Einor's page

When no apparent threat appeared, Einor eased his armored form through the doorway and squinted down the narrow hall, picking out two more doors at its terminus. He was a bit surprised by the lengthy extent of the cellar's layout. I guess this won't be a simple in-and-out after all, he mused. No wonder Rogthrin didn't handle this himself. The sudden mental image of the overweight dockmaster attempting the physical exertion necessary for this task made Einor chuckle. Quickly resuming his former silence, the dark-haired ranger passed by Tazennin and approached the labeled door to the south. Pushing it open, he peered inside half-expecting to see rows of weathered barrels filling the room.

Checking out the Drink Storage room at J5. This'll take place before Askar's post, chronologically.

Einor shook his head and rolled his eyes at the dockmaster's poor attempt at humor. I bet Rogthrin really would lock us all in, he thought as he carefully navigated the tower's steep staircase behind the other Pathfinders. Grimacing at all the noise made by Oberst's and Tazennin's descent, he wondered, If this is how loud these two are when they're trying to be sneaky, it must be absolutely deafening when they're purposefully trying to draw attention. So much for the subtle approach.

With a silent sigh, Einor continued on, wrinkling his nose at the musty smell of the cellar. He deftly hefted his steel greataxe in a two-handed grip as he passed in front of his companions. Taking up a flanking position beside the room's easternmost door, he momentarily slipped his right hand off of his weapon and tested the latch to see if it was unlocked. Glancing back at the others, he held up three fingers in the flickering light to indicate that he was going to push it open after a three second countdown, and then slide out of the way.

3...
2...
1...

Einor is opening the door at H3 and then dropping back to G2.

Inside one of the spartan guest rooms of The Crooked Leg, Einor shrugged off his backpack and set it down by the rickety looking bed. It was unneeded weight that he felt could be safely left behind for now. He kept his steel greataxe, longbow, and quiver though, along with a torch and some flint and steel that he fished out of his leather pack. His assumption was that the clearing out of the watchtower's bowels would be a short venture. Go in, exterminate some pests, then get out, he figured. Followed by a good night's rest on solid ground. The tempting thought of sleep made him involuntarily yawn.

Quickly making his way back to the dining area, Einor rejoined the others and informed Rogthrin, "I'm ready." As he spoke, he tied back his dark, shoulder-length hair into a topknot-ponytail using a string of cured hide.

While the topic of bandits raised quite a bit of interest from his fellow operatives, Einor mentally prioritized it lower on his list of things to do. Rutt lay a considerable distance to the west and made for a substantial detour when compared to traveling directly to Olnslav from Darth. But is the road to Olnslav similarly plagued by marauders? he wondered. Although as well-armed as he and his companions were, it would take a sizable group of robbers to stop them from reaching the Thane. And that seemed to be an unlikely probability, so he chose not to worry about it for now. We'll deal with it when the time comes, he thought grimly.

Idly drumming his fingertips on the bar's weathered countertop, he pondered on a course of action for the next day. But when the dockmaster mentioned the town's problem with keeping their watchtower's stored supplies untouched by vermin, it presented a quick opportunity to garner some gratitude and goodwill. And those were two things that were always good to have, especially since Darth was the Pathfinders' only port access at the moment, and also their current base of operations.

"How many levels belowground does the watchtower extend?" Einor asked the bearded merchant.

Einor looked askance at the untidy condition of the cramped seating area as one of his dark brows arched slightly in disapproving concern. Not that he was actually expecting Absalom-class service in any of the towns of Yune, but the obvious dirt and food stains still left a lot to be desired in terms of quality and cleanliness. It made him seriously consider skipping dinner entirely as images of what the kitchen must look like flashed through his head. He simply couldn't shake the mental picture of roaches crawling over stored food from his mind.

Keeping his face politely neutral for the time being, the tall ranger set aside his backpack and took a seat at the bar. He waited until the stout innkeeper turned away and then quickly wiped the inside of the mug that was given to him clean with a corner of his mottled gray-and-green cloak. Noticing the bearded man's heavy accent when he spoke, Einor switched from Taldane to Skald. He indicated the empty tables with a curt nod and asked, "Not many guests this time of year?"

A fine mist of salty sea spray enveloped Einor as he stood watching the waves from the aft section of the longship. This far north the water was bitingly cold but the stoic ranger endured it in silence. There was a stark beauty here that wasn't as evident in the south, and his blood sang as if the ocean and earth called out to him. It felt like he was returning home even though he'd never been to the winterlands of his father's people before. And when the rocky shore of Yune appeared on the horizon, he exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.

As the island drew close enough to inspect in detail, Einor shivered from a frisson of primal potency in the air. He knew from Othis' scrolls that Yune was an untamed isle, its dark and mysterious wilds still unconquered by man. And it was the potential thrill of visiting its feral areas that tantalized his explorer's spirit. But he realized that he would have to be careful not to be seduced by the island's fey allure. I must never let my guard down, he wisely reminded himself.

However, the small town of Darth was dingy in comparison to the pristineness of the terrain surrounding it, a man-made blemish that squatted in a cliffside break like a ugly scab. Not much to look at, the ranger mused. He reached out to grip the side of the longship to steady himself as it came to a rough stop at a wooden pier that looked like it was older than he was. Tentatively setting one booted foot on the slick, discolored wood, Einor carefully disembarked with the other Pathfinders and drew in a deep breath. The air was crisp and invigorating, but with nightfall approaching, travel to Olnslav would probably best wait until morning.

"To the Crooked Leg then?" he asked the others. Hitching his backpack a little higher up on his back, he prepared to walk the short slope to the building that the captain had pointed out.

The silver scales of Einor's armor rasped as he shifted his weight from one booted foot to the other. With his calloused palms planted face down on the table, he leaned forward to hear the pale-skinned Andoran's remarks better. And while he didn't immediately recognize the bow-bearing speaker, he did experience a sense of familiarity as if he had seen the man's face before, perhaps in passing. It piqued his curiosity enough to wonder what faction the other warrior belonged to.

However, when the gray-eyed bowman called for a vote, Einor smoothly replied with a simple, "Aye." He didn't want to tip his hand by insisting on a Luthgrad docking, so he decided to bide his time and improvise later after they had all made landfall on the island.

Is the bag of coins that Othis brought only for paying the transportation fee to Yune? Or will there be enough left over to help cover the cost of additional gear?

With an inward sigh after inspecting one of the scrolls, it dawned on Einor that overland travel between Darth and Luthgrad might not be practical or even feasible. With both the Eastmoors and Jurn Forest in the way, it appeared that the risk of danger far outweighed the goal of reaching his secondary destination. I'll have get to the other town by water then unless I have no other choice, he realized. He shivered a bit at the thought, preferring the solidity of earth under his feet over the depthless uncertainty of open ocean. But not contacting the Master of Luthgard in person wasn't an option, unfortunately. He had a job to do and he would do it to the best of his ability.

So despite the administrator's evident irritation, Einor dared one last question, "Who should we contact in Yune if we need to get word back here to Absalom?" The Society had trusted agents and couriers set up in many locales all across Avistan, but the isle that the operatives were about to travel to was remote even by Pathfinder standards, and may not have had a reliable contact already in place. And such a contact would be crucial to the ranger if he needed to reach his Grand Lodge superiors with critical information.

As Theodore Othis spoke, Einor silently stood at his spot by the table and map, listening intently to the older man's words as he explained the reason why the Pathfinder operatives were being sent to Yune. A Sidhe Entrance had been discovered, and apparently it was a potentially lucrative find from what the dark-haired ranger could tell from the administrator's terse explanation. And while profit wasn't one of his personal priorities, he could see why the Society would want it checked out as soon as possible. Especially if other groups, such as the Aspis Consortium, knew about it and wanted to exploit it.

While Einor was under no illusion that the Pathfinder Society was completely altruistic in their own interest, he still believed that this discovery would be safest under their supervision. But this entrance wasn't the only objective that he had to take care of, though he kept the secondary matter private from the others. At some point he'd have to make his way to Luthgrad if the majority ended up deciding that the party should dock at Darth. Quickly poking through the scrolls that Othis had brought, he searched for one that might reveal more detail about the Isle of Yune's topography than what he had already gleaned from the map resting on the table.

Trying to find more information about the route and travel time between Darth and Luthgrad, and if there are any known dangerous areas that exist along the way.
Knowledge (Geography): 1d20 + 4 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 5 = 16

Sorry for the late post. Big tree branch took out some power lines, so intermittent power + spotty service = big headache.

With Helod as the team's official cartographer, what could possibly go wrong? :)

Looking forward to the game. Thanks for taking in all six players. Was mighty nice of you to do so.

As Einor crossed the grass-lined quad, he carefully reread the silver filigreed note that he had received from one of his superiors. After having spent a little over a month in Absalom, it looked like he was finally being granted an opportunity to travel and prove his worth to the Grand Lodge. He was excited by the prospect and his great stride grew faster as he navigated the gravel path to Skyreach for his first meeting. Pondering the contents of the missive, he thought, Luthgrad and the Isle of Yune, I wonder what they're like. Both were locations that were unfamiliar to him, and were somewhere in northwestern Avistan in Linnorm King territory. No wonder I was selected, he mused. While he had never been to the lands of his absentee father, Ulfen blood still definitely ran through his veins.

Refolding the note, Einor slipped it back into his belt pouch and entered his destination--the towering building of Skyreach. Making his way through its long marbled halls, he eventually found the chamber indicated in the letter. This must be it, he thought as he walked in and spotted the island map laying on the oversized table. Immediately drawn to it out of curiosity, the tall dark-haired ranger studied the layout and contours of Yune, taking mental note of its general terrain and the distances between its towns. His practiced eye quickly caught Luthgrad at the northern tip, and his mind tucked away the tidbit of information for later use. Satisfied by his brief perusal, he glanced around the meeting room to see who else was being recruited for this expedition.