"What is that shopping the others spoke of?"
"It is the process of buying things you would think to need. You simply go into a shop, find what you want, pay for it and get it." answers the gnome.
Ohhhh.... that sounds exciting...
Quirk disappears in the direction of the shop.
"Uhh, does someone want to go with him?" Quince asks, watching Quirk's backside disappearing into the shop. "To make sure he understands 'money' and 'paying for things' for instance? It wouldn't do to get into legal trouble before we even set out."
Girther follows Quirk into the shop. He gives a reassuring smile to the shopkeeper and then turns his full attention to Quirks activities.
Drint follows Girther, trying to shake off a bad dream.
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After eating lunch, the party set out of Falcon's Hollow into the mysterious, lush and green Darkmoon Vale. The words of Laurel clear in the party's mind: "Be back before in the fortnight, else there might not be a Falcon's Hollow to return to."
Following Quirk's directions, the party makes good time, avoiding the many misleading paths that the vale seems to offer to inexperienced travelers.
"Where to first, Quirk - the moss, the root, or the 'shrooms?" Quince asks. There's a bounce to his step as he finds himself on the road again. Risk frolics at his feet, happy to be out of the town and back in the woods.
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For Quirk
"Where to first, Quirk - the moss, the root, or the 'shrumes?" Quince asks. There's a bounce to his step as he finds himself on the road again. Risk frolics at his feet, happy to be out of the town and back in the woods.
Drint shrugs. "I don't know. Perhapssss the mossss?"
"Yay, the Eldest should be the quickest to reach. It is about two days march from here. We should not tarry."
Girther smiles at Quirk and says, “You point the way and I will walk the point.” With that Girther moves to take the lead.
Being out of town, the first thing Fjyndel does is to get out his whistle and blow on it. Strange as it is, no sound is to hear for any human noticing that procedure, for that whistle being a dog-whistle to call Grendel, the riding dog and companion of the gnome.
Shortly thereafter the dog chased to the party, nearly knocking Fjyndel off his feet as he stops next to the gnome.
Drint keeps in the back, his eyes downcast. He looks up at the dog. "Nice pet you have there. Doessss he have a name?"
Quirk points Girther to the best and shortest route to the forest. He also talks a lot about his other brethren, that had always been teasing him about his missing ability to fly. "Groundboy, they were calling me. You have no idea how grating that is, to be pummeled by thrown fruit... and snickers from above."
Being out of town, the first thing Fjyndel does is to get out his whistle and blow on it. Strange as it is, no sound is to hear for any human noticing that procedure, for that whistle being a dog-whistle to call Grendel, the riding dog and companion of the gnome.
Shortly thereafter the dog chased to the party, nearly knocking Fjyndel off his feet as he stops next to the gnome.
Coralee notices the big dog come rushing for Fjyndel after it's too late and rushes over to him, drawing her Starknife as she goes. Seeing the dog not about to eat him, but instead licking his face affectionately, she sheepishly stows her Starknife and gives Fjyndel a big grin.
"Wow, that's a big dog. Is he your pet? That looks like a saddle on him! I know that 'cause Monarch has a Saddle too. I don't ride him all the time though, sometimes I like to walk next to him. Do you ride your dog all the time, or do you like to walk with him too? What's his name? My Pony's name is Monarch, just like Desna's friend the giant butterfly! My Monarch's not quite as smart as him though. He just knows whent to go and stop really. Is your dog fierce? He looks pretty fierce, but then again most dogs look pretty fierce to me. So where did you say you came from Fjyn? I can call you Fjyn right? I come from the Sanos forest originally, but left there to see the worls and have been travelling with a merchant caraven since I left Korvosa. Terrible city Korvosa. Full of Laaws and nasty Knights. I tell you what though, those Sable Company Marines can rock my socks anytime they want! That rugged look really pays off for them. And oh boy should you see them in the sky. Thgey are quite the sight on their Hippogriffs, wheeling about the city, helping people out. You've got a bit of that rugged look yourself Fjyn, but sorry, you're not quite my type. What do you know about Quince though. He's cute. Do you know if he's seeing anyone? If not, can you put the good word in for me? Have you ever been in this forest we're going into before? You really do look the type to be at home in a forest. You're not one of those Druids are you? My parents knew some Gnome Druids back in the Sanos Forest. They seemed to get on well with them, but I always thought they were abit stuffy personally. You're not stuffy though are you Fjyn? You should have seen this one Druid, he had this huge bear that he rode around everywhere. That thing was huge and it even had these big spikes on it's back. He just rode between the spikes. I mean it was so big that the Druid could have fit into the palm of the bear's hand. I've never seen a bear that big before! Well, to tell you the truth I have only ever seen one other bear than that, but this Druid Bear was like twice the size of that bear! Compared to him, your dog is tiny. It's not really tiny though, it just looks tiny compared to that bear. I think it might have been sick alot though 'cause the Druid kept saying that it was a Diarrhea Bear. Yuck, I'd hate to have to clean that up all the time! Your dog's not like that though is he? Monarch's are pretty yuck but I don't clean them up that often. Your dog looks like he likes you alot! Monarch likes me but he is not very affectionate, he just doesn't bite me like he does other people, although if he likes someone he won't bite them. Can I pet him? Will he bite me? Is he more like an attack dog, or a guard dog, or just a riding dog? The kobold and the Dwarf, Drint and Stoney are a bit sourpussy aren't they? They should lighten up a bit, just like Quirk, he's a cheery little thing. I hope he knows his way around this place. I made sure to but a map just in case. It's pretty rough but at least it shows some things on it."
Coralee finally lets up long enough for Fjyndel to get at least one word in edgewise. Although she has been talking to Fjyndel, she has unconsciously been talking loud enough for the rest of the party to hear, even though there are some things that she probably shouldn't have said aloud.
I should have made her a short Air Genasi, they don't need to breathe.
At one of the rest stops, Coralee takes alook at her map.
"Hey guys I'm looking at this map and I think we are gonna need to make a decision here. Look at this. There's this big river here and it's right between us and where Quirk says The Elder Tree is. We can go around it here, but it will be a lot longer for us. Given our deadline maybe we should just try and cross the river. Quirk is there anything about the river we should be aware of? And given that we want to cross the river, where would be the best place to do so, given that Monarch here is not gonna be too comfy on a makeshift raft. If it means that we can't cross because of him then I'm so sorry for making you do the extra walking around but I can't leave him in the forest. I wish I had of paid a bit closer attention to the map before we left. So Quirk, can the river be crossed or will we have to go around?"
Coralee actually looks a bit disheartened by this news.
Drint examines the river. "I-I can't sssswim."
"The river springs from a lake in the middle of the vale and runs down to the big river. What do you call the big river? Foam? We call it Nuanchewaya... that means 'Jumping Unicorns', from the litle peaks it makes with its waves. The small river is running very fast. That's why we call it 'Fyufyu'. If we need to go around the river, the journey will take longer. About two days more to the Venerable Eldest."
Drint keeps in the back, his eyes downcast. He looks up at the dog. "Nice pet you have there. Doessss he have a name?"
"Well, I call him 'Grendel' and most of the time he replies to it."
He then lets Coralee run her mouth over him, trying to remember most of the questions to reply to them at the time she has to recover her breath.
"I do not think of him as a pet, more of a companion. I talk to him regualarly, and sometimes he does the same. Not talk to himself, I meant that he would talk to me.
Grendel does not mind me riding him, but I do not ride him everytime either. I asked him to carry my belongings and he sayed yes to it.
He is not fierce on purpose, but he might want to defend me, if he has the chance. Or he might grapple me and drag me out of a battle, but I try to not let that happen."
Concerning the crossing of the river, Fjyndel would want to cross it right away, but if 'Monarch' won't like to cross it here, he sticks to finding a ford or even a ferry, if there is one.
Drint keeps in the back, his eyes downcast. He looks up at the dog. "Nice pet you have there. Doessss he have a name?""Well, I call him 'Grendel' and most of the time he replies to it."
He then lets Coralee run her mouth over him, trying to remember most of the questions to reply to them at the time she has to recover her breath.
"I do not think of him as a pet, more of a companion...
"Ssssorry." Drint says hastily, looking down again.
Girther pauses a moment and surveys the little band of heroes. “Well,” he says, “I don’t think we will be swimming any rivers; especially considering that we have mounts to consider. However I would suggest that we travel directly to the river and assess the situation. If we cannot find a suitable method of crossing we can circle around the river and the lake.”
"I agree with Girther. Let's go to the river and see how it looks. Except for Girther and the horse, I might be able to get everyone else across with my magic. I could certainly get our possessions across, dry even. Well, depending on how wide the river is. The horse could swim, I'm sure - Girther, maybe we could string up a rope, or build a raft. But no use wasting time going around if we don't need to."
"Well, I call him 'Grendel' and most of the time he replies to it."
He then lets Coralee run her mouth over him, trying to remember most of the questions to reply to them at the time she has to recover her breath.
"I do not think of him as a pet, more of a companion. I talk to him regularly, and sometimes he does the same. Not talk to himself, I meant that he would talk to me.
Grendel does not mind me riding him, but I do not ride him everytime either. I asked him to carry my belongings and he sayed yes to it.
He is not fierce on purpose, but he might want to defend me, if he has the chance. Or he might grapple me and drag me out of a battle, but I try to not let that happen."
"Wow that's really good. Somehow I can't see Monarch doing that for me. I sometimes talk to him too, but he never talks back to me. Does Grendel talk dog talk or does he talk like us? If he talks dog then you must be a Druid to be able to understand him. Do you have to train him like a normal dog or can you just tell him to do stuff?
I'd be less work if you could just tell him, but you probably like training and stuff huh?"After the next rest stop, Coralee continues the conversation about the river.
"I agree with Girther. Let's go to the river and see how it looks. Except for Girther and the horse, I might be able to get everyone else across with my magic. I could certainly get our possessions across, dry even. Well, depending on how wide the river is. The horse could swim, I'm sure - Girther, maybe we could string up a rope, or build a raft. But no use wasting time going around if we don't need to."
Coralee frowns with her eyebrows at Quince.
"Hey Mister, THE HORSE has a name. His name is Monarch and he's not even a horse he's a Pony." She pat's Monarch's mane reassuringly. "There, there boy, he didn't mean to call you a horse. That's just like me calling you the halfling or Stoney the Dwarf. He'll say sorry for calling you a horse. Well I suppose not quite the same really, but I'd like you to apologise to Monarch for calling him a horse please. He's a bit sensitive about it. Hey, I've just realized there are three of us with animals as friends, you, me and Fjyn. Maybe Drint, Stoney and Quirk should get some animal friends too. I think Stoney should get a tortoise and Drint should get a lizard, and Quirk should get a bird! Then we could be the animal group. That sounds great. Monarch's not much of a friend compared to Grendel or your lovely fox, I don't think you ever told me his name but gee he's a beauty, but he still deserves a little bit of respect, he's got feelings too you know. I'm happy to let him cross the river if it's not dangerous, but if it's going to be too dangerous for him then I'm gonna go around with him. Maybe three of us could go around and three could go on over if that's the case. Maybe we could split and get two of the ingredients at once. If I'm reading this map right then you guys can go straight to the Witch's place and we could go to the Elder Tree. Then we could both meet up outide the forest and skirt the edges until we get to the Dwarven Ruins. It might be dangerous to split up though, so if that sounds like a bad idea then just let me know, because may parents always said my ideas needed a little bit of work to get off the ground. Anyway, I do agree that we should at least get to the river first and then decide from there once we get the lay of the land... err water."By about halfway through this Coralee is no longer "frowning" but has a cheeky grin on her face.
Spot Check DC 18 ** spoiler omitted **
Drint observes the long exchange. At Coralee's suggestion he says, "I would prefer a cat."
"Cats. I like cats. Taste very good. And the fur makes nice sparklies in the night. Have I told the story with me placing cat furs into the bed of the queen once?"
"Cats. I like cats. Taste very good. And the fur makes nice sparklies in the night. Have I told the story with me placing cat furs into the bed of the queen once?"
"No wonder they kicked you out", Drint mutters.
To Coralee: "But I am the halfling, and Girther is the dwarf. We shouldn't call you or Fjyndel 'the gnome' because there are two of you, but it fits for us. The real problem, Coralee, is that Monarch is, in fact, a horse, albeit of the pony variety, whereas Risk is not, in fact, a fox. He's a firefoot fennec. Most people wouldn't care about the difference, but it is there. Risk is most definitely NOT a fox. And I think he may be a bit more sensitive about that than Monarch is about being called a horse."
Quince pauses and grins slyly. "But I think you should cut me some slack. After all, didn't you say you though I was cute?"
Girther listens to his comrade’s conversations in blissful ignorance of his surroundings. :)
Girther listens to his comrade’s conversations in blissful ignorance of his surroundings. :)
Drint observes the long exchange. At Coralee's suggestion he says, "I would prefer a cat."
"OK then, you can have a cat. As long as you don't let it near Quirk that is. That's not very nice Quirk, I thought you were a nice little Pixie but that's just mean. So a cat for you, a tortoise for Stoney and errr... you don't eat birds too do you Quirk? What could you have that you won't eat?"
To Coralee: "But I am the halfling, and Girther is the dwarf. We shouldn't call you or Fjyndel 'the gnome' because there are two of you, but it fits for us. The real problem, Coralee, is that Monarch is, in fact, a horse, albeit of the pony variety, whereas Risk is not, in fact, a fox. He's a firefoot fennec. Most people wouldn't care about the difference, but it is there. Risk is most definitely NOT a fox. And I think he may be a bit more sensitive about that than Monarch is about being called a horse."
Quince pauses and grins slyly. "But I think you should cut me some slack. After all, didn't you say you though I was cute?"
Coralee blushes, looking a little embarassed.
"Wow, I 'spose you're right. He's not a fox? Gee he looks like one. I've never heard of a firefoot fennec. Are they related to foxes 'cause that would explain why I thought he was a fox. How did you know I thought you were cute. Did you tell him I said that Fjyn? I asked you to put in a good word for me, not tell him I thought he was cute. Um, I mean I was just, um well the thing is, um..."For once Coralee actually looks lost for words.
"Wow that's really good. Somehow I can't see Monarch doing that for me. I sometimes talk to him too, but he never talks back to me. Does Grendel talk dog talk or does he talk like us? If he talks dog then you must be a Druid to be able to understand him. Do you have to train him like a normal dog or can you just tell him to do stuff?
I'd be less work if you could just tell him, but you probably like training and stuff huh?"
"Well, he does not really talk, I just kind of feel what he thinks. It is like a mental connection. I do not know how to say that better.
I am a Druid after all, maybee that helps.And yes, I had to train him normally, but beeing a druid helped there too, I think."
Coralee blushes, looking a little embarassed.
"Wow, I 'spose you're right. He's not a fox? Gee he looks like one. I've never heard of a firefoot fennec. Are they related to foxes 'cause that would explain why I thought he was a fox. How did you know I thought you were cute. Did you tell him I said that Fjyn? I asked you to put in a good word for me, not tell him I thought he was cute. Um, I mean I was just, um well the thing is, um..."
For once Coralee actually looks lost for words.
"I did not say a word to him, but now you might already know why he knows it by now."
Drint observes the long exchange. At Coralee's suggestion he says, "I would prefer a cat.""OK then, you can have a cat. As long as you don't let it near Quirk that is. That's not very nice Quirk, I thought you were a nice little Pixie but that's just mean. So a cat for you, a tortoise for Stoney and errr... you don't eat birds too do you Quirk? What could you have that you won't eat?"
"Perhapssss we should jusssst get him a pet rock", Drint suggests, "I doubt he could eat that."
"Perhapssss we should jusssst get him a pet rock", Drint suggests, "I doubt he could eat that."
"Hee Hee. I had a pet rock when I was twenty. His name was Rockson and he was my best friend, but I lost him in the pond. I think he ran away while I was swimming. I don't know if Quirk's quite ready for the responsibility involved in caring for a rock just yet. They can be tricky. You have to do everything for them, they won't do anything for themselves. Maybe we should just start him with something simple like an animal that can look after itself first and move up to something as hard as a rock once he gets the hang of it."
You're not quite sure whether Coralee is serious or joking. She has a playful smile on her face, but says it in such a serious tone.
"Perhapssss we should jusssst get him a pet rock", Drint suggests, "I doubt he could eat that.""Hee Hee. I had a pet rock when I was twenty. His name was Rockson and he was my best friend, but I lost him in the pond. I think he ran away while I was swimming. I don't know if Quirk's quite ready for the responsibility involved in caring for a rock just yet. They can be tricky. You have to do everything for them, they won't do anything for themselves. Maybe we should just start him with something simple like an animal that can look after itself first and move up to something as hard as a rock once he gets the hang of it."
You're not quite sure whether Coralee is serious or joking. She has a playful smile on her face, but says it in such a serious tone.
Drint looks at the others, wondering if he should understand what Coralee means. "Umm, okay. Yessss." He ducks his head and says, "I-I think I jusssst saw something behind those trees. I'll be a moment." He runs off, cursing his inability to understand his comrades.
Girther smiles at the banter of his friends. He thinks to himself that if feels good to be out Falcon’s Hollow; now if he could only find a nice quite cave or mine shaft he would feel right at home.
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Your steady tread has finally brought you to the shores of the river. It is wide and its current is strong; while the water is cool and clear.
Basking in the afternoon sun, you are faced with a choice of trying to cross the river in darkness or postponing your crossing for the morrow and incur another day in travel time.
"I do not want to sound paranoid, but I think we are beeing followed. Although I do not know by what or whome..." Fjyndel mentiones after looking some times over his shoulder.