As you make your way to the Hungry Gar your attention is drawn by a small mob that seems to be pushing an elderly bearded man around. Torches and miner's axes are brandished and harsh words are exchanged.
It seems that the angry miners accuse the old man of unleashing some sort of curse on them.
What do yourselves think that is about?
points at the mob....
Theyr worked up a bit...
Sanstree casts detect magic toward the mob.....
What do yourselves think that is about?
points at the mob....
Theyr worked up a bit...Sanstree casts detect magic toward the mob.....
"I, um..." Erine looks at Goat. "Do you suppose he did anything wrong?"
"Maaaa," the goat brays, and nudges Erine towards the commotion.
The gnome nods, and adjusting her hood to make sure it covers her hair, she walks over to the mob.
"Um, what's going on?" she asks quietly. Realizing they probably couldn't hear her, she says more loudly, "What's going on here? What's that about a c--curse?"
For Black Tom:
Was' this? That ol' fella dinna look like he can hurt anyone.
(Broccan tries to catch a glimpse of the man's face.)
Perception:
Ium thinkin the man maybe a mage (focus on him with the detect magic).
To Broccan
(aside) Nowsa chance fer us to declare ourselves adventurers
(quitely) wishd fer a name betterin the goat herders
(Loudly) Broccan are them miners known to yerself?
(scans the crowd for familiar faces, anyone he might be able to single out for information on the current situation)
Perception:
(whispering) we gotta be careful, boy-o. If the lads here'v had a few, they're no' gonna be easy ta tawk down; but we're no' gonna let that ol' fella git lynched by an angry mob, neither. If he done sumthn' he oughtta stand trial for it. Either you or the wee-lass know any magic ta calm folks down?
Garron steps toward the mob, only pausing for a second to look back at his friends and wink.
Pushing his way into the middle of the crowd until he can see the old man, Garron then yells out "You guys better get outta here quick! The sheriff is on his way"
Broccan:
The men laugh raucously at Garron. "See that man over there, little one? That's the sheriff's deputy, and as you see, he couldn't care less. This man is a menace to the community. He's been dabbling in some cursed orcish ruins and now he's brought the curse upon us."
As they see Sanstree casting a spell, they get agitated, and you will have to act quickly if you want to defuse the situation.
Pointing at Sanstree "My friend looks for a curse upon you. Maybe he will find one maybe he wont but it is not for you to decide if this man is guilty. Leave him alone.
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Canvy looks across at the altercation, disinterested. Using his impressive frame he moves through the crowd round the bar, making himself available for the barman to pour him a drink. He pulls a small bag from his pocket and drops a couple of copper pieces on the bar, taking a foaming mug of dark ale in exchange. He moves away from the bar and watches as his new found friends seem to want to get involved with this fracas.
Inwardly he is quite gleeful something might kick off, so surveys the room for the most experienced opponent that might challenge his skills in a fight.
Perception
Oi, lads, wass all 'is! All this tawka' runes and curses! If iss true, call the Magician to lookat the fella.
Magic deals best with magic. If this ol' man can curse ya all, dinna ya think his blood on yer hands'll curse ya as well?! (Broccan prepares for a fight if his bluff fails).
Bluff:
Broccan's words stops the miners in their tracks, not least because he's one of their own kind and a few of them know him personally. With a show of disgust they let go of the man, letting him off with a dire warning of what would happen should they ever lay eyes on him again. Spitting on the ground and making a sign to ward off the evil eye, they leave.
The man collects his wits and his belongings and thanks you profusely. He introduces himself as Crommard.
I am Sanstree
(to Crommard)
Wa'was that all about, ol' fella? How'd ya getjursef stuck betw'n the stemplen'deds like that?
"Call me Garron. Are you badly hurt?"
"Thank you, good sirs. Fortunately I am unhurt. These gentleman, though uncouth, have really done me no harm."
"I am a sage by profession, a specialist in orcish culture. We, that is I and a good friend, Sethus Maximi were investigating an old orcish fortress by the coast to the north, by name of Jawarl Avignon. Work proceeded apace until this morning when I was visiting the Bloodstone mine just north of here for supplies. Suddenly sethus appeared, staggering from the direction of the fortress and looking extremely ill, with strange green blotches on his face and hands."
"He stopped at a safe distance from the mine and gasped that as our crewmen were clearing away some old rubble, they were struck down by a great shadow that arose from the ruins. The men fell, dying in agony of a violent disease that overcame them in minutes."
"Rather than infect all of us, he stumbled back into the wilderness to die alone. The poor miners didn't take kindly to all this, but dragged me into town here to answer to the magistrate or something. I am thankful that you dissuaded them, for I fear that I would hardly be able to get a disinterested hearing. Also I must go back post haste to find my ailing friend."
Sounds like yer inna kibble, ol' fella. Whereabouts issyer friend, d'ya need help findi'em?
Erine stands by. She doesn't seem to realize that she, too is meant to introduce herself.
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Canvy walks over, extending his drink to Crommard. "Here drink this, it won't cure you, but a swig of ale can help restore your spirits. I'm Canvy, ex soldier of Forcastle Watch.", as he says this he involuntarily salutes and comes to attention. Annoyed with himself for doing this now past soldier act, he snorts and shakes his head saying loudly to himself, "Now stop!...Its over...hmmmm!". Taking the mug of ale back from Crommard, he drinks with a hefty gulp, almost emptying the vessel.
areye. a Mage?
what mor. can u tell bout dangers ahead?
areye. a Mage?
what mor. can u tell bout dangers ahead?
I'll need time to prepare spells
[ooc] on the road typing I-phone [ooc]
"we betterin get ready"
"we betterin get ready"
Erine nods nervously. "I, um, I'm ready."
(to Canvy)
"A watchman, eh? So you cannhannel a sword, fer certain. Are ye in'trested in help'n the ol' fella here withus?"
Crommard, his spirit somwhat restored, continues: "Well, I don't know where my friend is and whether he is alive or dead, but I feel I owe it to him to see that he at least gets a decent burial. I don't know what foul curse that befell him, but I'll need to go back to the Bloodstone mine to track him down. Would any of you good fellows happen to be a tracker?"
"I will also need to get back to see what happened to the rest of our camp. I am a scholar myself and not much of a mage. My area of expertise is orcish customs and history, you know. Did you know that there are thre hundred and fifty-eight different orcish tribes known to man?"
"But I fear that I will be in need of both strong arms and mighty magic here. Would you be so kind as to help me find my friend?"
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Canvy turns to look at the man speaking (Brochan), looking at the old scarred face and gappy smile. As he focuses his eyes on the broken nose and dirty beard they begin to twitch, and he says "Its one of the many things I've used in the past yes, but to join this an adventure to glory, we can do that. It would be our honor." A smile slowly creeps across his face.
"it seems we have found our adventure then or
it has found us. I will help you in your search"
sans prepares spells
0th detect magic
create water
1st level
entangle
CLW
domain. obscuring mist
A slender, regular-looking woman leaves the crowd which is moving away after leaving Crommard alone. She seems to put something in one of her pockets, as she moves closer. Eying the others, she says quickly: "I'm not a powerful mage or a strong fighter, but I have my own set of skills. I'll be happy to help you".
She looks at the others with uncertainty and her eyes widen when she understands the goat is following them around. After a moment of awkward silence, she adds: "I'm Tiana by the way".
"Well met, lassie. Ya seemas'eegr as tha ressuf'us ta see wass'ovr tha horiz'n. I off'r my sword in yer defense, as I have fer the rest o' this lot."
(turns to Commard) Oi, ol' fella, you look like ya could use somethin' ta eatn'drink affer yer scrape with the boys back there. Whassay we all grab some vic'tules at the Gar and figgerout what'r nesstep is?"
"Aren't we a bit pressed for time? We should move quicky incase there are survivors who need help."
(Going red with embarassment at missing the obvious, Broccan lowers his head and closes his eyes)
"Yer right o'course, Garron. I wassint thinkin'."
(takes a deep breath, swallows hard, and looks at the group)
"We shou' get movin' assoon as we can. Do we have evry'thin we need to go affer 'em? Taggin's Gen'rl storris righ there." (points to the building across the South Road, on the corner of the Square)
"I've gotta wee bit'o coin left. I'll spennit on suppliesn'such."
Garron checks his backpack.
"Well I was hoping for a warm meal, but I got enough rations to last us all two days. Besides making sure we all have enough food I am ready. Crommard how far are the ruins?"
"Oh, just a day's ride or so. The citadel is on the coast. You know, it wasn't actually built by orcs, but the orcs took it by force as is their wont, planting their banner there, and occupying it for many years. It is nothing like orcish architecture, but it must show signs of continuous orcish habitation..."
Suddenly realizing that his crew may be obliterated, he falls silent.
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Seeing the group getting ready to move off soon, Canvy worriedly looks around. Wearing only a dirty brown cloth shirt and over-sized pantaloons dragging on the ground he asks "I would dearly love to join you, but all my equipment and traveling equipment are back in my lodgings. Why don't you take some time in the inn to fill yourselves, whilst I go and return with my gear." After the group make their way into the inn, Canvy hurries back to his room and quickly packs his bags taking his old rusty scale mail and weapons. He returns to the inn, where he first makes his way to the bar and fills his waterskins with ale and one of spirits. He rejoins the the group, takes a meal and is ready to go when the time comes.
"Cannyeh tellus anythin' 'bout the thin' that attack'd yer men? Wassit big or mansize? Diddit fly? Waddit smell like? No 'fense ol'fella, but we'd be most grate'fl ta knowwat we're uppaginst."
"Were you not listening, young man? I just told you what Sethus said. That's all I know. I wasn't even at the citadel when trouble struck. Now if we could find Sethus' body, maybe we could tell what befell him."
"What else do you know about the fortress? Why were you digging there? What did you hope to find in such a dangerous place?" Tiana notices she asked too many questions, so she falls silent for a moment, letting Crommard answer her questions.
(blushing at once again making a fool of himself, bows his head, closes his eyes, and swallows hard again)
(almost whispering) "'Course, sir...I'msorry...M'mouth's an orechute'ta'times 'n things jus' tumbleout."
"Sorry young lady. I didn't see you. Jawarl Avignon, or Alhurmus, as the orcs called it, was conqured by orcs three hundred years ago by the orcish hero Mondru IV, said to be the son of a god. His victory was not least because of the great weapon he wielded, a terrible spear made by orcish shamans of ages unknown, that burned elves when it struck them and made its user invulnerable in battle. Its name was Alkarg."
"But only a decade later disaster struck. A great plague struck the brave defenders of Alhurmus and ravaged them without mercy. It is said that the plague was unleashed by a dying curse of the last elf to fall in Jawarl Avignon. Only a handful of the orcs survived and the citadel has been abandoned ever since."
"You understand of course that a place like this is like a dream come true to any archaeologist. I was lucky to find in Sethus a friend who shared my passion and who was able to finance the expedition. Not everyone appreciates orcish pottery, you know."
"Ready when you are."
I to am ready to trek to this citadel
should not we know something about how this citadel is laid out
and the outlying area.
had dangers been encountered before now."
Erine seems overwhelmed by all the people showing up and looks at Goat. "They're everywhere, you just can't get rid of them, maybe one is--no, no you don't! Come now, you're rather optimistic if you really..." She pauses. "Desna marvels, you're so naive."
"Maaaaaaaaaa."
(speaking softly, not raising his head)
"W'ready when y'ar Master Crommard. Lead on."
"Indeed!"