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Brennus's expression is likely hard to read for you mammals, but something about the slight gape of his beak, the tilt of his head, and the sparkle in his eyes suggests he's amused. "Yes, why are you doing this when you so clearly don't really want to, hm? Orders? Coercion? Magical compulsion?"
Do we roll a check for every post while talking with an NPC?
Brennus appreciates riding along with the group, even if his way of expressing it is complaining about how he still can't fly properly.
"Be wary. I think I see a symbol on this fellow's armor indicating some allegiance to Bowbe, patron of berserkers," Brennus whispers to his current ride-share. After a moment he adds, "On the other hand... we're mounted, and he is not. We may be able to use his anger." The raven flies up onto Rail's shoulder. "I'm afraid we need a bit of clarification, sir," he calls to the armored figure. "When you say 'here', do you mean only this bridge, specifically? If we were to build another bridge right alongside it, say, would we not be able to pass on that one, too? And when you say 'none', does that mean you're blocking animals from passing as well? You really must be more specific."
Brennus eagerly suggests that he rest in the inn with the rest of the party the night after meeting them, making it quite clear he doesn't fancy finding some dubious spot to roost when he could be safe and warm inside. He spends a fair amount of time that night preening his feathers, so in the morning when you depart he looks much less disheveled than when you first met him--though it obviously does nothing for his missing primaries. He's quite surprised when he's offered a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the candlesticks. "I'll have to ask one of you to hold onto that for me," he says, spreading his wings slightly, "As you can see I have neither pocket, pouch, nor pack of my own. Perhaps we can remedy that upon our return... hmmm, yes, I'll give some thought to what a design might look like..." It's easy to note that he stays quiet wherever other people could overhear him, but Brennus is quite talkative whenever the group is alone. He's obviously quite eager to know the group's histories, and the history of each of you individually, but he also quickly goes into asides about magical theory and even about the history and geography of the area. Indeed, it's quite clear that he's not simply familiar with civilization, but that he's learned more about it than simple observation can explain. "Hmmm, certainly not good flying weather," the raven agrees with Telurion. "Even if I fly more like a chicken then a raven right now..."
Brennus will be happy to take a share of the money, but right now, he has no way to carry it, so he'll be asking one of you to hold onto it for him (I'll write about this in-character shortly). The next time we're in town he'll probably see about commissioning a little pack customized to his anatomy.
Brennus will do more talking when we return triumphant to the city. :D Right now, he's just had his life upended, been rather violently transported a great distance to a place where he knows noone, and decided out of some sense of desperation to throw his lot in with the first bunch of adventurer-types he spotted. Once he's had to time to
"Hmmm, you prefer melee, don't you? Perhaps when combat seems likely I'll have to find another shoulder to perch on," Brennus muses.
"I suppose I'll keep riding along then," Brennus replies, shifting his perch on Telurion's shoulder slightly. "Maybe you could fill me in on what was in that box while we go?"
"Hmmm, I may take you up on that," Brennus replies to Variel. He turns his head swiftly to Rail. "We'll see how desperate I get. It shouldn't take long for all of you to prepare, right? If it's going to be more than a few hours I may explore around a little and see if I can overhear anything interesting rather than watch you shop."
"Well I don't exactly have anything to pack..." Brennus says, "Nor do I need a horse, so... I suppose I'll just keep you company while you prepare. I don't suppose any of you want to talk theory of arcana?"
Yikes, stay safe!
Brennus is quite glad when they get out of the temple and he feels safe speaking again. "I think you can guess how good I am at throwing, but I can fly over and drop a vial on something. Or I could, if my flight instincts hadn't gotten scrambled by the magic," he complains from his perch on Telurion's shoulder. "As for what I need? An enchanted pack fitted to me would be rather nice, but quite out of our price range at present, I suspect, so my share of the treasure will have to sit in one of your packs for the time being. As for scrolls, should we come across any of a more arcane or occult sort, those are my specialties... though again, I wouldn't have anywhere to carry them at present."
"I don't have a master anymore," Brennus replies, shifting slightly on his perch. "It turns out if you shove enough magic in a bird, they can become a sorcerer in their own right. If you don't just explode them. Fortunately, I didn't explode." There seems to be a glitter of humor in his dark eyes. "Now, can I fly down there and hitch a ride with you to whereever you're going, if you're interested in seeing what sort of damage I can do with my magic? My wings are in rather poor condition at present thanks to my rough arrival, and besides, it won't draw quite so many eyes as a raven constantly circling around you."
The raven watches Father Bofred with keen interest, noting the hint of desperation he shows. He debates revealing he can speak, but isn't quite sure what sort of reaction that would bring, so he waits to see if the humanoids in his new group will push for payment before opening his beak.
Brennus folds his wings and waits a moment for the woman and girl to move out of earshot, then looks back down at the group he'd been watching. "Well, as you can guess, employment opportunities for a magical raven are a bit... rare, and seeing as you look the sort to go out and find trouble, I thought you might appreciate having a magical raven on your side," he states, bobbing a little as he emphasizes 'magical'. "Not only do I blend in well in most environments, I also have some degree of sorcerous power, enough to be capable in combat as well. You are the sorts who end up fighting monsters and undead and such, right? I could help with that. And you could help me with carrying things and making certain I get treated like a person."
Oh right, I hadn't dotted this yet. XD Can you see my updates to Brennus's Pathbuilder page, or do I need a new link as well? He went with Psychic Dedication and Natural Senses (low-light vision).
Brennus ruffles his feathers while making an odd, irritated squawking sound. "Here I thought you looked like the adventurer types who didn't panic the moment something weird showed up. Yes, I am a magic talking raven." He spreads his wings, which look as ragged as the rest of him. He's missing a couple flight feathers, and a few others are clearly damaged. "I'm not exactly a danger to you, you see. In fact, I had a bit of a... proposal I wanted to make."
"Well, let's get this part over with. You're welcome to join us, see how appreciative people are after you save a town and destroy a dangerous artifact." Telurion then pushes away from the table and lifts the crate to his shoulder. As he exits the establishment he looks around for the raven. Seeing it, he calls out, and offers a bit of the bread they had at the table"Come here buddy, you want a piece of bread?" Brennus tilts his head slightly to one side. There's a part of him that would have liked more time to observe this gropu, but... might as well take the plunge now. "Thanks for the offer, but I actually ate recently," the raven says, his voice a bit scratchy and rough but otherwise surprisingly human-like. "If you'd care to feed my curiosity, however, that's as hungry as ever. What's a group like yours doing here, waiting for a message from this temple?"
Brennus's first instinct when some of the humanoids he's watching start throwing curious looks his way is to hide. Fortunately, he's long since gotten comfortable enough with humanoids that his conscious mind has no problem squashing that instinct. Instead, after a moment of thought, he decides to give them a very exaggerated wink. Then he flies over to a roof between them and the temple the messenger came from, waiting to see what they say when they see him there.
Brennus continues watching for now, though he tries to identify a good perch to fly to so he can listen when this group exits. It looks like they might be recruiting, which could possibly be good news for him. Hopefully they are the sort of adventurers who uncover interesting and powerful magic...
Perched on the edge of a roof overlooking the entrance to the tavern is a ragged-looking raven, his dark eyes watching as the three travelers enter. They certainly *seem* the adventuring type--mismatched armor, multi-species, traveling in a small group even in the city. Once they enter, the raven searches for another perch, one where he can watch them through a window. It'd be preferable to be able to listen, but just flying into the tavern seems... ill-advised. Still, at some point he'll have to approach them. He'd rather get a feel for their group dynamics and goals first if he can, though. |
