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***
Aside from the main hub the party exists in, there are a dozen other houses out that fill out the village. None show the particular care that the central houses have displayed. Paint is faded and plants are more wild and overgrown.
While Zabu isn't able to locate anyone among them, there are some buildings that are still locked up, and appear to have been lived in recently, but the limited contents of the buildings are more familiar to that of Plisken the Brown's dwelling. A place not meant for living as much as one to lay one's head between trips to the wilds.
Far more of the buildings are truly abandoned. Weeds run rampant through the properties, far less than the centuries of growth than Zabu was dealing with at the fort, but there are signs of disuse that go back years in places. The abandoned buildings are husks with little remaining inside, all since stripped of anything that could be considered of value.
One thing that contrasts these buildings those the villagers live in is that they are all single story buildings. Even the larger abandoned buildings only have a single floor unlike all of the well maintained two story buildings on the main street.
Bessama lingers for a moment near Zabu, clearly displaying a reluctance to stay his side, but still shows nothing but pride and happiness in being able to work for Zabu.
Seeing this exchange Gerlind seems to miss other display of how Zabu presents himself. She hears herself be called princess and swells with pride, it is only bolstered as she is placed in a position of importance at the forefront of the task behind Zabu. She sneers at the lesser Bessama as she is being treated with what she clearly is perceiving as favor regardless of the reality and being ignorant of the subtle jabs behind Zabu's words. She balks a bit at the hand to her back, but uses the moment to throw a condensing glare at Bessama. "I understand perfectly, this is a far more suitable role for myself."
She doesn't doesn't do a much better job than the day before, but she clearly is trying harder and, more than anything else, offers dramatically less complaint than the day before as she works.
It is harder to tell how Bessama reacts to this as she keeps it obscured for the time, but Benyan glares in a silent fury at the gnome as he debates correcting his beloved's assumption. Instead he mutters to himself, "I should have been working on the gate with the others rather than this task."
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"Finally, able to settle this," declares Junissa as she gives a glare at the fort. "Place is ancient and will need a lot of work.
Work that for the Pathfinders that none from capital will ever see. " She gives a sigh as she inspects stone and gives some grudging approval, "Solid foundation at least."
Braderock avoids taking too much of the praise saying, "I only did what you asked of me, but... but I'm glad for your approval. Hopefully the rest of my work meets your expectations sir!"
The specialists are ready to get started and Rakka admits to Brekovi, "The guard hasn't given me much experience in building aside the recent town renovations. Still, I'll do my best sir."
Rakka continues to act as a reasonable mediator in addition to a strong arm during the construction. Junissa is skilled but unabashed with her opinion with Brekovi. That it as odds with Braderock who is less willing to be contradictory. She doesn't need to do much as Brekovi does an excellent job managing the group getting ahead of the next day of work and finishing half the necessary portions of the main gate.
***
During the progress Junissa does give a gruff note, "work is going well, but part of your plan forward is not worth my time. The next thing we are set to work on is that wall? There is plenty of flagstone to fill in the gaps, but that will be an ugly scar with the stone we have lying around and it will last a couple years without more patchwork. As maniac as he is, Shagrat is right that you shouldn't waste stuff lying about. If we take the tower down first, that stone will let us patch that wall well enough to stand for decades more."
"Even if this place won't be seen by anyone of worth, I still put my pride in this work. I'll do the work if you order me, but it will be worth as much as animal droppings."
***
Below, Brekovi finds the path nearly clear with the work done near the end of the day (just need one more person to confirm work there), but there is enough space for the smaller Pathfinders to move through and scout the area safely.
Behind the blockage is another staircase that heads down another 20 feet into a storage room hewn from the bedrock. It is cold and the walls are covered in a pervasive mold. There are fragments of wooden shelves that once lined the walls but have degraded to the point of being mere kindling. There is a half broken wooden table that has taken the toll of time a bit better, and below is a pair of manacles that seem to have been left behind, the only indication of the room's original purpose as a dungeon.
There is one more passage that goes deeper, and appears to have been part of the original creation of the fort, however it has been bricked over blocking it completely. It would be a reasonable effort to open that passageway up if the Pathfinders wished to explore further.
"Understood. I'll ensure nothing escapes my gaze," answers Petrus in response to Shagrat's command.
Lotte and Mikkel keep the pace from yesterday, Lotte focused on getting the work done and Mikkel still avoiding conversations with only quick, reserved statements.
They do act out with far more respect for Petrus in his work day. While both disregarded the halfling or expected her to move out of their way, they show the opposite for Petrus. They defer to him during the entire clean up and that happens consistently during the day as Petrus easily is able to move more, more quickly than the other two. He does delay a bit as he more slowly and methodically searches the recovered rubble before depositing it though.
They are less efficient than than the Zabu's team as they run stones up the stairs, but they spend more attention to the process and there is more confidence that nothing was missed during the dig. There is far less decorative stones than even the limited number found in cleaning the great hall.
***
With the work excavating the stairs done, the path to the Dungeon is now clear, although it is a similar state to the great hall just a day ago. It is a mess that will need cleaning before it can see any use as even storage for the lodge.
During the break Rakka takes a moment to rest in the open air away from the others. Talking with Jayma she listens to her introduction and offers a bit of her own perspective on the Church of Razmir. "The lands here used to be in constant contention. A few decades may pass and countries might have fallen and towns uprooted as new rulers took their place and control shifted."
She takes a moment to gauge the tension in her crossbow before returning it to her side, standing up as she returns back toward her work in the keep. "People get hurt in the turmoil and I want to do what I'm able to support the government to ensure the safety of all. It is why I joined the guard more than anything else, to support the church for the safety of the people."
***
Jayma is able to find a rare moment of Bessama not near Zabu and the servant is especially vocal on the subject of gossip. "Oh no, that would be improper for me to speak on such stories. I'm a mere servant and to spread and speak about others would only earn me punishment. The mistress may have some tales she may wish to share though if you are able to convince her."
"She always keeps an ear out among the goings of the Inn." She bite her lip in thought as she reconsiders, "although, I think she does that for the Priest, I think she share everything she learns straight to him after sermon." With a bit of shock on her face she quietly exclaims with tears in her eyes, "please don't let her know I told you that! She would be livid."
Through their interactions Bessama is far less wary with her words around Jayma.
***
Cornering Matthild is difficult as she is constantly working on something. Her breaks are short and even without instruction proceeds with cleaning, both here and once back in in the Horgat homestead. Although, Gerlind clearly has no trouble offering orders to the halfling once there.
She continues to scrub the walls as she talks with Jayma. "Well I can say I didn't come here by choice. I was tracking something in the River Kingdoms when a band of humans caught me, threw me in shackles and brought me here."
She offers a bit of a beleaguered and apologetic smile as she goes to clean out the rags. "Not the best way to come to here, but I've seen many people in far worse places around. It could be better for me, but it could certainly be a more than a little worse. So I'm trying to make the best of all this and offer what I can."
"Speaking of," she says as she lowers her voice even more, "I would suggest you and your friends be more careful about asking about loyalty to the church. People who talk ill of it, especially to strangers who talk in sweet voices, end up in dire ways that I feel bad thinking about. Keep in mind the church is everything here and it is easy for things to get yourselves or others in trouble with that." She offers a look of genuine concern for Jayma for a moment before taking a breath and returning to the process of cleaning.
Plisken mostly disregards most of Jayma's questions completely with laughter and brief and uninformative statements such as: "Hadn't thought about it much", "Sure!", and "Thinking just gives you more wrinkles you know?"
Although at the very least the subject of travel comes to mind Plisken gives a wide grin and breaths in the air through his stained teeth. "I've thought about traveling a lot! Which is why I do it so much!" He gives a laugh as he tosses a load of dirt and rock from the stairway. "Now I know what you might be thinking, I see you growing more wrinkles already, that wasn't what you meant. That I'm not traveling more than a few days, maybe a week, out from the town, but not like I want the whole world. It is a big place. And the town is an awful small one, although some make it a bit more pleasant," he says with a cackling laugh. "Don't see no need. I find all I need right nearby. No need to explore the world cause there is right plenty around if you look for it."
***
Edgar and Martin spend most of the day working together so listen to Jayma offer her introductory questions. Edgar is a bit more open to the idea and says, "the only way I can imagine leaving is with Martin. We have thought about traveling a few times, but this is the place we were born and raised. It has been a shame that the town has shrunk down so much, I've felt it recently hearing the children playing. Made me miss the days back when."
The assistance smith despairs a bit pondering on the past and Martin comforts him with arm over the shoulder. The smith does seem to share that concern with Jayma though as he keeps a wary eye out on her. "Miss them too, but know that you aren't the only sweet voiced person who has walked into town. There have been a great number before you promising a great deal over the years. You might be as friendly as Mask Narsen, but I know that he is trying to make the town prosper again. I'm not sure about what your goals are though behind your smile though."
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During the progress Junissa does give a gruff note, "work is going well, but part of your plan forward is not worth my time. The next thing we are set to work on is that wall? There is plenty of flagstone to fill in the gaps, but that will be an ugly scar with the stone we have lying around and it will last a couple years without more patchwork. As maniac as he is, Shagrat is right that you shouldn't waste stuff lying about. If we take the tower down first, that stone will let us patch that wall well enough to stand for decades more."
"Even if this place won't be seen by anyone of worth, I still put my pride in this work. I'll do the work if you order me, but it will be worth as much as animal droppings."
Brekovi needs only a moment to consider, then excitedly exclaims "Excellent suggestion, Junissa! Thank you, I will adjust the plan tonight. We will do as you suggest, taking stone from the tower to patch the wall."
"As for no one seeing it, I will remind you that Mask of the Twelfth Step Narsen will be here at the lodge once it is established. I imagine he heard of your work from another. Please keep to your high standards, such that he can recommend you to others!"
"Assuming this lodge is a success, it is likely that the work will be known by others as well. Although it wasn't my area of interest, I believe that both Jayma and Kornel studied architecture as part of their training. Other Pathfinder Agents assigned here will see your work."
I will have to remember to mention Junissa to Narsen, complementing him on his choice of stonemasons.
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Day 2
A little unnerved by her nightmare Meadow begins her day by checking with Edgar and Martin to see if the cages are ready for her geckos and grabbing Edgar to help for the day.
Clearing the stairs is harder than cleaning the road but Meadow again does her best to keep everyone's morale high by telling funny stories about her life and getting her team to do the same.
To Plisken:
"What sort of animals do you usually hunt? Are there many dangerous animals around here? What's the biggest, scariest animal you've ever dealt with?"
To Edgar:
"Smithing looks like really hard work. Is there really enough work for you and Martin to do in such a small village? I was told that many people left because the taxes were very high. How do you manage?"
In her conversations with Edgar it becomes evident that Meadow doesn't quite realize that Martin and Edgar are married. Since Taldane isn't her first or even second or third language she has assumed that 'husband' in the local lingo must mean friend or roommate.
To Aasif
Meadow will very discreetly inquire about Aasif's scars and try to be extra nice to him.
Later in the day she will go to Sylvina's shop and buy the owl figurine and look over some others trying to figure out which ones might make good gifts for her friends the sprites, pixies and the gnome hermit back home.
Lastly she will take Silence hunting before nightfall so that he can get some exercise and won't get too used to being fed by Meadow. She will ask the Manaros if Mihal and the other children would like to go with her.
She will once again spend the night at the fort taking care of her geckos.
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Before they leave to go back to town, Brekovi shares what he found below. He asks the group "Do we risk breaking down the wall now? It may provide another way in and out of the fortress."
Remembering her nightmare last night Meadow is uneasy.
"Maybe we could wait a bit. There's still a lot of work to do elsewhere."
Martin is able to assure Meadow that the cages are more or less set, that he can spend they day setting them up in the courtyard as space opens up.
During the work on the excavating the stairs Plisken gives a more boisterous answer as he makes a point to flex and show off far more than he was outside working on the gate. "Most of what I bring back is smaller bits of game. While I bring back a number of smaller creatures, I deal in larger deer, some wolves, and bears. I admit there isn't much of a challenge out there for someone like me," he stops streches with a smile and pride, "but there are some creatures I used to take down in groups. Some larger, meaner bears passed through last few months. They had some fancy name, but can't recall it for the life of me. Stayed out of their way and let them on their way. Creatures like that hate the city as much as me!" He laughs aloud for a bit before saying, "they are probably the toughest beasts I hunted when I was many years younger and alongside many other hunters. I've gotten better, but still not going to risk tangling with one of those by myself."
Edgar pauses for a moment as the question of their work weighs on him. "I'll admit that I've asked myself amount of work we have a few times myself. Martin says the community wouldn't do well without us and, I can't say he is completely wrong. It would cost the town an arm and a leg to send the work out to the city." The morale isn't improved as he voices his concern, "I think they could do it if they had to though."
He realizes he is a being a bit dour though and shakes it off with a smile saying, "still there is enough work that pass through to give us more than enough work to not need to worry. Where we don't get work in the town, we get from the ships that pass through the dock."
Edgar doesn't seem to be the type to correct Meadow at any point with his relationship. Overall he seems content to avoid too much notice or trouble.
Aasif is a bit obstinate but that does eventually degrade as it is clear he isn't provoking a response he wants from Meadow. Although he does throw a few challenges toward Silence, noting that the owl was 'giving him the side eye' somehow.
He does show a bit of pride in his scars. "This one got in a fight with a couple ulfen punks in a bar few years back. Called me a 'little wisp of a man' so I showed his face to the table. His friends joined in and at that point I wasn't going to back down. They gave me some licks, but they I make sure I have them five for everyone one they gave me. The glass left a bigger minder than anything else."
He gestures to the next one and goes quiet as he takes note of Petres. Seeing moving some rubble, Aasif waits a minute before the other guard moves out of sight before sharing more.
"The others from Petres. Big sack of meat needing to prove something ever since we met and made sure to nick his blade to my face when we were sparring. Ticked me right off and made me real mad. Idiot thinks that makes him the boss of me. I could take him down if I wanted. Strong it to the back of the head brings down anyone like a sack of potatoes. Wham!" He punctuates this last bit with bring his fist into the wall with enough force to cause him to give a little yelp and spend the next minute waving off the the pain.
There are other bits and pieces around shope and Slyvina herself probes a bit to ask what sort of thing Meadow was looking for, "I know you are keeping me busy, but I could find a few hours working on something to take back with you. More things for yourself?
***
Mihal and the other children can't help but catch wind of the offer and plead and beg to be able to go. Mihal promises not to hide in any barrels noting there aren't a lot of barrels to hide in anyway.
The parents force themselves to consider or a moment but do agree and thank Meadow for the aid. Avan stays back to rest while Erali travels with Meadow to help wrangle the children if need be.
***
The night passes uneventfully for Meadow. Although it is far easier this night needing to contain the unruly geckos within their cage than barricading them into the stairwell.
Start of Neth 10th (Day 3 of Rebuild)
The subject of today's sermon is on the nature of just rewards. Rewards come to those it is due and offers the Priest Lumely declares that if you receive no reward, then had failed in someway and were unworthy of it. They need to pray to Razmir to be blessed. Inversely, if someone has much wealth, then they earned it and should continue to bless Razmir everyday else see those rewards vanish.
Clean the Fort (Dungeon)
[Downtime] [Manipulate] [Free]
Work Required: 8 person-days
Skill Check: None
Remove trash, mold, and other rubbish from the area.
Brekovi: Replace Main Gate (requires stonemason and carpenter)
Meadow: Tame and Train the Geckos (requires animal trainer)
Shagrat:
Zabu: Clean the Fort (Barracks)
Jayma: Rebuild Collapsed Stairs (requires carpenter)
Braderock Brumn [Carpenter]
Edgar Hengus [Smith]
Martin Hengus [Smith]
Benyan Horgat
Gerlind Horgat
Bessama Lingler
Priest Lumley
Matthild
Lotte Mayar
Mikkel Mayar
Wilfred Mayar [Carpenter]
Sylvina Norritch [Animal Trainer]
Petrus
Plisken the Brown
Rakka
Junissa Yovitch [Stonemason]
Avan [Trained Crafter]
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In addition, due to clearing the stairwell you now have access to the dungeon. The area is clear up to the bricked up stonewall and more may lay in wait down there, but for now you now have a new cleaning task available.
Once news of the dungeon and mysterious brick wall filters up to the surface, Jayma excitedly flies down the stairs to look for herself. She looks around the new dungeon with distaste, but the brick wall grabs her attention. "We definitely need to find out what's behind this wall," she says to the others. "Perhaps we can remove just a brick or two to have a peek before we bring the whole thing down. I'd hate to accidently unleash any undead horrors that might lurk behind."
After hitting it off on the first day, Jayma and Matthild become fast friends and are rarely seen apart when working at the fort. Matthild reminded Jayma of Astoria, her halfling 'servant' and best friend back when she lived with her parents in Brastlewark. Those were not her happiest days, but Astoria's friendship had made things much more bearable. She hoped for something similar with Matthild.
After the morning services, Jayma comes up to Wilfred and says brightly, "Good morning Wilfred. No more cleaning up for you. It looks like you'll be helping me rebuild some stairs over the next few days. So, go get your carpentry tools and we'll head off. If there isn't enough wood at the fort, then we'll pass by Braderock's place and pick some up to take with us."
She looks for Matthild and sees her looking back waiting to be called. Jayma smiles wide and waves her over. "Matthild! Over here. You're with me from now on." When Matthild joins her, she gives the Horgats a cold stare and says loudly enough for them to hear, "How are you doing, Matthild? I hope those two haven't been giving you a hard time. If they do, let me know and I'll figure something out."
For her third, she calls over to Petres. She would need someone taller and stronger to balance out the smaller and weaker ladies on the team. "Yoo hoo! Petres! We'll need a tall strong fellow to help rebuild the stairs, and you're it." Petres would also act as a controlling influence on the disagreeable Wilfred.
During the day she spends most of her time working and exchanging small talk with Matthild. At one point, with barely surpressed excitement, she asks the halfling, "You have to tell me more about your adventures. What was the something you were tracking when you were captured? How did you end up in Prophet's rest? I need to know everything." Then, after a pregnant pause, she asks in a cold tone, "Are you a slave here? Do the Hogarts own you?"
Occasionally she would find herself working closely with Petres, and would ask him things like, "So, Petres, how do you like working as a guard for Priest Lumley?" and "Do you ever wish you could travel more and see the world?"
After a long day of sawing and nailing, Jayma finally calls it a day. "We've done well today, but it looks like there's at least two more days' work yet on the stairs." With that, they pick up their belongings and head back to Prophet’s Rest with the rest of the teams.
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Before they set out on the job, Kornel discreetly whispers to Brekovi: "Mind keeping an eye out for Braderock, eh? I get the impression he might be growing tired of living in fear. You understand, yes?"
During the day he continues the cleaning work, maintaining the attitude that the job is easy. Subtly observing Wilfred's efforts, Kornel tries to gauge the surly carpenter's work ethics.
On the third day, Kornel winks to the other Pathfinders and goes into hiding in the fort.
Any townsfolk who catches him hears a finely-spun false tale. "Ah hah, you caught me... It's just so dusty, all that cleaning duty. What's a little off-day going to hurt? But, ah, please keep this a secret between us, eh?" Leveraging his laid-back reputation, he wanders around the fort, under the pretense of slacking off. And when no one is looking, delicate flower buds are inserted into various flower beds and pots, and buried into the soil around the fort.
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When Brekovi hears that Shagrat lacks a space for his project, he suggests that perhaps his team could clean either the barracks or the dungeon today. He also has him look at the two locations to see if either would work for the scrapyard.
“I think it would be best if it doesn’t require you carry the material up or down stairs. Look around, see where you think there are suitable spaces and make a recommendation.”
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Before they set out on the job, Kornel discreetly whispers to Brekovi: "Mind keeping an eye out for Braderock, eh? I get the impression he might be growing tired of living in fear. You understand, yes?"
Brekovi considers what Kornel tells him. “I was worried he would never get over his fear. I will keep an eye on him, try to judge his mood. I expect for the short term, the work required will keep him busy enough that he will not do anything brash.”
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Brekovi requests the efforts of Junissa, Braderock and Avan.
Once again he goes over what is to be done during the travel out to the lodge.
He introduces Avan to the other two. “We met Avan and his family on the boat that brought us here. They are survivors of Lastwall. He and his wife are skilled cobblers.”
He also assures Junissa “We have revised the plan as you suggested, you will be working to collapse the tower once we finish the gate. I believe that Braderock will be working on the Barracks once that is cleaned, but I need to consider if there is a better task in the meantime.”
Once there, they immediately get to work on the gate.
Although they are not quite as efficient as the first day, the work continues on schedule.
At the end of the day, Brekovi once again pays the people and complements them on the work done.
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Zabu continues to show up late for services. He snorts a the priest's sermon, though has the decency to disguise it as a cough.
After it's over, he gathers up his usual crew with a smile. As they work their way up to the fort, he puts his arm around Gerlind's waist (which is at his shoulder level) and walks close.
"See, I knew there was something of quality in you. You know some people think that a lady is just supposed to sit around and let other people do their work for them, as though there's anything noble in that. The real truth is that real ladies know how and when to get their hands dirty and do what's needed when the time comes," he says to her.
He looks past her and flashes Bessama a wink between an eyeroll.
He keeps walking with the woman that way as they get into the fort then gives her waist a squeeze before giving her a pat on the back.
"Now, I think this is going to take us a couple days but lets get it done," he says as he looks at the barracks.
"You guys get started, here, I'm going to go see if there's any treasure behind that wall we found yesterday...or undead. If I yell, I probably found one or the other."
By the way he smiles, it seems he's equally excited about finding either.
The gnome picks up a likely looking rock on the way down to the basement. Eyeing the wall, he picks his spot then starts hammering away.
Wilfred is nor more enthused with the prospects of rebuilding than the idea of cleaning up. He gives a sight and asks, "Why not have Braderock do it. He has the wood already." After some more prodding he reluctantly joins in for the work.
Petres keeps a strict hand in keeping Wilfred from slowing down, possibly a bit too aggressive as he drags the carpenter back to work at least once during the day. The threat seems to keep Wilfred moving for at least the time.
The guard doesn't need to think about the question as he answers, "doesn't matter what I enjoy. This is my duty and my purpose. There is nothing else the world can provide me."
The halfling Matthild is calm and seems to have a pleasant time with her tasks just as she does speaking with Jayma. "There really isn't anything exciting about my own days. I was a tracker hunting the woods and making my living off the land and the little bit I could make in town. I was brought back to Prophet's Rest, it was doing a bit better back then, and that was when I started my work for the Hogarts."
"They would prefer to call me servant, the word carries a bit less disfavor. It is true though I don't have much freedom to go about. The church would object if I tried to leave. Even if I did though there is not much for me to head to. So I do my best with what I have."
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At Brekovi's suggestion, Shagrat joins forces with others to help clean up and repair the barracks.
"Barracks important thing for the fort," he muses. "Need to keep lots of weapons in case bad things happen. Plus, Shagrat finding lots of stuff that used to be here. Yesterday, he find string, copper coin, and petrified pickle!"
He shows some of the things he found to his helpers. "If find anything good like this in barracks, let Shagrat know!"
Lotte Mayar
Mikkel Mayar
Petrus
The gnome picks up a likely looking rock on the way down to the basement. Eyeing the wall, he picks his spot then starts hammering away.
It takes a few tries, but Zabu is able to break open the wall and is quickly hit by an over powering assault on his senses as the smell of rot and decay fills the storage room. It takes a few minutes for the smell to dissapate as the room inside is revealed.
Inside is a chamber dominated by an eight by four-foot table that Brekovi is able to identify as radiating magic. The table is three feet tall and carved out of the bedrock itself. The top of the table is unadorned bu the sides have carvings of humanoid figures and writing in Hallit lettering. Looking around the room the same lettering can be seen covering every wall.
The carvings and words have been defaced with pickaxe, hammer and other tools to the point of illegibility at a first glance. Nothing rises to attack the party, but the room offers nothing to explain the mysteries within. It would be a task itself to begin to decipher the contents of this room.
Decipher Ancient Writings
[Concentrate] [Downtime] [Secret]
Requirements: Complete Clean the Fort (Dungeon). You are trained in Religion or hired a sage (an NPC with a significant amount of esoteric knowledge)
Work Required: 6 person-days
Skill Check: Religion
Decipher the engraved archaic Hallit writing within the revealed chamber
People pass by during their work, but none take notice of Kornel planting the bulbs around the area. He does get a few glares from those like Petres and Junissa as he lazes about. They focus on their work and keep an eye on him for him only completely wasting their time.
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At Sylvina's shop day 2
There are other bits and pieces around shop and Slyvina herself probes a bit to ask what sort of thing Meadow was looking for, "I know you are keeping me busy, but I could find a few hours working on something to take back with you. More things for yourself?
"I'm looking for gifts for my friends. They're sprites."
Day 3
After services Meadow picks Sylvina, Plisken and Rakka to help train geckos. She introduces each gecko to her team.
"This big one with the crooked toe is Mathilda. She's a handfull. The dainty one over here is Gwendoline. She's the nicest. She only tried to bite me twice. The prettiest one here is Huell. I've been staying with them at night to get them used to people but they still have more to learn."
Meadow is clearly very excited and eager to train her geckos. She pushes a little harder than on previous days because of this but stops for breaks once she realizes that she's working everyone harder than before. After this realization she is particularly careful to not overwork Sylvina. As on previous days she will engage in small talk with her team to make the day pass pleasantly.
To Rakka:
"Aasif told me that Petres deliberately injured his face while they were sparring. Is that true?"
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After morning services, Matthild joins Jayma without prompting, and Jayma beckons over the recalcitrant Wilfred. She then walks over to Martin, and says, "How about you work with us today, Martin. We could use a good strong fellow like you on the team, and I expect that Wilfred will need your encouragement to put in a full day's work." She wonders if Martin will be able to control Wilfred as well as Petres did yesterday.
Once again, she spends most of the day side-by-side with Matthild, both working as hard as their little legs and arms allowed. "Where are you from originally, Matthild? Would you like to return there if it were possible?"
Jayma is both infuriated and saddened by the discovery of her new friend's situation. She kept thinking back to Astoria in Brastlewark and how she chose to remain behind when Jayma escaped the castle. She wondered if she would also lose her new friend in the same way when she left Prophet's Rest. The thought broke her heart. She wondered if there was anything she could do to help Matthild in some way. Despite all her internal turmoil, Jayma keeps her feelings to herself. She was almost certain now that Matthild would make an excellent recruit for the Society; almost, but not completely... yet. The next day or so should be decisive.
Occasionally she would find herself working closely with Martin, and say things to him like, "I know you don't really trust us, Martin, but once this lodge is up and running, there will probably be many Pathfinders like us that come and go through Prophet's Rest. I expect the village will have to grow to cater to all these new arrivals; you may once again hear children playing in the streets. Won't that be nice?" and "By the way, how will the Priest Lumley and the Church deal with these non-citizen Pathfinders in the area? As much as I enjoy Priest Lumley's sermons every morning, I suspect that not all Pathfinders will feel the same way. Will the Church just ignore our new lodge and its Pathfinders, do you think?" Though the answer to the last question is of interest, Jayma is more interested in how Martin reacts to her questions about the Church.
As the sun starts to set, Jayma calls a stop to the work. "That was a really good day's work. I can't believe how well we did compared to yesterday. With a little luck we'll finish this up by lunch tomorrow."
Braderock is more than willing to offer a handshake and proper greeting to Avan, but Junissa gives him only a nod while offering, "I'm here to get work done and not making friends. Do your work well enough and that will matter more than where you come from."
The stonemason doesn't seem ever satisfied with her role on this job, but offers a curt, but accepting, "good" hearing about the planning changes.
Avan keeps a good pace and acts as a good hand for the pair of specialists as they device their tasks up, but the team is just short of finishing the project by the end of the day. Braderock profusely apologises and Junissa glares at the frame a moment as she is frustrated by the slow down of the pace.
Through some gritted teeth she offers more advice, "work is almost all done. Just need to finish the installation and make some corrections.
Don't know what you had in your plans, but any half-decent apprentice should be able to lead the rest of this job if you wanted to move on to something else. Even they do poorly, we still will finish this next day."
Gerlind buys into every bit of flattery, but Benyan steps in fuming as he steps in between the gnome and his wife. "You hear you me you little one, I'm not going to let you sweet talk your way through this and let my wife play into your hands." And immediately he comes an even more critical issue, "You been tossing us about and I see half other people here now working and yet we are still on clean up? Where is the coin we are owed! Half of them are worth nothing and yet they still are not being tossed into mound of trash. Let them work on it, they are more in tune with it!"
Gerlind gives a small smile at the enthusiasm her husbands words. Bessama looks tempted to step in but takes a look between Zabu and Gerlind and seems content for Zabu to solve this himself.
Despite the conflict, the team still makes significant progress cleaning up the barracks.
Petrus is busy with another team so Shagrat fills his team out with Edgar.
Edgar is a bit out of sorts brought onto the group and responds to the orders by saying, "are those ingredients you or your friend Brekovi needs for those spells, like the magical cart?"
Lotte sighs and declares, "I wish. Then maybe they could magic this mess away without bringing us every day. At least this is letting Wilfred and Mikkel get out and work more."
From the back Mikkel notes quietly, "I found a few blue bits of stone."
Edgar is still a bit lost for the purpose but does his best to pull out anything that isn't completely rotted and throw it into a crate to the side.
The team, alongside those from Zabu's side are able to finish clearing out the barracks area of the mold and rotted wood.
Plisken laughs at the beasts, "you know I would have had a better impression of you if you brought these as your friends rather than than band of city dwellers!" He waves his creatures in a minor bit to rile them up behind their cage before Rakka stops him.
She is a bit more wary of the beasts and says, "I don't need to get bitten today. Even if it is just twice. The stones and trash were easy. I could be careful enough to and not get hurt, but this is a bit more outside the training I have had."
"Oh please, don't worry," says Sylvina. "That will only make these worse." She cackles a bit as she takes another look at them and takes in their names. Today she doesn't have her normal company of pet rodents with her. Time to time she touches her hair or a pocket in a phantom gesture, but she moves on to focus on the creatures. "This would take a while, but hopefully Meadow has laid some of the work for us already. Follow my instructions and you should come out of this with all your fingers just fine."
After a few hour of taking an aggressive lead by Meadow, Sylvina is the first to request a change. "Dear I know you care about these creatures, but pushing us harder will be even worse here than anywhere else. Over the years I've seen others, pushed to exhaustion, make dire mistakes. We are making good progress, but we will lose that if you press to hard. You should get some rest my dear."
Once breaks comes Slyvina withdraws and brews some tea that she promises to reinvigorate the body and she happily sells it to the others for a modest cost.
Rakka sighs a bit hearing the question and, after a moment, asks, "I can only assume that was what Aasif told you."
She look around for him, but not seeing him around she instead focuses on explaining, "that is more or less correct. When we were first assigned together Aasif demanded to lead us and Petres let him know that he would only follow whomever the church demanded. He also said some things ... suggesting that Aasif was less than worthy of that role."
"They got into a fist fight and that turned to them drew weapons. I think Aasif pulled his first but I can't say, it went by too quickly for me to say. At the end Aasif was down with that wound. I can't say if Petres meant to leave the scar, but I know he is fine with it as a sign of Aasif's punishment." Rakka shakes her head a the entire affair, unhappy with the entire process of the story.
Slyvina also initiates a bit of a chat with Meadow herself. "You mentioned sprites. That surprises me a few times over. I admit I thought I saw a bit more of myself in you, traveling with your companion as all you need. I didn't imagine you had friends among other people, my apologies, but sprites no less."
The group makes amazing progress taming the creatures over the day, with minimal bite as well. With the attention they have been getting they are far more tame than they were a few days ago.
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Through some gritted teeth she offers more advice, "work is almost all done. Just need to finish the installation and make some corrections.
Don't know what you had in your plans, but any half-decent apprentice should be able to lead the rest of this job if you wanted to move on to something else. Even they do poorly, we still will finish this next day."
"I will talk it over with the others, see what they say." I do hope she doesn't regret giving that advice.
Start of Neth 11th (Day 4 of Rebuild)
The message of today's sermon is the perfection of one's outer image. "Present yourself as what you wish to be and then the rest will follow naturally. Display strength if you wish to obtain more strength. Purchase fine clothing if you wish to be more wealthy. Image is a reflection of reality and reality reflects the image."
Work on the fort has proceeded at a decent pace. The only areas of the fortress left to be cleaned are the just revealed lower level and the keep roof, which you do not yet have easy access to.
As skilled work begin the funds are now being spent on the labor.
Meadow: Tame and Train the Geckos (requires animal trainer)
Shagrat: Repair the Barracks (requires training in Crafting)
Zabu: Clean the Fort (Dungeon)
Jayma: Rebuild Collapsed Stairs (requires carpenter) (Already taken)
Kornel: <No task listed>
Braderock Brumn [Carpenter]
Edgar Hengus [Smith]
Benyan Horgat
Gerlind Horgat
Bessama Lingler
Priest Lumley
Lotte Mayar
Mikkel Mayar
Sylvina Norritch [Animal Trainer]
Petrus
Plisken the Brown
Rakka
Junissa Yovitch [Stonemason]
Avan [Trained Crafter]
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Having heard of the uncovered ancient chamber and its mysterious writings, Kornel makes a quick visit to the dungeon and realizes the ornamental details are reminiscent of Ustalav. He thinks back to the metal box he had found in the fort days prior, and the map of Ustalav that was inside it. What could be the connection between this fort and his home land? He once again consults his scholarly ratfolk ally Brekovi, but the two can only conclude that further investigation is required.
Before he can investigate the chamber's writings, however, the dungeon needs to be cleared. Realizing that the chamber's very existence could have unforeseen implications, he makes an effort to hide the entrance to the chamber with any clothes and textiles he can amass. If any townsperson gets curious about it, Kornel tries to dismiss any curiosity with a lie. ("Ah, there? I am not supposed to let any of you go in there. We found some dangerous metal rods there, someone could get badly hurt. Good thing you asked before going in, eh?")
And so on the fourth day, the Varisian volunteers for the task to clean the dungeon of any trash, mold, and rubbish. The morning sermon of this day seems to capture his attention a bit more than usual, so much so that he congratulates priest Lumley afterwards: "Thank you for the sermon, friend. Well spoken. There was great wisdom in every word." Kornel's appreciation appears genuine, but then again, he is a strange man.
"Reporting for duty, friend!" Kornel playfully greets Zabu. "Underground dungeons are nice and cool, eh? Who among the townsfolk would appreciate it?"
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She look around for him, but not seeing him around she instead focuses on explaining, "that is more or less correct. When we were first assigned together Aasif demanded to lead us and Petres let him know that he would only follow whomever the church demanded. He also said some things ... suggesting that Aasif was less than worthy of that role."
"They got into a fist fight and that turned to them drew weapons. I think Aasif pulled his first but I can't say, it went by too quickly for me to say. At the end Aasif was down with that wound. I can't say if Petres meant to leave the scar, but I know he is fine with it as a sign of Aasif's punishment." Rakka shakes her head a the entire affair, unhappy with the entire process of the story.
"I'm surprised. I know that Aasif can be rude and pushy but that still seems mean. I thought that Petres was nice but that's just not right. You said that you know him from the orphanage. Has he always been mean?"
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Slyvina also initiates a bit of a chat with Meadow herself. "You mentioned sprites. That surprises me a few times over. I admit I thought I saw a bit more of myself in you, traveling with your companion as all you need. I didn't imagine you had friends among other people, my apologies, but sprites no less."
"Well you're really not wrong. Silence my very best friend. My sprite friends found me when I was little and raised me but well...if you know anything about sprites you know that they get bored easily. Once I grew up a bit they would lose intrest and leave me alone for weeks at a time. I had some other friends in the forest so I was never in danger but it did get lonely sometimes. Then I met Silence and he's been my best friend ever since."
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Day 4
After morning services Meadow selects Sylvina, Plisken and Petres to train geckos.
Meadow is even more excited today after doing so well yesterday. She is mindful of everyone though and is very careful not to push everyone too hard. She continues her routine and does her best to keep the day from being too tedious for everyone.
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Zabu's sensitive nostrils balk at the smell that comes out of the exposed chamber. It's not full of treasure or undead, so he doesn't pay much attention to it, just lets the rest of the group know what he found.
On his way out, he tosses the rock he used to Shagrat. "Here you go, for your collection. A wall tumbling rock."
"I understand completely, Benyan," Zabu says as the man complains. The smile on his face suggests that his understanding and Benyan's don't line up.
The gnome is also quite pleased with Lumley's sermon, as well and actually pays attention, today. He does not actually thank or congratulate the man, afterwards, though.
When they're mustering the troops, Zabu again picks Bessama and Gerlind. He also chooses Martin and Edgar Hengus and Petres and Rakka.
"You guys come with me. We're going to go down and clean out the dungeon."
He grins at Benyan. "Go find your gold for the day. I'm sure there's plenty of paid work to be done."
Then he turns and heads down. "Keep away from that part," he says, gesturing toward the place where the wall was. He cleans that area, himself.
As services conclude Matthild already can sense the request and approach Jayma knowing the gnome's intent. She works diligently on the task and familiar enough with Jayma and the questioning that she just works through the exchanges. "I come from Rostland, but came with some others who traveled through the River Kingdoms. Eventually they settled in Tymon and I spent the last few years in a village there. Before being brought here I mean."
"I haven't thought about it that much. This is my home as much as any other." She stops for a moment to sweep up some of the scrap wood and place it in a box labeled 'Shagrat's: Do not throw away' before ultimately saying, "I don't see a lot of reason to go anywhere else. There are a lot of people that can be helped around here."
The relationship between Martin and Wilfred is turbulent. Wilfred moves a bit more freely knowing Petres's harsh hand isn't forcing him around. He pushes to give more direction and delegate the work as he plans and relaxes. Martin tries to keep him on task, but at a point leaves that to Jayma as he focuses his own work on getting the wood measured, cut and installed.
The villagers do not seem to have the adventurer's spirit or desire and make no attempt to explore into the mold encrusted, cold, rooms dozens of feat below ground.
"Thank you for the sermon, friend. Well spoken. There was great wisdom in every word."
Lumley eyes pierce into Kornel seeking weakness and merely declare, "there are wisdom in every word I offer." He does not press further and allows the compliment to otherwise stand.
***
Rakka is taken aback by the accusation on Petres and takes some time to respond. "Petres is especially devoted to the order and he doesn't give those who fight back against the order of the church and state. I think he is more aggressive than needed, but one doesn't survive as a guard with kindness."
The work with the geckos finishes early into the day and the rest is able to be spent reaffirming the training and taking the time to practice them more.
Sylvina seems satisfied with the training and seems a bit youthful and energized throwing herself into the work. She continues her chat with Meadow, "well that seems familiar to the sprites I've seen over the years, but I have not one that laid claim to being raised by them. I'm certain that you have more than a few interesting stories from then. I do understand your bond with Silence though, it like that of my own companions. It is uncomfortable traveling without them by my side. Hopefully they will be able to rejoin me tomorrow."
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Having a day away from the work, Brekovi uses the time to survey the progress and introduce himself to any of the villagers he hasn’t met yet.
While he is talking with Plisken, he says “It seems you are the expert on what is outside the village. Tell me, what do you like best about the area? Any good berry patches or a really nice fishing spot you’ve found? Foraging here would be quite a bit different than in the deserts of Thuvia where I come from.”
He will trade a few tales of his experiences in the wild and try to get him talking a little bit about his own experiences.
While talking with Sylvania he mentions “I heard you have several rat companions. What breeds do you have?” He uses that as a start to some small talk. He does mention that he has thought about taking a rat for a familiar but that other things kept catching his attention.
“So what got you into carpentry? Is there any part of this job you are looking forward to?”
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Plisken wields his gregarious attitude as a shield against Brekovi, throwing off nearly all the more serious questions with a laugh and an appeal to the wilds of nature constantly calling out to him.
However. he is taking off guard by Brekovi's own experience even in a far different environment. "So you come from places like that? I had thought they were all storyteller's dreams, I hadn't ever seen anything like them up here!" He waves a hand about which causes the gecko is training leap forward at the apparent command before Plisken corrects the error. He gives a bit of wary chuckle and asks, "How do you forage down there? Are there berries in the dirt?"
With luck and persistence, hearing tales of the nature of other areas does draw Plisken's interest and he begins opening up more the ysoki. "Can't say if I would like nature as much if I came from your lands. I love the quiet, aside the wind blowing through the trees, I love the bright sunshine we have in the summer and the forest is always so lush and green after the winter rain."
"I don't care much for fish myself, plenty enough of that I can get from the river. I enjoy the bits of game in the area, but my favorite the local trees." He takes a few out of his coat and hands a couple to Brekovi as he eats a few himself, their brown hue clearly the reason for his teeth coloration.
"They are the reason I've stuck around Prophet's Rest so long! He declares with a laugh, but he does pause for a moment as he glances toward the barracks. "Well, one of the reasons at least."
******
"Oh, my rats?" Sylvina opens up with a smile and touches her pockets before losing a bit of her presented happiness as she recalls her companions are not with her for the moment. The lapse is only for a moment before she restores her service smile. She keeps careful care of the gecko, focusing on it more than the conversation itself. "They are just common brown rats I'm afraid. All part of the same litter as well, but nothing uncommon to the area. I'll admit I'm was expecting to speak with you far sooner, if not for the tasks keeping us both busy I'm certain we would have."
"I'm certain a familiar would be an excellent choice. I won't offer advice on the aspects of magic, but I can say a rat companion has been more loyal to me than anything else. I might admit I have some bias though," she says with a bit of extra attention to a nod to Brekovi.
"Magic is an uncommon thing to find in smaller villages like these." She stops to quickly correct herself, "Outside the church I mean."
She waves dismissively on the topic of magic, "The potions and charms I make are something anyone could make with proper experience and training. They are nothing compared to the magic I've seen. However I've heard you are yourself trained in magic. How did you learn your skills? Mine, I just happened to pick up here and their over the years."
Everyone in the village is somewhat wary of opening up to just a sweet word, but Sylvina is especially careful with her words. Through the conversations she avoids giving anything but the most bare amount of information before diverting the conversation back to Brekovi. While Brekovi got the sense she was treating with special preference and she did enjoy the topic of her companions, she was growing actively wary and quiet as the questions came to the subject of magic.
******
Braderock does not respond well to the conversation as he stutter and tries to get his words out. "My ... my father owned the cooperage before me and when he was ... taken away it was decided I would continue their work. Almost immediately he yells out with a panic, "Not the disloyalty! No! The carpentry! I hadn't even imagined I would be doing this though, I was planning on leaving and finding work out in the city, maybe the capital, work more on the artistry portion of the work. That is why my father started training Wilfred! That ... that didn't work out though."
Nearly drained from just that burst of emotion his voice struggles to get the words out and slowly gaining strength again. "With my father went the rest of my family so I was the only one left and Priest Lumley said everything is on my shoulders! And Mask Narsen came in with a lot of work! I can't say to that work!" He turns his focus to Brekovi as he pleads, "I was hoping you would tell both the Priest and the Mask that I did a good job. Are you going to do that? You... you don't sound sure. Please?"
From the discussion Braderock is under the belief that Brekovi is upset with him and likely to bring that up with the church. Any attempt to dissuade from that does nothing to weaken that worry and instead compounds it.
Marton continues to be reluctant to opening himself up to Jayma. He prefers to focus on the work and the task at hand rather than the subjects Jayma brings up. "I don't raise my hopes the village will burst with growth again. I would like it to happen, but I won't be pretending I have finished the blade before I have touched the iron. I'll believe it when it happens."
On the subject of the church Martin shrugs his shoulders to the subject of Priest Lumely. "I wouldn't care to guess how the church would react. I would suggest you bring that up to Mask Narsen when he returns."
"Yes," is the immediate answer of Petres. "I don't swing my sword at anything I don't intend to strike."
Petres shows none of the doubt or hesitation Rakka showed considering the event. He holds himself with pride as he declares, "Aasif felt he could take advantage of me and lord over me. I will not stand to have my authority stolen away from me by a peer. What he demanded is the privilege of a commander or the church and it was an insult to see him try to steal it. He is lucky that he got off so lightly."
Shagrat's team gets to work on the barracks. Lotte quietly blesses Razmir for a chance to be expected to pick up pieces of discarded string, shiny stones, and bits of discarded metal. Avan, with some nervousness joins the prayer hoping for an excellent day of work. Benyan is less appreititive, glaring at Avan with a dismissive, "I hope all that shoe crafting has prepared you for putting together a building, else I'll be demanding someone better suited takes your place."
Avan quickly nods and assures other he will do his best. He does little to sway Benyan, but he keeps quiet for the day as he focuses on the bits of gold floating around for pay.
Gerlind holds herself high being picked for the dubiously pivotal role she has convinced herself of, but turns her gaze down at Bessama who shares that stage.
As plans begin to settle though, changes occur and bring Rakka and Edgar into the team and leave Gerlind out. Gerlind bares her teeth and breaths in deep as she complains, "you have me work and you toss me out just as quickly? What am I supposed to do even here? You keep taking Matthild and there is no one else to serve me at the house! There isn't even a point to stay here! Leave her and let her clean the town! You seem to like me better anyway!" She directs her final bit toward Zabu.
Before anyone else can step in, Bessama interjects, "but he talks to everyone like that. You should have seen the way he greeted Mistress Mayar. Seeing the way he treats you; you're an afterthought." Bessama stops herself and holds herself in shock of what she said. She sputters apologies.
Gerlind is livid and furious, and taken aback by the sudden attack. She hisses at Bessama and Zabu before stomping back to her home.
Bessama is still taken aback declaring, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Still the couple present catch a quick glimpse of a venomous smile before she hides it away.
The work on cleaning the proceeds and the party are careful to keep attention away from the shrine as it moves forward.
Junissa appraises Kornel as he takes control. "I don't know what is running through your mind Kornel, but hopefully it can be enough to put the rest of this together." She quickly runs him through the basics of the work left to be done.
Braderock does his best not to be a disappointment and worries more now that he is the reason Brekovi left. He works doubly hard on his tasks today moving with a hectic energy that would drain him quickly if this wasn't meant to be a short day.
Mikkel holds himself back and waits for order from Junissa and Kornel. Occasionally helping Braderock as he needs a hand.