After a few moments of hesitation, "Silvertrees," she says, as if that were a world of explanation to itself. "Haven't seen one of you around these parts in... oh, 'bout fifteen years now, I reckon."
She thinks to herself...[i]Do I care?[i]
"Heard the clan leader got killed by the big snake in the swamp," says the gnome without hesitation. "Been some tension over there ever since!"
The rest of Bella's night goes smoothly; there isn't much more information she gets on this or any other relevant subject, and the gnome starts spewing his views about women's place again shortly after. Regardless, Bella ends up back at the inn safe and sound when she's ready.
Dawn breaks on Smithtown in sweet shades of gold that filters through the thin curtains; those who are light-sensitive will find it as functional as any alarm clock. Both rooms are quite similar, with two beds and a couch that pulls out into a third, a late-2000's era flat screen TV with about six channels (four of which are local), and a small table with two stiff wooden chairs against the wall beneath a window.
You've got some time for breakfast before you set out.
|
Klyto groans as the sun stabs into his eyes. After adjusting Edie's armor and having a couple beers with the dwarves he's still tired and sore. Following some groans and stretches he basks in a hot shower before gearing up and wandering down to find some breakfast.
Downstairs is even brighter. With a small groan and a quick wave at whoever beat him down there Klyto sets to getting his food, all the while wishing he had some shades despite the fact that they'll be worthless in the mine.
Keeyan wakes, noticing the light and reaches for his cellphone to check the time. Once he confirms that he isn't late he relaxes and takes time to stretch and relax before scrolling through his apps to ready his magic for the day.
Once ready he goes downstairs to get a good breakfast. Not sure when the next meal might be he eats until he is quite full....
As you come down the stairs, you are greeted by a hardy-looking dwarf woman who pours you a drink of choice; the coffee (if anyone opts for it) is simple but good.
It’s when she dips back into the kitchen and returns with two sizzling skillets that you realize your investment last night was well-placed.
Heaps of cheesy scrambled eggs topped with strips of crispy bacon nestle beside homemade corned beef hash, two pieces of just-browned toast, a few links of breakfast sausage, well-seasoned home fries, and two quartered stacks of pancakes on the side all squeeze in and on the cast iron. Beside it slides a bowl of baked apples in cinnamon butter and a crisp glass of fruit juice.
Keeyan adds a good scoop of sugar to his coffee and leans back to enjoy a couple of sips before digging in to the really good breakfast.... He takes his time waiting for the others.
Bella wakes up and instantly puts on sunglasses. She groggily says, " Good morning ladies. Who wants to use the bathroom first?"
She checks her phone...
Edie is taking a shower!
Not quite a 'dawn's early light' sort of person but with a sense of timing honed from years of living with room-mates, the military, and some conventions Edie doesn't QUITE get up when the light enters the room, but also doesn't dawdle -- last person to get the shower gets the cold water and that's just not very good for taking care of the scales and claws.
At least, that's what her smolfrens from the VirtuSnarl have said in the past. And it tends to have a bit of truth to it -- one doesn't want to necessarily be the first one in, clanging around and making noise, either.
The other reason that Edie is already taking a shower and care of morning rituals is because it takes a bit longer to check over scales than simply washing something over them like cleaning one's hair. Checking all those joins is important, because if they are broken somehow it's potentially easier to get an infection or worse.
Despite this, she's done in record time. This is in giddy excitement of 'doing the Adventure thing', having a new amazing set of armor, getting to meet smolfrens, and most importantly Not Having To Work.
So by the time Bella asks the question Edie is already opening the door, wearing a modest t-shirt that declares R'gaphael For President! Dragons Save Money!' on the front and on the back 'R'gaphael 2020'. Unfortunately, the back is somewhat obscured by her winglets.
She wasn't certain when the smolfrens suggested it, but it fits very well, almost like it was designed for folks who deal with scales on a daily basis. This is complemented by a pair of light not-quite form-fitting black shorts -- to be worn underneath the recently upgraded armor.
The tiefling gives Bella and Zika a smile and a wink. "I'm done in there, next?"
It'd be rude to head to breakfast without the other two room-mates, so she waits for them to finish up while trying to find the weather station on the television.
Keeyan cleans his plate and wipes his mouth with a napkin. If he ate like that too much he'd be getting fat, but it tasted good.... "Good idea. Don't want to be late."
Belladonna doesn't find anything of particular interest, although she does have time to get her daily spells prepared.
You're waved off whenever you choose to leave by the dwarf, who reminds you that the inn will be open for lunch and dinner-- you get the strong sense that she's the type whose grandkids never leave her house without gaining a few pounds first.
--------------------
It's going to be one of those muggy Southern summer days for sure; even just a few minutes before 10AM, you can feel the sun's kiss has something of a bite to it. Keeyan's app warned that temperatures were expected to reach the upper 90's in the early afternoon.
As you reach the gravel parking area, you see Chief Renard sitting in her squad car, a cigarette resting just outside her window as she flicks the ashes onto the rocks below. Seeing you pull up, she exits the vehicle and drops her smokestick.
Her chainmail has a slight glow to it, and she looks much better-rested than she did the previous day. Lt. Alkimen stands beside her, eyes peeled for activity; he barely seems to regard you for more than a second before his eyes dart everywhere else-- including to the mouth of the mine, which holds an irritable-looking kobold, their scales a warm brown color, a pick hanging from their hip and arms folded impatiently.
"Glad you could make it," says the Chief. "I've explained that you're going to be my translators. Ready to help us bust this impasse?"
Keeyan spots the kobold in the entrance of the mine and considers readying his crossbow, but then remembers that they are there to talk.... "Sure. We'll do what we can."
Bella is actually wearing the go pro...she whispers something to the raven and the raven flys off. She says in general,"She is just going to check up on home..."
Stepping up by the chief Keeyan calls out to the kobold,
The kobold nods, and slips into the cave.
"I think Keeyan is the only one who actually speaks French."
"Also your aphorite friend," says the Chief with a nod to Basil. "Now, my hope here is that you guys have found an iron-tight clause that says these guys need to clear out of here--"
(You haven't, by the way.)
"--and you can slap them with it and they can get right back on their bus or... however they got here."
"Now that I mention it, I never did see a vehicle of any kind here. Uber?"
Edie is hot.
Not in the 'fired up and excited' sort of meaning of the word, Edie is suffering due to the fact that her nice shiny newly improved armor is not ideal for 90+ degree weather. Along the way to the mine, she needed to stop to get a bunch of bottled water and scale oil .
Edie has to restrain herself from running up and giving the curmudgeonly little dragon a huge hug, so she instead gives a nice grin - no teeth, that's viewed as a threat -- to the smolfren at the entrance. With her left hand she waves excitedly as her tail dances about as yet another indication of her emotional state.
Maybe the mines will be cooler than out here in the sun?
Bella moved to a shady spot hiding from the sun... Well this is...boring. who knew life as a adventurer would be serving evictions and discussing leagleess...hopefully this whole thing is not in French...or I will fall asleep...mmm that moss patch under that tree looks confy...
In a few minutes, the same kobold you saw before appears at the entrance to the mine and waves you in.
As you walk into the narrow cave with Chief Renard and Lt. Alkimen by your side, stepping over planks of rail track, you find the light fades the further you get from the entrance; no effort has been made to keep the torches lit, and the kobolds don't seem particularly fussed by it.
After a few turns here and there, you come across an open cavern, about forty feet across, in a rough circle. Yet another reptile sits before you on an overturned cooler, a laptop open on their "desk" (which is composed of two wooden barrels and a few two-by-fours laying across it).
"Salut," they say, before launching immediately into French.
Those who don't speak it gather that their name is Vreknog.
There is a moment of quiet, then:
Keeyan grins at the little scaly creature, "Oui, Vreknog, nous pouvons faire la traduction requise, même si nous ne sommes pas tous fortement blindés."
He then 'translates', "He says his name is Vreknog and asks if we are translators, adding heavily armored translators"
Vreknog's brow ridge rises slightly as Keeyan responds.
"Tres bien," he speaks, then nods at the fox chief.
DC20
He says something much longer, and pushes an old document that has since been laminated toward Keeyan and points at a few locations on the paper.
The document looks to have two main bodies, one written in French, one written in English, along with six signatures on the bottom; three of them have early-19th-century Dwarven names Gorym Smith, Gymli Smith, and Bardyn Smith. The other three seem a little less unified: Chant des Feuilles, Richard Gath E. L., and Jean-Claude Moreau.
Bella follows the party inside the cave...taking off her sunglasses after looking off in the direction her raven flew...than keeping a eye on her the the sneaky little dog-lizard men things.
Edie is fighting a sads...
The tiefling clerk is watching the byplay and all the French being used and her countenance goes from excited and upbeat to almost dejected as her tail stops dancing around and sort of droops. I don't know French...
"Growlgrumble??"
Keeyan takes the documents and takes time reading them, not just the spots pointed to by the kobold. He examines the French and English versions, comparing the details to see if there are any issues with the translations.
Keeyan turns to the sheriff and speaks quietly, "These don't look like government documents. A private citizen shouldn't be able to sell land to another government. Do you have any lawyers in town? This sounds really fishy to me!"
Keeyan and Basil: please roll me a Will save.
There’s a brief fizzle of green light that sparks off of the documentation, but nothing seems to happen.
Edie is wary!
Perhaps it's because Edie is watching for something to indicate the smolfren heard and understood her that she notices something weird happen...
Bella looks curiously at the green sparks...
You also get the strong feeling that the GM wishes she had rolled Keeyan's Will save secretly on this one.
The non-Vreknog kobold with the warm brown scales blinks at Edie. "Growl? Grumble."
"GrrRumbleSqueakGrumbleHissHissGrumble" Edie offers at greater length to the brown scaled kobold, trying to keep her excitement in check.
"Hey Keeyan are you feeling okay?"
"Apologies all. I feel a bit dazed. Be there a place we can rest for a moment? And perhaps a bit of water for refreshment?"
Vreknog looks up from the paper.
DC15 let's say
He then says something in French:
"In English please...I dont speak French."
"Je ne parle pas englais," says Vreknog.
Edie is Frustrated
"GrumbleHiss?"
Not-Vreknog nods to Edie.