden our defenses, and not just the tunnels and ramparts. I plan to reclaim and refit some of the outer fortifications. These have fallen into disrepair in the past generations, but in the old days there was a series of forts pressed out fair and wide, protecting the hinterlands- our farms and farmers which feed the peak.
I'd like your group to take responsibility for one of these. In deference to the status of some of you as members of high families, I have even decided to offer you the choice," Donella hands over three envelopes with some information concerning the options she has for you, "No need to answer now. Consider your choices, and when you come before the council. I'm sure you have questions though, so by all means, ask away."
Kragg was quite clearly impressed by the obvious wealth, and the lack of need to exaggerate it. Dressed in his usual ceremonial armor, displaying the colors and symbols of Oldstone, he still felt under dressed.
He listened respectfully to the matriarch, and read through the three options. At length he said ”As an Oldstone, my desires are obviously the first one. It’s the closest to my heart and where I will be the most useful. But I would not be so presumptuous to make a decision of such import alone.”
Rubius shrugs. "I'd be happiest at the border fort. Nice fresh air and wild lands." He shakes his shaggy hair at the joyful thought of it. "But I'd be ok with the tunnels. Just don't put me in some fancy villa!" He makes a face of disgust.
Thurgrom frowns at Halfbeard's answer. "I would prefer the villa myself. My second choice would be the border fort. But I shall put my best efforts into whatever the group consensus turns out to be."
Vargas bowed with a flourish before Donnella. "I offer thanks for the information ahead of the meeting." he said before continuing. "I am sure my companions will all take up your generous gift of time to evaluate our options. May I also enquire as to what you may suggest yourself would be the wisest place to aid our Nation?" he finished, listening attentively.
Durnim politely awaits his turn to ask his questions. He pauses to listen between answers.
"Thank you very much for the opportunity. I have four questions:"
"Do the quarry and vineyard have ready labor forces, or do we need to recruit laborers?"
"Would you know if Gold Peak is in particular shortage for quarried stone or wine?"
"Do any of the options come with titles or allegiances to particular Houses, or will the titles and allegiances tie directly to the throne?"
"Will the council nominate one of us to make decisions, in case we cannot reach consensus. A first, among equals?"
Donella considers Vargas' question then answers, "All three are vital. I will be seeking other agents to act in parallel to your own efforts at the sites you reject."
Turning to Thurgrom you addresses his questions in order, "The quarry is active- you may need to replace and increase labor forces, but it is turning stone even today. The vineyard is ready to be worked, but unmanned; fortunately you have time before the planting season.
The peak has its share of quarries- the Oldstone own quite a few themselves, as for wine- well let us say that Gold Peak is known more for mead and beer than wine, but the imported Imperial Vintages which the Dawnstone's bring in on their caravans can be quite expensive.
No, the Peak is not big on noble titles, and this is all going through a military channel- so you may earn rank, but yes, allegiance to the throne and the council of course.
As for who you'll nominate to be your lead- we'll not dictate that. Were it up to me, I'd likely choose a Thunderhammer for lead, but Chenna Cirrus may feel a Hornblower more fit for command- best to let you decide your own hierarchy if you need one."
Kragg kept his mouth shut. Of course, the Thunderhammers or Hornblowers would be in charge. He just hoped that there would be enough glory left over for everyone else.
Rubius scratches the back of his head and asks "Well ma'am... Do ye know anything about what kind of creatures, foes, or otherwise we might encounter in each place? Personally, I like tussling with the wildest stuff I can find that won't eat me in one gulp. Also, there wouldn't be poachers involved at any of these locations, would there?"
Donella nods, "We have some scouting reports from each-
The border fort has your usual assortment of wild creatures- wolf packs in the area, bears, and owlbears. Or scouts saw several of what they described as potential troll barrows. Of course, it is to the East- in the direction of Frostfang's lair and the Rondon pass and the Hill Giants who live near that.
The quarry near the tunnels has reported dire rat attacks recently, so there must be a large nest somewhere nearby. Periodically all the tunnels face underground creatures- stray troglodytes, wild giant geckos, colossal spiders, very rarely a behir. Of course, there's rumors that there is a connection to the Between Lands nearby- so more powerful, dangerous foes may lurk beneath on the dark. And of course, some orcs did get into the tunnel- it's towards the north. We don't know if the Orcs of the Hidden Plateau know of the entrance to it or sure, they could have been just a few that were lost, but if they do and they mount another attack, the tunnel fort would be the first line of defense there.
As to the Villa, it's in more civilized lands and not near any enemies. Of course, it's higher on the mountains, so Perytons, wild griffons, and rocs may be an issue. And being in more civilized lands, there's more of a population nearby, which may require diplomacy, and may be vulnerable to enemy infiltration, especially hill dwarves loyal to the frost dwarves in the far south.
Also, the Villa being so near the center of Gold Peak itself, if any foe marched a large enough invasion force overland, you'd be sure to be in the path of part of it."
Vargas suppressed a raised eyebrow as Donella avoided his invitation on revealing her preference, he listened attentively to the other questions and answers.
The next day he put together a report for the Oldstones and delivered it to the head of the clan. Speaking of the choice put to them, Goldbeard's ball, the Ironfire's deeds, and the Kraggmore's activities. An included note asked for feedback on the Oldstone preference of location.
He then spent the next three successive days searching for information both current and historical from sources available to hopefully find any issues or boons in each site that may further sway his companions.
Ungebrochen will retreat into his laboratory and work on a few items.
Smokestick, flasks of acid and a tanglefoot bag.
Rubius comes to visit Ungebrochen in his lab. "Er... Uh... Hi there. I'm not much for magic but I'm trying my hand. Could you help me finish this up?" He holds up a belt with tigers, lions, and pumas stitched all over it along with some gorgeous crystalline beads.
Thurgrom bows deeply to Donnella Thunderbar. "Thank you, Lady Thunderbar. You have certainly given much for us to consider. If there is nothing else, I feel we", indicating to his fellow defenders, "should retire to ponder the information gleamed by this meeting."
"Thank you for your time and preview of the council's actions, Lady Thunderbar." Durnim retires politely.
Durnim will return to House Cirrus to brief Chenna of the meeting with Thunderbar and ask her advice and counsel.
Vargas turns over his information to the Oldstones, and while Yintar seems unimpressed, his secretary takes the information and imparts his thanks.
Vargas gathers further information about the areas, but none of the details weight the scale particularly in any direction.
Durnim and Thurgrom lead the rest of the party out with grace and poise, and you find yourselves feeling that the meeting with Donella went well.
When Durnim meets with Chenna Cirrus again, she does not have much to say of which will be better, save a look of revulsion at the tunnels, "We're cloud dwarves- we are meant to be able to see the clouds."
When Ungebrochen arrives back to the quarters he has a packet of information from Countess Chery Dawnstone containing some maps detailing the route the missing caravan was supposed to travel to return to Gold Peak.
[ooc]That will put us moving ahead to the 27th pending any other inquiries the party wants to make, and another 3 downtime days each.
[ooc]+1[/dice]
+7 total
For two days Kragg took a break from expanding the moat. While a worthwhile endeavor, he now knew that he would be stationed within the noble’s villa. While this might have seemed like a cushy position, his heart was made from stone. All that he could think of was the ruined hill fort. To him, that was a challenge. That was a project worth completing. So he made the rounds through the Clan, gathering information about the land and the areas around it. Engineers and masons were consulted to draw up plans on how to best fortify it, and he consulted with the longest of beard about how best to use the powers of his blood to work the stone. But most of all, he wanted to make sure that the Oldstones saw the value of putting their name to the defense of Gold Peak, and how this should be part of it. By the third day it was clear to him that he had gotten all of the information that he was going to get.
The Council Chamber is grand, not as large as the King's throne room, but with the nine high chairs, one for each of the houses plus the largest, empty throne for the King, it is impressive enough. The business that goes before you are called forward includes several seemingly trivial matters, then there are a few other groups recognized with lower order medals, some appointments are made, the Stormhammer children successfully petition to remove their drunk father and replace him with Valia, the oldest child, finally it is your chance to be called forward.
Medals are hung around your neck, then the council outlines the information you already know- you are being tasked with developing a military presence outside the Gold Peak proper, after the run down, Grim Goldbeard looks at you. . .
"You will accept this task then? Which of the positions will you choose?"
Having practiced diligently at his court etiquette, Kragg appeared in his finest clothes for the occasion. He went through the motions the ‘trivial’ matters with as much grace as he could muster, and accepted the medal graciously.
”Elders, just as my fellow scions fought bravely on the walls, in the tunnels, and through the streets, we cannot turn down the honor of defending our homeland. After much discussion, we believe that we can do the most good at the Villa. Speaking for Clan Oldstone, it has come to my attention that the fortifications there are in dire need of repair, and dare I say, construction. I, for one, will do all in my power to make this area secure. For the glory of Gold Peak, I thank ye all for the this opportunity.”
Rubius nods his agree while keeping his clumsy mouth shut. But he keeps a careful eye on the Council members as Kragg voices their choice.
Standing before the Council in his finest courtier outfit, the impressive storm dwarf step forward.
"Members of the Council, I wish to nominate Durnim Hornblower for the title Effendi. I believe him to both eager and capable for the position."
Cinnamare Ironfire looks to Chenna Cirrus, "Hornblower are relatives of House Cirrus, no? And this title is . . .?"
Chenna meets the beautiful fire dwarf's gaze, "Small, but connected to the estate in question."
Grimm Goldbeard laughs, "House Goldbeard has no issue with conferring this title; your lot grub around after fairly petty sums, but we cannot all have the wealth and glory of Goldbead."[b] he strokes his eloquently coiffed and elaborate bear, the many gold trinkets braided into the beard jingling as he did, [b]"I must insist that these . . . heroes of the Battle of Gold Peak attend a ball, in my beautiful daughter's honor on Midwinter's Eve."
The other council members watch, in various states of nodding, ignoring, or in the case of Kragmore, glowering.
Ariel Wrenwrain speaks next, "And the others of your group all agree, Hornblower is the one to bear this title?"
Rubius shrugs. "Er um... Yer honors, I don't have nothing to say about titles. Thank ye." He falls silent, hoping that somehow he didn't mess things up.
”I make no claim to any such title.” The very idea was ridiculous. An Oldstone competing with a Hornblower over a surface title? It was unthinkable. And besides, while Kragg was smooth of tongue, he lacked ambition. He spoke the truth about the ruined fortress. His heart sang at the prospect of rebuilding it. The idea of leadership? It had quite the opposite effect. Best to let Durnim and his ilk fight over titles and the honor that came with it. Such political games were not for him.
After Kragg then Vargas stepped forward from the back of the group to bow to the nobles. "I make no claim except to support Hornblower." he said simply before stepping back with another bow. Best not to have the attention in this setting.
Donella Thunderbar responds, "Then it is done; the title Effendi is conferred to Durnim Hornblower, and he and his companions will take possession of the Villa and Vineyards which previously belonged the deceased Meritt Metrinome who left no heir, in the name of the crown, and see to its defense.
If there is no other business you wish to bring before the council, you are dismissed."
Applauding to the council meeting Ungebrochen moves back and stays back to listen to the other appointments. It never hurts to be informed.
The maps indicate that the caravan was originally supposed to cross through the Grasspax Pass which they took when leaving; since the battle, however, there was correspondence after the failure of King Dak's horde, and they determined to take a smaller pass, to the north- just north of Boggswaddle's swamp, in fact. This was preferable to detouring all the way south to the Old Empire and taking the Fulmire Pass or to the North for the river route.
This is a very little used pass; one deemed too dangerous for use in fact, under ordinary circumstances, but the information Countess Cheryl provides indicates that Dawnstone caravans have begun using it, considering it a proprietary route to the Fertile North, and the mega cities of Riverport and Cessport there for trade.
It would be a 5 day journey through this pass at normal pace, and 5 back- which means that you could leave as late as the 30th and make it back in time for Goldbeard's ball, assuming everything goes smoothly; or you could try to force march, get mounts, or take some other actions to expedite the journey.