Niles...Just Niles's page

You have been travelling for the better part of a fortnight, from the interior of Numeria to Kenabres. The road has been kind to your musculature, but the weather has not been kind, with the spring showers following you all the way up the path. Fortunately, your wagon, a gift from your creator to be used on this ride, is a magical one. Each night, the driver, a man who simply perfers to be called Miles, transformed the wagon into a small house, big enough to offer shelter to all of you, and provide the necessary food and drink each time. You've been delayed by about two days, but no one complains. The 'wagon' sure beats roughing it in a tent in the middle of a storm.

You reach the outer gate to the Old Kenabres district about an hour before the midday. Miles is able to get the cart into the inner city, but not much further. Getting out of the back of the wagon, Miles hitches the horses and walks back to you. "I'm afraid this is as far as I can get you. If you follow the crowds, you'll make it to Clydwell Plaza before the fastivities begin. Don't forget to try out the food here." WIth that, Miles walks off to one of the vendor kiosks and you see him a minute later chewing on a turkey (or is that goat?) leg.

Your internal chronometers indicate that you have about 15 minutes before the main festivities begin. It is only about 1200' to the pavillion that Miles mentioned; however, there are many people between you and the pavillion. What you do to get to the plaza is up to you.

"Would you get your ass down off the table, Corian? You're scaring away my customers."

[dice=Perception]1d20+12

Shi'Vatha tilts one long ear back toward the conversation between the grippli and the wizard, while the other ear stays focus'd on the innkeeper. "Excuse me sir, I realize you are busy, but you did not answer my question." He taps the bar with a heavy thick fingernail to get the innkeeper's attention.

The innkeeper looks at you, trying (and failing) to look like he was not staring at the woman at the bar. He hears you repeat your question and then says, "Oh well, my apologies. Your friend didn't mention anything about compensation from the church." Looking at the proffered scroll, he looks back at you and Vedic and says "This here scroll is to cover the both of you for one night, in the same room. If you plan to stay by the hearth, I can stretch your stay out to 2 nights, but your friend will have to pay for his own room after tonight. Makes sense to you?"

Selene blinks at the sight of the different peoples with the inn. After a slight pause, she moves up to the bar. "Pardon me, good sir, can you tell me of any interesting ways to pass the time in this town? It seems I must wait until sunset to meet a Corian Smither for some escort job I saw on a flyer on my way in, so I have a few hours to kill. Perhaps some lunch to start."

A smile appears on the innkeeper's face as he sees you approach. Hearing your request, he says, "It'll be three silver for the lunch, ma'am. Today's going to be rabbit stew, and some fresh bread my girl...um, I mean, my assistant baked this morning. Go ahead and belly up to the bar, and I'll go and fetch you some." He practically runs into the back, where you suppose that the kitchen is. Within a couple of moments, he comes back out, carrying a big bowl, heaped with what you guess is rabbit (you hope, more like), and a clay mug. Setting it down, you see some kind of cream in it.

"We just happen to have some fresh goat's milk handy, so I got you a glass, on the house. Also, if you're looking for Corian, he just stepped into the inn, behind you." You turn to look (and since everyone easily made their Perception, so far, there's no need for a spoiler tag here...), and see a gentleman walk in. He is clearly a magic using type of person, judging from the purple and blue robes that he wears. He seems middle-aged, with streaks of grey in his hair and beard being quite prominent. However, the spring in his step belies that notion, as he is definitely young in energy. He nods briskly to the innkeeper and steps back to a table at the far end of the room, far away from the hearth fire.

Turning back, the innkeeper gives you an interested look, and says, almost in a stage whisper, "Might I say that, compared to the other oddities who have come in here, you look positively normal." He takes a step back, shaking his head, as if wishing he had not said that. He then starts stuttering out some kind of apology, interspersed with curses for saying something stupid.

'First weird people, now talking animals...'

"Um, if that's the case, it will be 3 gold pieces total for the night. As to your questions, only the temples have things to read, that I know of."

Everyone, please make a Perception check.

Vedic didn't know the church well, so he kept his mouth shut and followed his odd companion. Once at the inn he took over.

Did we get that "50 gp per day" writ to present to the innkeeper, or is this coming out of our own pocket?

The bald elf approached the inn keep and asked simply. "Do you have a room?"

The writ covers the cost of the room for one night.

The innkeeper looks at you as you step up. You ask your question, and he responds, "I do. Are you planning to keep your animal in the stable?"

The cot will suffice. I require a minimum of 130 grams of carbohydrates, 25 grams of dietary fiber, 53 grams of protein and 20 grams of fat.

The innkeeper cocks his head to look at you in wonderment, almost as if you have something on your head. "Um...we have rabbit stew for lunch. I'm not sure...um maybe the priests carry stuff like that?"

Glornug walks into the Wyld Stallion's (Most excellent!) common room. He scans the area, then tries to find the inkeeper to ask about a room.

You follow the woman into the inn, and you see a male standing behind a bar, an eyepatch over his right eye. You allow him to speak to the woman first (noticing as she came in that she is walking with a bit of a limp), then you step up. Asking for a room, he says to you, "It'll be a gold piece for a cot by the hearth, 2 gold if you want a room, and 4 gold if you want a room to yourself. That price includes lunch and sup. What'll it be?"

The Wyld Stallion, adequate for my self-repair cycle.

Limping into the Inn, Felicity approaches the bar, dropping a small, oddly designed golden triangle on the counter.

I required lodging, will this be sufficient payment?

You hobble in and see a human male, wearing a patch over his right eye. He takes the proffered coin and looks at it strangely for a moment, before taking a bite into it! He looks at you (again, in a slightly strange manner) and says, "M'lady, this will be enough for both a cot by the hearth and two meals, since it is only the lunch hour. Sup's at sundown, and I goes to be bed around 8. Anything else will be extra. What says you?"

The wizard is unwilling to argue with the irrational captain, even though he is taken back by his attitude. He departs somberly. When Niles greets them though Azaraunt notes When the captain is in a better mood remind him that I came to his aid when the bandits attacked him in his cabin. Remind him who stood between him and naked blades. Remind him also that we were paying guests who did not ask for a return of our payment when we were attacked by thugs he let on his boat.

"I will. Captain Teach can be stubborn sometimes, but he is a good man, and eventually he will come back around. He is not one to hold a grudge." Niles smiles at you as you depart the boat, confident in his statement.

Sounds good. We can finish up the wrestling thing whenever Numair is around. What skill/check did you want him to use to measure his progress?

Ruul nods at Niles' warning.

"How do you feel? Have there been no lingering effects from the poison?"

"No, I am fine. But I think I may have learned a lesson as to where to put my pecker at night. Thanks for asking. Good luck with the little healer."

Drinking down the milky like substance, Niles can feel his strength returning. He looks over at Lavinia and graciously thanks her for her generosity. He then turns his head back to you and says, "Well, sir, I was taking the advice of your other healer friend who told me that the gnome lady was really looking to put out. It seemed only right that I help put her mind out at ease."He pauses to lick his lips. "It was real good at first and it seemed like she was enjoying herself, I didn't need any rum or anything for that. But she started getting rough, trying to get me to go and do my thing quickly. To be honest, I was feeling a little tired, but I tried nonetheless. Then I suddenly felt something stuck me just below the ribs. I don't remember nothing after that. How long was I asleep? Did I miss my watch?"

Did you see anyone else enter the room?

"No, but I wouldn't have been surprised if there were a line standing outside waiting for her after I got done. A woman like her on a boat gets a lot more miles than the boat does, even if she sees a lot less."

Niles...Just Niles wrote:

Numair Nejem wrote:

1d100

Your healing powers work, and within a moment or so, Niles re-awakens, coughing. He is very weak Before Lavinia's Heal check., but nods at Numair and says weakly, "You came to bang the gnome too?"

Numair remains seated, his muscles cramped and stiff. "No, Niles, I came to speak with you. I know it might be difficult, but I want you to tell me everything you can remember after you came in this room. I'm not judging you, but there's been a murder, so its important that you be honest."

[Dice=diplomacy, neg lvl]1d20+18-1

Drinking down the milky like substance, Niles can feel his strength returning. He looks over at Lavinia and graciously thanks her for her generosity. He then turns his head back to you and says, "Well, sir, I was taking the advice of your other healer friend who told me that the gnome lady was really looking to put out. It seemed only right that I help put her mind out at ease."He pauses to lick his lips. "It was real good at first and it seemed like she was enjoying herself, I didn't need any rum or anything for that. But she started getting rough, trying to get me to go and do my thing quickly. To be honest, I was feeling a little tired, but I tried nonetheless. Then I suddenly felt something stuck me just below the ribs. I don't remember nothing after that. How long was I asleep? Did I miss my watch?"

1d100

Your healing powers work, and within a moment or so, Niles re-awakens, coughing. He is very weak Before Lavinia's Heal check., but nods at Numair and says weakly, "You came to bang the gnome too?"

Imbukar, at the window of the cabin casts Open/Close on the window. (This would open a latch but not a lock). If the window opens he will fly in using stealth and have a look around.

[dice=Stealth]1d20+21+20

The place is a mess, sheets almost torn and hanging off the edge of the bed. It is clear that the gnome had her way with the sailor, at least at first. There is a clear incision under the rib cage on the left side, and it appears a few flecks of black stuff surrounds the wound. It is not blood, but you are not yet sure what it is. The fighting goes on outside, you can hear music being played, briefly, before it stops in mid-harmony. No one notices the bird flapping around inside a room.

Ally will happily continue playing music in harmony with Roondar. She enjoys it tremendously and finds Roondar a delightful conversation partner. She convinces him to tell her the story of the aasimar whose life he saved and his travels to Elysium, as well as other stories of his life. She in return regales him with stories of fantastic feasts, parties, concerts, and hunts she experienced herself in that realm, as well as a few details of adventures she and Elen have had since forming a bond, which she clears with Elen before telling. None of the stories give away any Pathfinder secrets.

At one point, Ally is passing by Shamil's door, and overhears the 'noise'. She decides to take pity on her and flutters over to Niles, to whom she suggests he seek the gnome lady out when his shift on the boat is over.

Retcon post

Niles just stares at you for a moment. You have to repeat yourself before his attention focuses on you and not at you. "You mean that one of the passengers is looking for sex?" Before you can respond, Niles continues. "Well, I've never done it with one of those little people before, but nothing some rum couldn't cure."He tips his hat to you and walks off, apparently to a date with destiny.

"I haven't seen them personally, but from what I have heard, they looked like short, stout orcs with wings. I know it sounds crazy, and I'm not sure if they were pulling my leg, but there's no other explanation as to why some of those boats disappeared. If the owners simply retired, we would have seen the boats being used under a different name."

Elen finds the packed mess to be claustrophobic, and takes a plate of stew and a slice of bread and retreats to the deck to share them with Ally, who despite having no need to eat, enjoys it anyway. She sees Niles working and asks him some questions about the ship, using what she's learned about sailing over the years. She also asks the following:

"How often have you made this run to Gundrun? Have you heard about the attacks that have been rumored lately? Have you encountered any magical beasts, demons, or other dangerous creatures while sailing here? Is there anything interesting you might be able to tell me about the ship or the places we're travelling to?"

[dice=Ally aid another for diplomacy]1d20+11

[dice=Profession(sailor) in case a common ground of experience can give any sort of synergy bonus]1d20+3

[dice=Diplomacy to gather information including Aid Another bonus]1d20+2 +synergy maybe?

"Well ma'am, we usually get into Gundrun probably once a fortnight ourselves, although a couple of other crews get there a little faster. We usually don't hang around there very often, I don't think the captain likes the town very much. As far as attacks, none of the boat crews ever see attacks, ma'am. It might be that the Sellen kinda protects us. That being said, there are a few creatures that fly and have attacked, but those are rare."

Niles stops for a second as he climbs into the pilothouse. "I'm not sure if there is anything exciting about a lot of our stops. Most places are like Castle Urion, small and boring, but profitable. Gundrun is the least boring, only because of its position near the Worldwound and that accursed city that sits on the mountain."

Feel free to cover any other activities you're doing in the afternoon, via RetCon posts; this is just to move things along a little bit before Castle Urion.

As night begins to fall, those still above deck notice that there are only a couple of sailors about as the evening sun droops lower in the sky. Niles walks along the rail towards Numair, who is still practicing his combat moves, and says to him, "Master Healer, I wanted to point out to that, if your party wishes to post watch up here on deck tonight, you may do so. We don't typically post a guard ourselves, mainly because we just don't have enough sailors to do the job properly. Also, the mess is open if any of you want to eat." Niles then walks off to let Numair continue.

Kallistiel snorts and waves her hand for Macavity to continue, "My hero..." She then moves to examine the room for herself, frowning at the condition. Turning to Niles, "I'm guessing you don't have any proper mattresses on board, or perhaps some clean sheets?"

She sighs, "So how long was this trip again? Days with a lumpy mattress, filthy sheets, and probably no bath, right? I guess I'll have to make do. This broach will certainly be put to the test."

Having come down below decks after his encounter with the healer and his witch companion (what a lucky guy he is), Niles runs into you as your room is being inspected. "Well I can certainly look around and see what I can find." He comes back about 15 minutes later, with a mattress folded over. You can tell instantly, even in its folded state, that this is far better than the one you have. "This belonged to the first mate, but he missed port again because of his mother. I don't think he'll miss this while he is gone." The mattress is filled with goose down and feels much better.

"Well ma'am, it should take about three days, on Wednesday. We do have to make a stop in the morning in Castle Urion, which is just over the border into Numeria."

Ruul follows along and watches carefully as the sailors load the party's things onto the barge. He double and then triple checks the status of the 'Box'.

Ruuls snorts at the mention of a delay.

"Who occupies Castle Urion? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the name."

***

"Actually," Niles replies as he lifts up two bags, "it's not that far upriver from here. Only a couple hundred miles. It has a similar function to Gundrun, as a matter of fact. Both are port towns. Urion, however, has some actual guards from the Technic League to make sure there's no tomfoolery going on. It's a bit safer there, so long as you don't mind some of those strange items they use. We should be there tomorrow morning and we'll be pulling out again by lunch at the latest."

None but a minor one, Niles. Your leg, is it wounded? What with your heavy duties, I'm sure its quite a bother. If you'd like, I'll have a word with the Dawnflower and see what I might do for you.

[Dice=Lay on Hands]3d6
[Dice=Cures shaken and removes disease, OR heals an extra]1d6

As you lay hands on the poor sap, he stops itching himself almost immediately. "Oh by the gods, thank you, kind healer. I don't know what happened, it just came on so suddenly this morning. Oh, thank you. I won't forget this, not ever." Niles gives you a sketchy salute and starts to help the sailors with the remaining bags.

"How big are the cabins? Are they all private or will we be sharing? How rough is the river likely to be? Will the boat be bouncing around a lot or will it be a smooth ride? Any idea how the weather will be for the trip? Are we expecting any storms within the next couple of day?"

He just sort of blinks at you for a second, and then says, "Small, two to a cabin, I am afraid; smooth sailing, but a bit cool; No storms just clouds." Then he grins at you, almost as if he were a trained monkey.

random roll!: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

You then see him, almost uncontrollably, start to scratch himself while apologizing profusely.

Your party heads towards the dock, rather excited to be finally on your way towards your next adventure. The words ringing in your ears from Artemis before leaving the Lodge; "Our scribes have already noted that your expedition is beginning and that we will be keeping a log of your progress, starting with the next volume of the Chronicler!" (Game wise, all of you have earned 2 PP that you can use, starting with your next trip to Nerosyan (or any Lodge for that matter.)

The docks are straight ahead. It is cloudy and windy, adding a bit of a chill to the late winter (almost spring?) air. The boat is appreciably higher than it was this morning, when Elen came to inquire about certain departure times. Niles comes up to you, along with two sailors of the 'all-brawn, little-brain' type.

"Good afternoon everyone. We have the bulk of your supplies, plus the horses, already on board. We'll just get the rest of this stuff to your cabins. The captain did want me to let you know that we will be taking one additional stop at Castle Urion tomorrow sometime to transfer passengers and cargo. We won't be delayed by more than a couple of hours. Any questions before we disembark?"

Ruul Spiritskin wrote:

Yes... 'Tutoring'. By the time this expedition is done, Lavinia is going to know everything there is to know about minotaurs. =P

Ruul thinks for a moment.

"The barge leaves at high tide today", he replies.

"High tide on a river? I'm not sure what the sailor meant by that. We need to clarify."

Elen will make her first stop of the day at the docks, and clarify with the captain (the sailor they spoke to looked kinda goofy anyway) as to the exact time of departure.

After heading to the docks, you run into Niles first. He is dressed more appropriately today, but you notice he is walking with a slight limp. Asking him about the captain, Niles replies "Oh, he is stuck with the quartermaster until just before high tide this afternoon. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Ruul has no problem paying a fair price.

The minotaur nods.

"Do you have more men to help load your vessel? We will bringing several week's worth of food and drink."

"We do. They'll be along by this afternoon if you need help."

Deciding that the man isn't trying to gouge them for the price of the boat ride, Lavinia slowly nods. "I suppose that sounds like a fair price. When does your captain plan to leave? We will need to go make arrangements to have our luggage, horses and provisions delivered to the ship."

"We plan to leave with the high tide tomorrow ma'am. We are figuring that it will be cloudy and windy and we hope that the wind will be in our favor. When do you wish to being everything on board?"

The ox talks?!?! What kind of a morning is this? "Well, um...sir, well I can't get inland, but my Captain can get you as far as Gundrun, will that work? Also, how many are in your party, including the horses? We have enough room for about a dozen horses at this point." Withholding Diplomacy check until Niles can give you a price.

Date: 3/16/4707

This is for Ruul, Lavinia, and Elen. Once we do this, we'll move forward to the departure.

As the three of you are heading to the docks, all of you notice the various smells of the dock areas. Most are actually not that bad, the oil and grease helping to keep the boats afloat, the various oils that keep the fish 'fresh,' even the sound of the seagulls seems to be thick in the air as you look for the boat that Artemis had mentioned.

Soon you find it, and you're not sure if you have found the right place. It is a shallow river barge, that much makes sense to you, given that, near its headway, the Sellen river can be as shallow as 4 or 5 feet. Giving the boat a cursory inspection from a distance, it would appear that the barge is big enough to hold the entire party, plus the horses, with some room to spare. It's nothing about the boat that is throwing off your opinion, so much as the man standing in front of it.

Niles looks out at the people walking by. As a barker, his job is to get people to want to place their cargo with his ship, the Lady by the Bayand move it along. Business has slowly picked up as the port at the far end of the journey, Gundrun, has finally begun picking up steam after all these years. He was happy, the Captain liked how he managed to fill the cargo holds (which were always profitable) and Niles is just an all around decent fellow.

This morning, however, is not one of Niles' better days. He woke up hungover, but that wasn't terribly unusual. What was unusual was that his normal clothes were on the poop deck...of another ship...whose sailors smiled and waved at him as he came to retrieve said clothes. He was not sure what exactly happened the previous evening, but he didn't remember any strange men in there. Just a lot of pretty women...With his clothes a mess, he had to borrow from elsewhere. Thus when he stepped out onto the deck to begin his day, he was wearing a poofy shirt (at least one size too small, particularly around the chest), short pants, and bare feet. It was going to be a long day. But, things looked a little promising. Three people (well, two elves and an upright ox), were walking towards him, and they weren't immediately put off by his clothing (at least he hoped).

In a flat, nasal tone, you hear the short-pants wearing monkey say "Good day to you ladies, might you be looking to send some cargo up the Sellen?"