"And why do you know before I do? Grunda's getting distracted with that stablehand..."
"Seems that's been going around a bit lately. Don't worry, I'm on it. Though Niss also mentioned something about a bear, so if I can borrow Baradim here, that would also be good."
Fin takes his leave and heads over to the Feedmill.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"And I thought I was the mind reader. You're the best. Besides, this way you don't have to smell me all night."
She bathed quickly so as not to keep him waiting long, but undid the hasty braid and cleaned her hair, feeling a million times better. She put her shift back on and went to let him know she was decent, and he entered the room as she was crawling into the sheets.
They spent another night snuggled together, making idle chit chat before falling asleep.
"Seems that's been going around a bit lately. Don't worry, I'm on it. Though Niss also mentioned something about a bear, so if I can borrow Baradim here, that would also be good."
Fin takes his leave and heads over to the Feedmill.
Tamli raises an eyebrow at the automaton's jab and crosses her arms over her chest, regarding Finoan with a steely gaze. "Do whatever you need to do with whoever you need to borrow. I have no hold over any of you." She frowns. "If you all plan to deal with it, I'll pay you for the trouble." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "We can spare about 40 gold for the trouble."
Fin faces Tamli's steely gaze without flinching.
"If you all plan to deal with it, I'll pay you for the trouble." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "We can spare about 40 gold for the trouble."
"Don't worry about it too much. It's a favor among friends for now."
"Though if Bort happens to have a spellbook in that collection of stuff in his wagon, I would be interested in getting my hands on that. Not sure I could find one anywhere in this town otherwise."
Fin faces Tamli's steely gaze without flinching.
"If you all plan to deal with it, I'll pay you for the trouble." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "We can spare about 40 gold for the trouble.""Don't worry about it too much. It's a favor among friends for now."
"Though if Bort happens to have a spellbook in that collection of stuff in his wagon, I would be interested in getting my hands on that. Not sure I could find one anywhere in this town otherwise."
"If Bort had such a thing, it wouldn't be something that I'd be comfortable giving away to anyone, to be frank. But the money still stands - let your friends know about it, too."
-------------
Feedmill
-------------
This morning, Delma has had to resort to buying pastries and the like again, only really offering hot tea, ale, and water along with the meal. She had the same array of pastries as before, along with some of Amora's honey. If you looked over, you would notice that she's looking a tad restless.
Rolth is nowhere to be found, but if you ask around, you'd discover that he's probably at his office a couple places away.
"If Bort had such a thing, it wouldn't be something that I'd be comfortable giving away to anyone, to be frank. But the money still stands - let your friends know about it, too."
"Very well. I'll keep my eyes open in town for one. Thanks again Tamli. Keep your chin up. We'll get to the bottom of this and get things rolling again."
~~~~~
Fin walks into the Feedmill. Looking around, he doesn't see Rolth, so comes up to the counter to talk to Delma. "They still have your kitchen closed? What's that all about?"
"Oh, don't worry about me. I got fed plenty of humble pie at Amora's place yesterday. I'll be good to go on that for days yet."
After speaking to Delma for a bit, Fin goes and sits at one of the tables and waits for everyone else.
"Niss, you mentioned something about the caravan horses. I would really like to take care of that this morning. The group has already lost Bort. I don't want them losing their horses too. Phinick's trail is already cold. I don't think waiting a few more hours will make all that much difference. If the little guy has any sense he would be half way to Osirion by now."
"Anything else on the plan for today?"
Baradim watches the interaction as he finishes tightening the laces on his boots and testing the scabbard that his blade sat in. When Tamli grew more taciturn, he would move behind her and place a hand upon her tense shoulder. The squeeze was slow but reassuring as he stepped in closer, whispering in a low and guttural tone.
"Tartsd meg hevességét az ágynak, szerelmem." Baradim whispered into her ear, only the slightest grin on his face as he continued. "A macskagép nem sértést jelent."
"We will help and take your gold, honor for honor. We have much to do today but look for us at the Feedmill if you need us." The full-blooded orc would say, turning for a moment before stopping. He would come back to her, staring into the proud woman's eyes. "May I...come back? I have not dreamed so peacefully in a long, long time." Baradim did his best to stand resolute as he stood before her but a moment of peace was a welcomed reprieve for him. The need he felt couldn't help but infect his words, even if it made his cheeks darken as he held her gaze.
Grabbing tea, a pastry, and some honey, Baradim would sit down and begin eating with the others as they considered what there was to do. He nodded in agreement that taking care of the horses would be an important task but his head would shake when they considered Phinick gone.
"After we help them, we should search the homes for him and find the trail again. He is the key here. I do not think he has fled; this place is quietly dangerous." Baradim says, looking at the others. "There are other beasts as well to investigate; the shrine has stirges that are making it unsafe for the townsfolk. They are ignoring them now but will it remain so peaceful?"
"Niss, you mentioned something about the caravan horses. I would really like to take care of that this morning. The group has already lost Bort. I don't want them losing their horses too. Phinick's trail is already cold. I don't think waiting a few more hours will make all that much difference. If the little guy has any sense he would be half way to Osirion by now."
"After we help them, we should search the homes for him and find the trail again. He is the key here. I do not think he has fled; this place is quietly dangerous." Baradim says, looking at the others. "There are other beasts as well to investigate; the shrine has stirges that are making it unsafe for the townsfolk. They are ignoring them now but will it remain so peaceful?"
She nodded. "Indeed. They have fleas apparently, that can cause illness. There are herbs nearby Erda told me about, but a bear was sleeping nearby. She implied it might be possible to get them without waking it. And I agree...I don't want to give up on finding the goblin yet. Sounds as if there are many places to hide in that part of town, and he would be our best bet in finding the real mastermind. Not to mention, technically, you know. He totally did the deed."
"Yes, still worth checking into the Dead Houses - during the daytime though."
"But I think we are agreed on getting these herbs you mention. Lead the way Niss."
Baradim watches the interaction as he finishes tightening the laces on his boots and testing the scabbard that his blade sat in. When Tamli grew more taciturn, he would move behind her and place a hand upon her tense shoulder. The squeeze was slow but reassuring as he stepped in closer, whispering in a low and guttural tone.
"Tartsd meg hevességét az ágynak, szerelmem." Baradim whispered into her ear, only the slightest grin on his face as he continued. "A macskagép nem sértést jelent."
"We will help and take your gold, honor for honor. We have much to do today but look for us at the Feedmill if you need us." The full-blooded orc would say, turning for a moment before stopping. He would come back to her, staring into the proud woman's eyes. "May I...come back? I have not dreamed so peacefully in a long, long time." Baradim did his best to stand resolute as he stood before her but a moment of peace was a welcomed reprieve for him. The need he felt couldn't help but infect his words, even if it made his cheeks darken as he held her gaze.
** spoiler omitted **
Tamli doesn't react to Baradim's words immediately, but she does visibly relax, giving Finoan an apologetic look before he leaves. She replies to Baradim in the same tongue, the words flowing more naturally from her than Common. "Fin hozzáállását nehéz megmondani... és később minden haragot ki tudok ébreszteni rajtad." She says the last bit with a smirk, turning her head slightly towards him.
"Then it will be yours and your friends', whenever the job is done. We will be here until the investigation is over." She shrugs, looking mildly frustrated at the situation. She meets his intense gaze and flushes just slightly, touching the talisman on her necklace before responding. "Yes. Come back again. Én is békét éreztem."
"...I felt peace, too."
Niss follows Erda's directions from the day before, leading the way for her friends. "I'm not very good at sneaking around...so if we're going that route, I'd better hang back. If the bear wakes up, well...I'll be ready to help. From behind Baradim." She grins at the orc.
"Well, I can usually do sneaking around fairly decently. But what is it we are looking for again? ... And what does it look like?"
"She needed rosemary oil, she said. Long sprigs with needles, and a really obvious sort of smell."
Niss feels that she does, in fact, recall what rosemary looks like and is confident in her knowledge.
Following Niss’ lead, you all approach a large clearing where you can hear the loud, cacophonous snores of a grizzly bear.
This large and powerful omnivore inhabits forested hills. While it typically sustains itself on nuts, berries, fish, and small mammals, it’s fiercely territorial and will chase off or kill any creature it views as competition. In combat, a grizzly bear often attempts to grab and maul its foe with surprising ferocity. It continues its assault until its foe seems like it is no longer a threat, though if the bear is hungry, it will not hesitate to feed. Fortunately, grizzly bears are not necessarily very smart, so it is rather easy to trick it into thinking there’s a threat elsewhere. They also sleep heavily and can be snuck by, if you’re careful.
Baradim leads the way through the woods, deeper into the dark grounds underneath the canopies above. He walks with shield and sword in hand, ready in case the bear decides to strike. Its snoring alerts him of the danger's presence.
Feedmill
This morning, Delma has had to resort to buying pastries and the like again, only really offering hot tea, ale, and water along with the meal. She had the same array of pastries as before, along with some of Amora's honey. If you looked over, you would notice that she's looking a tad restless.
Walking over to the owner, "Hey, Delma, how's everything? You don't look to pleased this morning. Thank you for the food, by the way."
"Niss, you mentioned something about the caravan horses. I would really like to take care of that this morning. The group has already lost Bort. I don't want them losing their horses too. Phinick's trail is already cold. I don't think waiting a few more hours will make all that much difference. If the little guy has any sense he would be half way to Osirion by now."
"Anything else on the plan for today?"
Grabbing tea, a pastry, and some honey, Baradim would sit down and begin eating with the others as they considered what there was to do. He nodded in agreement that taking care of the horses would be an important task but his head would shake when they considered Phinick gone.
"After we help them, we should search the homes for him and find the trail again. He is the key here. I do not think he has fled; this place is quietly dangerous." Baradim says, looking at the others. "There are other beasts as well to investigate; the shrine has stirges that are making it unsafe for the townsfolk. They are ignoring them now but will it remain so peaceful?"
She nodded. "Indeed. They have fleas apparently, that can cause illness. There are herbs nearby Erda told me about, but a bear was sleeping nearby. She implied it might be possible to get them without waking it. And I agree...I don't want to give up on finding the goblin yet. Sounds as if there are many places to hide in that part of town, and he would be our best bet in finding the real mastermind. Not to mention, technically, you know. He totally did the deed."
"I think Baradim's right. We can't give up on Phinick yet. We'll see if we can gather these herbs for Erda as Niss just mentioned, hopefully avoiding the bear, and once that's done, get back to searching for Phinick. Maybe somewhere along the way deal with these stirges as well."
Finoan listens to the description of the herb that they are looking for. "OK. I'll keep my eyes out for that."
As they approach the clearing with the snoring bear, Fin goes into a crouch and slinks along the pathway near the bushes.
Niss is not the outdoorsy sort. She doesn't know much about bears, and hangs back, knowing she's likely to give them away stepping on a twig or somesuch.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Niss follows Erda's directions from the day before, leading the way for her friends. "I'm not very good at sneaking around...so if we're going that route, I'd better hang back. If the bear wakes up, well...I'll be ready to help. From behind Baradim." She grins at the orc.
Looking over at Niss, the ranger smiles and nods in a matter of fact manner. "Hard to argue that. I'd hide behind a moving tree too." He shoots the warrior a wink.
Grabbing hammer in one hand and a hatchet in the other, the ranger apparently knows nothing about grizzly bears, and he finds himself stepping on just about every stray twig he can find. It's almost as if he's doing it on purpose.
"Sorry, all, I know very little about grizzlies." *crunch* *crack* *break* *snap* He pauses, sighing heavily while rolling his eyes."Sorry. Sorry." Taking another step, *crack*, he pauses once again, the frustration becoming more obvious. "I swear! Seriously?! There's that many twigs?! You've got to be kidding me."
The Princess Guard, unused to the unfamiliar terrain, bumble through the forest, making as much noise as they would if they'd decided to approach the bear while singing a rousing sea shanty.
You all see, as you approach, the grizzly lumbering to its feet, swinging its large head around to find the source of the sound. It swivels to you all and lets loose a deafening roar, bracing itself to charge.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
A loose string of guttural curses escapes the fighter as the bear awakens, rising up from his slumber. With his shield and sword in hand, he moves to engage the great beast.
Baradim shouts, his voice reverberating through the forest as he lifts his shield and strikes at the beast.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
You all see, as you approach, the grizzly lumbering to its feet, swinging its large head around to find the source of the sound. It swivels to you all and lets loose a deafening roar, bracing itself to charge.
"Hmm... Time for plan B then."
"Not sure how well this will work, but I don't have time for anything fancy at the moment."
Fin rushes forward, hits quickly, then steps backwards - hopefully out of the bear's easy reach.
"Bah. Yeah, that didn't go so well. Princess, you still got that cannon handy?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Niss grinned at Fin's words, in spite of her worry about how big and dangerous this bear looked. She held her attack until all three of the others had gone -- she planned to push the bear away from them and buy some time, once they struck. She had quite a large well of happy emotions to draw on this morning, and was glowing brightly as she amplified her spell and ripped a large branch off a nearby tree, flinging it towards the bear with all her might.
"Stay away from my family." The branch crashed heavily into the unfortunate beast.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Or a ballista. That works too."
Drake moves up, takes note of his prey, and strikes with his hatchet.
Missing horribly as he's clearly distracted for some unknown reason, the ranger can be seen with a wide smile. "No worries, team, we got this," he states confidently. The next thing he knows, the bear gets blasted with a giant stick. Taken aback, he looks back at Niss and winks. "That's my girl."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Niss winks back at him. "One can accomplish much, while standing behind everyone else.
At Baradim’s shout, birds go flying from the treetops in a dark, swirling mass. The bear swings its large head towards the orc and comes face-to-face with the man’s sword, learning that not all two-legs are all bark and no bite.
Unfortunately, Fin and Drake’s swipes miss. Perhaps it’s a little bit of frustration at waking the bear…or perhaps it’s the shock of seeing a massive tree branch go hurtling by them, slamming into the bear at an unparalleled speed. The prodigious force pushes the massive beast away, and it roars in protest, trying to figure out where the tree branch could have come from.
The bear tenses for a moment, then strides towards ahead, picking the one it knows actually hit it–Baradim.
Fortunately for The Princess Guard, it seems as though the impact of the tree branch has the beast dazed, and both swipes at Baradim go wide.
The tree branch crashes into the bear, sending it skittering back as it takes a moment to regain its senses. The orc roars in challenge again, snarling as the massive beast comes charging into combat once more. Baradim lifts his shield up into the air once again, parrying blows and knocking the claws aside before taking a shot at its wide open flank.
The bear's roar turns into a high-pitched yelp at Baradim's powerful hit. It is stumbling and bloodied, holding itself up through sheer force of animal rage.
Fin carefully watches the bears actions as it attacks Baradim.
Seeing an opening, he ◆Steps forward and hits the bear where it hurts - hoping to not actually kill it though he uses a closed fist again.
At Finoan's last hit, the bear stumbles and goes down, knocked out rather than dead. Its breathing is shallow, but otherwise, it is unmoving. You're not sure how long the bear will stay knocked out...
Niss blinked at Fin. "Did you just punch a bear in the face... And win?" She made an impressed face. "That will be a good story later. No one will believe it, of course. 'Immortal mechanical cat punches bear, knocks it out cold.' "
She looks for rosemary and collects as much as she can.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure no one would believe it either. I'm not sure I believe it myself."
Seeing the particular plant that Niss is collecting, Fin joins in and collects some of his own.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
With an incredulous look, "I surely don't believe it. Imean, that's about as ridiculous as... as punching a warrior skeleton in the face and knocking it out." He chuckles. "We all know that's impossible." Drake aids in their search for the rosemary and helps to collect it.
With the bear knocked unconscious, the orc gives Finoan a look that simply said "you're welcome" when it came to the man's miraculous strike bringing the beast downwards. The others go looking for the rosemary needed to cure the horses but Baradim pays attention to the unconscious beast. Looking it over, he looks for any signs of modification or mutation. It could've been that the beast was just ornery.
[dice=Perception]1d20+8+2
With an incredulous look, "I surely don't believe it. Imean, that's about as ridiculous as... as punching a warrior skeleton in the face and knocking it out." He chuckles. "We all know that's impossible." Drake aids in their search for the rosemary and helps to collect it.
Between the three of them, around two bushels of rosemary were able to be gathered. Erda would certainly be grateful.
With the bear knocked unconscious, the orc gives Finoan a look that simply said "you're welcome" when it came to the man's miraculous strike bringing the beast downwards. The others go looking for the rosemary needed to cure the horses but Baradim pays attention to the unconscious beast. Looking it over, he looks for any signs of modification or mutation. It could've been that the beast was just ornery.
Baradim looks over the bear carefully and finds nothing that hinted at anything unnatural on the surface of the beast. Perhaps it really was just...ornery.
Fin nods at Baradim. "Everyone is OK, yes? From what I saw the bear would have done better trying to chew on a stone wall than on Baradim."
"Well, we still have quite a bit to do today. Let's get these herbs to the stables and check out the Dead Houses. Yes?"
Nodding, "Yeah, all good. And that sounds good to me. Dead houses it is once we get these herbs to Erda. Let's move."
The Princess Guard returns to the stables at the Feedmill to a thrilled Erda, who takes both bushels gleefully. ”Oh, that’s way more than I needed!” She inspects the bushels, satisfied with the condition of the herbs. ”This is great. I’ll make sure this gets put to good use.” She sets the bushels down and digs into her pocket, holding out a small, green glass vial. ”I found the poison vial, I think. It looks kind of stereotypical, but…” She shrugs, handing it off to Niss, who she felt most comfortable around. ”Uh, if any of you are staying at the Feedmill, I’ll let Delma know you helped me out. I can cover your rooms for a few days.”
"Glad to help." Fin starts off again, but then thinks of something and turns back.
"Oh, do you know anyone in town who would have a Wizard spellbook. Even a blank one."
The Princess Guard returns to the stables at the Feedmill to a thrilled Erda, who takes both bushels gleefully. ”Oh, that’s way more than I needed!” She inspects the bushels, satisfied with the condition of the herbs. ”This is great. I’ll make sure this gets put to good use.” She sets the bushels down and digs into her pocket, holding out a small, green glass vial. ”I found the poison vial, I think. It looks kind of stereotypical, but…” She shrugs, handing it off to Niss, who she felt most comfortable around. ”Uh, if any of you are staying at the Feedmill, I’ll let Delma know you helped me out. I can cover your rooms for a few days.”
Nodding, "Thanks, Erda. That is most appreciated. As a matter of fact, I am and so is Niss. I'm not entirely sure about Baradim and Fin though." He looks over at them. "They seem to sleep wherever their bedroll falls." He winks. "Well, not Fin. He's a cat. He just sleeps wherever. Sometimes right outside the front door." He grins wryly.
"Glad to help." Fin starts off again, but then thinks of something and turns back.
"Oh, do you know anyone in town who would have a Wizard spellbook. Even a blank one."
Erda looks thoughtful. "Delma might know? She runs the general store, too." She shrugs. "Other than that, I don't know."
She turns a smile to Niss and Drake and nods. "Cool, then I'll cover your room for a few days...I can't really do much else, but thank you for the rosemary. The horses will be pleased." Erda wanders off to the interior of the Feedmill, carrying the bushels and humming, presumably to get the oil started.
"OK, thanks Erda. I'll check with her this evening then." Fin walks out of the stables.
"Well, shall we go see what we can find in the Dead Houses? Drake, you mentioned being able to track, yes? I can help out a bit. Niss, are you able to do that trick with reading objects to follow a trail? I'm assuming that Phinick is terrified if that helps."
"Lead the way, woodsman." Baradim says, putting no amount of pressure on the back of Drake whatsoever.
"Yeah, I can track... mostly. But if my tracking is anything like sneaking up on a bear in which I apparently know nothing about, well, I'll just apologize now."
Drake takes a moment to see if he can find a trail and...
...he pauses, scratching his chin in wonder. Looking over at the others with his hands on his hips, "Hey, in my defense, I said 'mostly'," he reiterates, holding up a finger. Eventually, he just shrugs, and says, "I got nothing. Sorry."
”I found the poison vial, I think. It looks kind of stereotypical, but…”
"Found it? Where was it?"
----------------------------------
Niss, are you able to do that trick with reading objects to follow a trail? I'm assuming that Phinick is terrified if that helps."
Niss considered the usefulness of her ability in this situation, tracking and such, and suddenly felt like an idiot. She pulled out the vial Erda gave her and focused. Had someone other than the goblin handled the vial? She concentrated, trying to see if any other faces were connected to the poison.
”I found the poison vial, I think. It looks kind of stereotypical, but…”"Found it? Where was it?"
----------------------------------
Niss, are you able to do that trick with reading objects to follow a trail? I'm assuming that Phinick is terrified if that helps."Niss considered the usefulness of her ability in this situation, tracking and such, and suddenly felt like an idiot. She pulled out the vial Erda gave her and focused. Had someone other than the goblin handled the vial? She concentrated, trying to see if any other faces were connected to the poison.
Erda pauses for a moment, thinking. "Over by the doorway out back. Where Tiffani and Phinick ran during the brawl."
--
Niss holds the vial in her hand, extending her psychic power to gently peel back the layers of emotion trapped in the fragile glass.
On the surface, she feels that familiar anxiety: Phinick's. She feels her chest clench up and she struggles to catch her breath, sharing in the panic that the goblin felt while handling this.
A little deeper, with more concentration, Niss is hit with a sharp pain borne of abject terror and hatred mixed, and she struggles not to drop the vial. Phinick's face is oddly wavering in and out, and another is slowly surfacing...the gigantic, scar-faced brute of a man you all had seen during the bar brawl - Hallod. When his image comes to the surface, Niss is hit hard with the hatred that had lurked below the surface, suddenly finding the anxiety overridden with irrational anger.
The emotion overwhelms her for a moment and she growls as though it's her own hatred, chucking the vial as hard as she can at the nearest wall and then stumbling and clutching her head as she fights the feeling off.
She's had worse headaches, and it begins to fade as quickly as it began. She rubs her temples. "We were right, Fin. The ledgers. Hallod is mixed up in all this. He hated Bort. Nothing but rage and loathing." She looked towards the vial and winced. "Sorry. That was probably evidence we could have given Rolth."