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”No offense was intended, Mistress Milana,” Alden says in a sincere tone. ”The Dragon is doubtlessly centuries older than either of us, and if she possessed some obscure lore that might offer some advantage over the undead, I did not want to miss the opportunity to obtain it. Besides, by apprising her of the threat, we have shown ourselves to be good neighbors. If we continue to be, she might come to prefer that arrangement to other future offers.”
Alden unshoulders his pack and takes a seat giving a grateful nod as he accepts the cup. "Did the Green Lady come? Did she offer any useful information regarding the ghouls?" he asks.
Alden makes his way to Milana's to see if anyone is still gathered there, and if there is any news regarding the Dragon.
Alden makes his way through the woods and back to Passbog, maintaining a steady pace, but keeping an eye out for trouble.
Alden releases her hand as soon as he feels her pull away. He fastens Sarana's feather to his bandolier. "If I survive, I will return, m'Lady. I look forward to our first real conversation." He gives her a respectful bow of his head, and turns to return to Passbog.
Alden accepts the feather from Sarana, his hand lingering against hers. "Thank you, m'Lady. I will carry it with me, and think of your lovely smile when I see it. Is there any token I can give you in return?"
”I admit, seeking your expertise was my primary goal on this particular occasion,” Alden replies, flushing slightly at what he perceives to be either her admonishment or interest in him. ”I am hopeful that sometime soon, when innocent lives are not at stake, we could take our time to speak at length, and become better acquainted with one another.” I hope I am not being presumptuous, and end up making a fool of myself! Alden thinks to himself, as he meets the swan maiden’s gaze and offers what he believes to be a charming smile.
”Whether or not to slay the ghouls is not the question., m’Lady,” Alden replies. ”As you say, they cannot be abided. Unfortunately, I am too green in matters of the undead; we all are. We want to face them with the best possible means for success. Once the ghoul threat is no more, we can attempt to join the Chelish survivors with our neighbors in a spirit of one whole community.”
"I do not know if you are aware, but we have merged with another shard of the world. It is what remains of a city from the nation of Cheliax. The survivors are plagued by ghouls, who lair in warrens beneath their cemetery. We have agreed to rid the Chelish of this scourge in exchange for rulership of their remaining people. Their lord shows evidence of madness, or at least, a deep regret for how things have transpired under his leadership. I speak for all of us when I say that we have no desire to make slaves of these people, only to live with them in peace. However, there is no peace to be made with the ghouls, and it seems that those they do not eat, they change into more of their own. We are woefully ignorant of how to deal with these creatures, but despite this ignorance, we must face them. I have come to ask for your counsel, in the hopes that you would prefer our presence to the ravenous dead upon the border of the forest."
Alden rises to his feet, pausing long enough to return the smile, and give a respectful nod of acknowledgement. "The wolves were acting according to their nature. If they had attacked, I would have defended myself, but I had no cause to provoke them." After a moment, he smiles at the recollection of the rollicking wolf pups, and adds. "The pups were adorable, and I would have hated to orphan them." "As you no doubt heard, I have come to speak with you. May I have a few moments of your time, m'Lady?"
Alden subscribes to the Tao of Roadhouse: ”Be nice…. until it’s time to not be nice.” Of course, he’s badly outnumbered here, so a last stand will be just that. Maaaaybe, he could run for it and get to some sort of defensible position? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Alden keeps his breathing steady, and maintains eye contact with the the large wolf. ”Greetings, friend. I was just sharing a meal with these cubs.” He slowly, but smoothly drops to one knee, and hold out his hand for the wolf pup to sniff. ”My apologies, if I interrupted your hunt. I am just passing through to the pond. I wish to speak with the Swan Maiden, Sarana. If you let me be on my way, I will trouble you no further.”
Alden maintains eye contact with the wolf. "The Stagfather's Blessing upon you and your family, Mother. I will not harm your cubs. If you let me pass, I will happily share some meat with you." He moves slowly to retrieve his trail ration package, pulling out four pieces of jerky, two for the wolf and one for each of her cubs. He tosses the two pieces to the Mother Wolf, and drops the other two, one in front of each cub.
Alden nods. "Go ahead and send the message. How long will it take to receive a reply, assuming she responds immediately?" "Regardless of her answer, I will go to the pond and speak with the Swan. With any luck, she will be able to offer valuable advice."
”I will visit the pond. Its resident will only speak with one person, so I will have to go alone. How did you intend to notify the Green Lady? She doesn’t appreciate magic being used in her territory without her expressly stated permission.”
"By removing the ghouls, we hope to eliminate the threat, and earn the trust of the remaining people in the city. However, we should all be wary of them. Their lord is suffering from some sort of madness, and the captain of the guard seems to be the scheming sort. When we return to deal with the ghouls, it is essential you be on your guard with anyone who comes from the city. I would also suggest posting a watch, in case they come by night with an intent to kill or conquer." Alden's expression leaves no doubt that he is concerned for the well-being of Passbog's citizenry. "I also think it would be prudent to notify our neighbors in the Forest Shard. Having a hostile force, or a pack of ravenous ghouls on their border might cause them to enough concern to take drastic measures, if not forewarned. I will deliver the news, unless one of you believes another would be better suited to the task, in which case, I will defer."
"If Berik keeps his word and abdicates power to us, then it will be a simple matter to recruit survivors from their city to become farmers. If, as I fear, that there is some subterfuge at play, either by him or Tymos, then we can expect betrayal at an opportune moment. Perhaps they plan to bury us alive in the mausoleum, then abandon and burn the city, and claim Passbog for themselves.," Alden replies, his tone turning cautious and speculative.
”I’m also concerned about how it spreads. Clearly, some people have been eaten by the ghouls while others became them. We don’t want this spreading to our family and friends.”
Alden returns Tymos's nod of respect, and once the gate has closed, he turns and begins walking towards Passbog. After the party is well out of earshot of the walls, he says, "If we're going to clear out the ghouls, we need to learn all we can about them. We should call a gathering in the common room, and make sure we glean whatever we can from the rest of the town. After that, we should probably see if she will be willing to provide any helpful advice. It also might be worthwhile for one of us to pay a visit to the swan-woman, and see if she can be of assistance."
"I think we've learned all we can for the time being," Alden replies. "We will return to our people, and see what other resources we can bring to bear against the ghouls."
"When you lead your last assault against them, when did they attack?" Alden asks Tymos. [b]"Did they attack when you entered the cemetery itself, or did they wait until you entered the mausoleum itself?"
”How often does a ghoul emerge into the open? When was the last time your men sighted one?” Alden asks Tymos.
"Can you take us to the vantage point now?" Alden asks Tymos.
"Does the town have a sewer system? If not, is it built over a network of catacombs or caves? If the soil is soft, could the creatures have dug tunnels under the cemetary wall?" Alden asks, trying to think of ways the ghouls could be hunting unseen.
Alden draws upon Erastil's power to read the auras of the mother and son.
Alden helps Tymos move the rack, revealing the hidden cache of weapons. "Thank you," he says, giving Tymos a respectful nod. "These will be of great help to us." He claims one of the cold iron spears, and (unless someone else claims it first) the adamantine mace. "If you have anything that can burn, alchemist fire, tar, or even lamp oil, that would be of great help to us, as well."
Alden examines the rack of weapons to see if there are any boar spears or pikes among the pole arms.
Alden nods in acknowledgement to both Berik and Tymos. "We are grateful, not only for whatever you can spare to aid us, but also to speak with those who knew the victims. Whatever they can tell us will be more than we know now."
"That make sense," Alden says, nodding in agreement with Tymos' explanation.
Alden nods in acknowledgment of Tymos' suggestion, though his face makes it clear he feels less than enthusiastic about it. "If one has only a day to cut down a copse of trees, one would be wise to spend the morning sharpening one's axe. As much as I dislike the idea of leaving people at the mercy of these foul creatures a moment longer, if we rush in unprepared, we will likely become their next meal or worse, add our numbers to theirs."
"Where and when do the ghouls typically hunt their prey?" Alden asks Barik. "Is that area patrolled, or is it avoided or barricaded?"
"Unfortunately, not much. I've spent most of my life farming," Alden replies. "Can you tell us anything else about the ghouls?" he asks Barik. "Are they strong? Does sunlight harm them? Do they attack in packs, or are do they hunt alone? How often are they encountered outside the cemetary?"
”Do you have any stores of alchemist fire, lamp oil, or pitch?” Alden asks. ”Have you tried purging the cemetery itself with fire?”
"How many ghouls are there?" Alden asks. "You said a 'large populace'. Are you speaking of a dozen, a hundred, or a thousand?"
Alden accepts the drink, but instead of sipping from it, he sets it on the table in front of him. "Thank you," he says to Lord Barik. "Since you addressed us a fellow shard bearers, and your shard joined with ours through no action on our part, it is clear you are either currently in possession of the gem, or else you know where it is. Is that correct, sir?" Alden asks, in a polite, but nearly emotionless tone.
Alden gives a courteous nod to Lord Barik. ”Greetings, and thank you for your hospitality. I am Alden Cooperson, of Erastil. My companions have dubbed me spokesman for our party. I hope that we may negotiate in good faith, and find mutually beneficial cooperation with each other.” He pauses a moment, then takes a seat alongside his friends.
"Thank you for your safe conduct," Alden replies to Tymos. "We will meet with your Master now."
Alden takes it all in as he walks, taking note of the fortifications, especially around the cemetery, as well as the decided lack of everyday citizens. Recalling how he could surveil the shards before joining, it is very likely that these soldiers, or at least their leader, have seen Passbog, and have a good idea of the community's resources. He considers where this impending negotiation may go, and what type of concessions he may be prepared to make on behalf of the townsfolk.
Alden walks next to Tymos, keeping his manner as calm and nonchalant as possible. As they walk, he tries to make note of how many armed fighters he sees, relative to noncombatants.
"Stay alert, stay close," Alden whispers to the others before moving forward into the formation of soldiers. "Lead the way, sir," he says to Tymos, with a nod of the head.
Alden nods. ”We will speak with your master as emissaries on behalf of our people, Sir Tymos Boh. We request safe conduct to, the meeting with him, during the meeting with him, and from the meeting with him, back to this location. We will not draw weapon against, strike blows, nor cast spell upon any of your people, as long as you, your Lord, or any person or being capable of these same actions within your land’s borders does not do so first. We will retain our armor, weapons and all other possessions for the entire duration of this process: the journey to your lord, the meeting with him, and the return to this location. I offer
Alden turns his head away from the men, and back towards his companions. ”I’m not familiar with the kingdom they’re from. Do any of you know who they are, and if the can be trusted to keep their word?” he asks in a soft tone, hopefully not overheard by the strangers.
Alden stops a pace past when he senses the malevolence of the men’s commanders. ”Greetings friends, I am Alden Cooperson, servant of Erastil, the Stagfather. It appears you have found the means to reuniting the shards of our shattered world. We have no intention of harming you. Would you be willing to meet and speak peaceably?”
"Let me try. If they end up being hostile, I will be in a position to hold them off, I hope, long enough for the rest of you to bring magic or ranged weapons to bear," Alden replies.
Alden continues a steady, unhurried pace towards the line of guards. He keeps his sword sheathed and his bow slung across his back. If nothing prompts him to stop before getting within sixty feet, he will reach out with Erasil's power to sense the nature of the men.
Is there any way to put labels or tags on buildings or locations? If not, no biggie, but it would be cool.
"We should probably get moving," Alden says. "I would prefer to recover the Stones before the residents of the new shard do." He makes a quick check of his weapons, armor, and gear to make sure that all the straps are securely in place, nods to the others to make sure they are ready to go, then moves in the direction of the city.
Upon arriving home, Alden wastes no time donning his armor. He pulls on his gambeson, and begins buckling each piece of armor in place as quickly as he can without doing so incorrectly. he is grateful for Jaxom's assistance, as it greatly expedites the process. Once he has finished, he buckles on his belt with sword and dagger, slings his quiver and bow over his shoulder, and grabs the rest of his gear.
"I'll run grab my gear. Meet at my house, that'll give me enough time to get my armor on," Alden replies.
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