Comments, from the forest
Subject Healing
I will work on the healing this afternoon.
Any other comments are welcome.
From: Kevin
Subject Comments
Your hair looks funny and you smell bad???
Those type of comments??
From: Mark
Subject Comments
At least I have hair.
From: Kevin
Subject Comments
Hard to tell from the reflection off all the grey ones.
From: Karl
Subject From the forest
"Branch and Bough Protect You!" he calls out. "Forgive me, but I cannot identify myself or my party further until we speak face to face. If you are a friend, you will understand why this is so."
From: Mark
Subject From the forest
"Who am I?" The voice is hesitant, unsure. "I am the Friend of the Forest, the Watcher of.. of.. of The Woods, the....the .." here the voice stutters and stops for a bit. When it continues it almost seems like it is talking to itself "I am a failure. The woods die and I can not stop it." The voice stops talking but continues to make odd noises, the creak of wood bending and the rustle of leaves blowing.
Salix and Surin think they may be able to tell where the voice is coming from. There is a small tree, no larger than 30 feet high and around 4-5 feet across. There are only a few branches and they are bare.
From: Derek
Subject From the forest
Mund whispers to to Salix, "What's going on? Is this guy one of them druids from the camp that went missing? Is he an ally, or do I need to get ready for more stomping?"
Allistair whispers to everyone with the Message spell. "Is there another druid out there?"
From: Karl
Subject From the forest
"Not a druid. I'm not exactly sure what, but I think he might be a friend. Take no aggressive action toward this being unless I tell you to." Salix looks at Kal as he says this last.
From: Derek
Subject From the forest
Mund complies and holds his axe up near the blade, in a non-threatening posture. Allistiar is pretty non-threatening to start with, so he just asks his familiar,"What's out there, Sysyphys? Do you smell anything unusual?"
From: Josh
Subject From the forest
Kal laughs as Salix glares at him. "Your memory's pretty short. That spell those druids cast on you mess up your head?"
Silverbranch, check in, distance and time
Subject Location
"Watch out for trouble," Salix says to the group. "I'm going to check this out. Mund, come with me." Salix will approach the tree the voice seems to be coming from. When he gets closer he will say "We are friends. We have come to help the forest. What has happened here? What can you tell me?"
(OOC - I'm a little confused about where everyone is and what we are doing. Also, where are we in relation to the area where we fought the swarm. Also, can I get a knowledge check? If this *is* what Salix suspects, what does he know about it and is there anything he can do to help it?)
From: Mark
Subject Location
Everyone is within the 10 foot circle of protection around Ragnar. They are about 40 feet from the north edge of the clearing. This is the area where the swarm came out of the woods.
I will let Karl know what Salix knows.
From: Mark
Subject Silverbranch
Mund and Salix slowly leave the area of protection and move towards the edge of the woods. When they get there they can see that the tree has eyes. In repsonse to Salix's questions a knot hole on the side of the tree opens and the voice rings out.
"What has happened?" The anguish in the voice is palpable. "They have killed the forest. Not just the trees but everything. The grass, the birds, the creatures that crawl in the ground. All dead." The creature starts making noises again that sounds like branches breaking.
After a few minutes of this the creature finally gathers itself again. "I am "and it lets out a long, raspy series of sounds, "but am known to the druids as Silverbranch. I am a guardian of the forest." At this statement he starts cursing and mumbling to himself. Salix recognizes the language as the language of the forest and is shocked by the words the creature is using. He is even more shocked to hear that Silverbranch is refering to himself.
From: Karl
Subject Silverbranch
"Do you know who had done this?" Salix asks.
From: Mark
Subject Silverbranch
The anger in his response suprises Salix. "Bodentown. Those filthy, fire loving, wood burning savages. We should have awakened the forest and torn down the city when we had the chance. But Gnarlbranch said we could wait this out, just as we have done in the past. But this time was different. Usually they would just come into the woods and cut some trees. A loss but nothing that time could not fix. Eventually, with the help of the druids we would reach an agreement and the cutting would stop."
"But not this time. This time the druids went to negotiate but never came back. The cutting continued. And then something new. We would go to plant seedlings in the areas they had abandoned but the ground was dead. Then the moot gathered and it was decided to remove the interlopers. Many of us went but none come back. Even Gnarlbranch did not return. I have been wandering the forest since them, avoiding the evil that has come."
From: Karl
Subject Silverbranch
Salix was alarmed at this new. If so many had gone to investigate this problem and none had returned, how could their small party hope to defeat this evil? He said a quick prayer in his head to Obad-Hai asking his protection and guidance.
"Silverbranch," Salix said. "You have been wise to avoid this evil. We have not heard from any of the druids that went to negotiate, and even the Stormfather has gone missing. I am Salix, Wealdward of the Great North Woods, and my party and I are here to help.
"Is there anything else you can tell us about the nature of this evil?"
(OOC - I'm betting not, so assuming the answer is "no", Salix will ask. . . /OOC)
"Our council has not heard anything from any of the druid parties sent to investigate and does not even know if we have arrived safely. Can you get to a safer part of the forest and send word somehow to the council at the main druid grove that we have arrived and are alive and investigating this evil? Also, please tell them all that you know about this situation as well? If you can get to safety and send this message, stay there. We will send word to you as soon as we are able. Perhaps you can encourage the treants farther in to take actions to at least keep this evil from spreading further."
He will say to the group, "There is nothing I can do here. We should get to Boddentown with all haste. We need to see if we can learn the nature of this evil and why it has taken hold of the forest like this."
From: Mark
Subject Silverbranch
"I know very little about it. It seems to seep into the woods, like an infection. Can you not feel it all about you?"
The creature takes a step towards Salix and Mund. It's leg looks like a tree stump with roots for toes. "You are here to help? Thank the One Tree. Be careful. The evil is not in Bodden town itself, but that is where you must go, I think. Boddentown is also but a sympton of this. They have always been cavalier with the forest but never cruel and wanton on this level. Things started soon after the new "Mayor" took office. Soon after that is when this started."
"I was commanded to stay here, but will do as you say. I fear I will die if I spend too much more time in this area. Already my leaves have all fallen out and I am afraid that too much damage has been done. I will do what I can to report to the druids."
"One last thing. Beware the forest. All is dead here, but there are things out there, that are alive. The evil things of the forest that we and the druids kept in check. They are free to roam now. Head to Bodentown with all haste. The woods are not safe."
From: Karl
Subject Silverbranch
That's it then. Let's book it to Bodentown!
From: Mark
Subject Check in
I would like a check in from everyone before the party moves on. Anything else you want to ask or do before you leave.
From: Kevin
Subject Distance and time
Would the group have been told approximately how far Bodentown is from the grove they appeared at? Do we have an idea of how long the trip would have taken normally?
From: Mark
Subject Distance and time
The town itself is about 12 miles from the grove. The edge of the forest is about 6 miles away.
From: Randy
Subject Check in
Ranthir nods in acknowledgment and readys himself for the march to the town.
From: Derek
Subject check in
Allistair nods with agreement that they need to get to the town with all due haste. Allistair especially used up most of his powerful spells in that encounter (needlessly, perhaps) and needs to rest and recover, which they probably can't do out in these 'evil' woods.
Mund is also in agreement. "What 'er we waitin' for? Let's get goin!"
From: Jason
Subject Check in
Other than healing and trying to cover his shield again, Ragnar is ready to go. Like Allistair, he's used many of his powerful blessings already, and hopes to have the chance to rest before anything else happens.
From: Jason
Subject Check in
Oh, and Ragnar is willing to use his 0 level blessing Mending to patch up his shield's cover if that's necessary.
Check in, Bodentown or Bust
Subject Check in
I must have missed something then. Did something happen after Salix said, "Let get to town"?
From: Mark
Subject Check in
No I had just asked every one to check in.
From: Karl
Subject Check in
Checks in.
From: Ashley
Subject Check in
Surin checks in. He's following Salix's lead on this one.
From: Josh
Subject Check in
Checksaroo.
From: Mark
Subject Check in
Ok I will get a turn out tonight.
From: Mark
Subject Bodentown or bust
The party watches Silverbranch march southwest deeper into the woods. Salix says a small pray to Obad-Hai that the treant will be safe and be able to reach the druids. Maybe some help would be sent along. The druid turns to the others and says "Ok north to the edge of the forest and then on to Boddentown." The others nod in silent agreement. Even they are taken aback at the condition of the forest. It is like nothing they have ever seen.
The going is slow. The ground is muddy and slippery. Footing is treacherous and before the first mile is done all of companions have a nice coating of mud on them. The mud does not bother Mund. "Hell" he says "We would have stood out if we turned up all clean and proper. Now we will look like we fit right in." The barbarian punctuates his point by falling in another puddle and slapping even more mud on his armor. It takes the party almost 3 hours to go the 6 miles to the edge of the forest.
However, the edge is a strange thing. The party goes at least a mile where it was obviously once a part of the woods but all of the trees have been cut down. What is odd is that none of the stumps have been removed. Usually when towns clear woods they do so for wood but also for land that can be used for farming. That means taking out the stumps. Not so here. There looks to be a band a mile deep and as far as the eye can see where the timber has been cut bu the stumps left to rot in the ground. Salix's rage at this wastefulness is barely contained. He stomps along, seeming to know where to go, while the others try and keep up.
Eventually Ranthir speeds up and walks next to the druid. "Salix, I know this must be bothering you, but you must slow down. Poor Ragnar back there can barely keep up. Not that he would complain, being a dwarf. Even Harp is having trouble." Salix turns and notices for the first time the condition the others are in. He is a little shocked and pulls up. "Ran, I don't know if I am ready for this. Is this how you felt when we rescued Rochelle? I fear I am leading all of you into danger or worse and I am not sure how to prepare." The druid hesitates and goes on. "I must confess something else. I am feeling something I have never felt before. I am glad to be leaving the woods. The place I have lived most of my life and I am happy to be leaving." Salix struggles to maintain his composure and Ran puts an arm around his shoulder. The two keep walking for a while, Salix taking deep breathes and calming himself.
The party finally gets to the edge of the woods and they see a small dirt road leading north and west. "My guess is" Mund says "that if we follow that road we will find Boddentown in a couple of hours. How do we want to do this? Go in as one group or split up and meet in town?"
OODM: The party can discuss how they want to approach the town.
From: Ashely
Subject Bodentown or bust
"Splitting off might be less conspicuous, but we'd need some way to contact the rest in case of trouble. Alley--would that message spell of yours work for us again in town?"
From: Derek
Subject Bodentown or bust
Allistair shakes his head. "No, I don't think it would be useful here. It only lasts a few minutes, and I need to start with a line-of-sight at the begininng. That's why I wasn't able to talk to you, Surin. You were already invisible."
"Considering we have some of the loot from that attacked caravan, I think claiming to be from a caravan that was attacked by ogres is a safe bet. We certainly look beat-up enough for the story to be beleivable, and it would give us a good reason to stay together."
From: Kevin
Subject Bodentown or bust
Harp looks around at the group. He had come to love and trust most of these people more than any one else he had ever know. Well, maybe not Mund, but Salix, Ran and Surin had been steadfast in their support of him from the start. Ragnar was a fellow member of the Order and had shown himself to be utterly dependable - just like a dwarf. But he was concerned about how Salix and Kal would respond when the entered Boddentown. Harp was familiar with the cruelty humans could heap on others. How would Salix or Kal respond if they saw something in the street. They could not solve every problem, could not right every wrong. Could they be prepared for what they might see?
"Maybe a smaller group of us could head into town and scout around, at least for a place to stay. A group our size walking in to town together is sure to get noticed, even if we try to stick to our story about a caravan. Maybe Mund, Surin, Allistair and I can go in, look around, and then one of us can come back for the others once we have found a place to stay?"
OOC: Mark, what time of day is it now? It was really early morning when we left the druids, and now we have spend a few hours making it to this point. Do we have a feeling that we can send a group ahead or is night falling and all of us want to get to town?
Split up or together
Subject split up or together
(OOC - Has Salix been to Boddentown before? If not, surely he's heard a bit about it, considering it's been a bit of a thorn in the side of the druids for some time now. Mark, correct me if anything that follows is out of character for Salix.)
Salix turns to the group, "Splitting up into two groups is fine, but I don't like the scouting idea. A group going in and then leaving quickly will surely be noticed and just draw even more attention to the ones who come in later. Also, Boddentown is a rough place. There is very little community except that which is drawn together by common greed, and the need to fight the wilderness they refuse to understand. Because of this, I don't think a complex cover-story is necessary. Our business is our own, and we're likely going to find the same attitude from everyone else. We could probably get by on something as flimsy as 'we heard there was work here'. That also has the advantage of not having to provide any details or risk having someone sent out to investigate. Remember, the real ambushed caravan is ridiculously far away from here to be a plausible cover.
"Most importantly, we're here to find out what is affecting the forest this way, and what has happened to the druids. I don't think it is wise to lead off asking about these things, though this is our primary goal. As far as we are able, we need to stay out of local disputes, at least until we know which way the wind is blowing.
"How should we split up?"
From: Kevin
Subject split up or together
Harp will volunteer to go with Kal. On the way, he and Kal will talk about what they might encounter and the fact that they may have to overlook some smaller evils in order to overcome the larger evil.
OOC: Kal may just say these are humans being humans and he does not give a rats *** about what they do so long as it does not affect the elves. Harp just is not sure. Kal has been so gung ho about attacking evil things before that Harp is unsure of how he will react when they reach town.
From: Randy
Subject split up or together
Ranthir will stick with Salix and suggest that Mund come with them.
"Mund and Harp in the same group might be a little too intimidating to some folks. Allistair and Mund can come with Salix and I. Ragnar and Surin can go along with Harp and Kal. Am I missing anyone?"
Ranthir looks to Salix for confirmation. He was the leader of this expedition after all.
From: Derek
Subject split up or together
Allistair will follow Salix's lead, but he states again that he's in favor of staying together.
From: Karl
Subject split up or together
"I'm fine with that. Those who go with Harp will answer to him."
From: Karl
Subject split up or together
Salix adds, "We will should head to the inn. We can plausibly run into each other there."
(OOC - Is there likely to be more than one inn? Has anyone been here before? Has Salix at least heard the name of any inns here so he can pick a rendezvous point? If not, he will suggest the inn closest to the center of town, if there is more than one.)
From: Mark
Subject Split up or together
This is actually a fairly large town, almost a small city. No one knows of any particular inn in town. There is likely to be several inns in town, as many people tend not to put down roots here.
From: Karl
Subject Split up or together
Is the town gated? How many gates? Any major roads heading in or out? Any landmark at all that we know about?
From: Mark
Subject Split up or together
No, the party knows very littel about the actually lay out of the town and surrounding areas. Salix, Mund and Allistair have heard of the town, but it is almost mythical in nature.
They would expect it to be gated, being out in the wilderness like this. But they do not know much more than that.
From: Karl
Subject Split up or together
Ok, then change "nearest the center of town" to "nearest the gate" for the inn. Also, Salix will add, "My group will go first. We'll move out now. Harp, you guys wait a few minutes and follow, but slowly. Let us get ahead. We'll travel with haste. That should put enough distance between us to avoid an obvious connection.
"Ally, I understand your desire to stick together, but I think we'll be less noticeable coming in in smaller groups. Once inside we can regroup as soon as it looks feasible."
From: Kevin
Subject split up or together
OOC: So, we are going to have a 1/2 orc, and elf, a halfling, and a dwarf in the same group? I know we live in a happy new world where we all get along, but we are going to draw some attention.
From: Kevin
Subject Split up or together
IC: "Got at Salix. Hell, with Surin and Ragnar here, we probably couldn't keep up with you anyway" Harp says with a laugh and a grin toward the two smaller member of the group.
From: Karl
Subject Split up or together
Better the attention directed at you than at Salix, no? But, yeah. I didn't think of that. If you want it changed, have Harp say something. Otherwise we'll just be at the mercy of the DM. ;-)
From: Kevin
Subject Split up or together
OOC: No, given our group, there is almost no way we can split up that won't arouse some types of questions. Lets be serious 2 1/2 elves, 2 humans, a 1/2 orc, a full elf, a dwarf and an halfling? Harp will just have to work with his group to try to come up with some type of very basic cover story. Something simple, like they are looking for the human who stole something (like some treasure) from them.
From: Mark
Subject Split up or together
Mund and Salix know that renegades of all races are common up in Boddentown.
From: Kevin
Subject Split up or together
Yeah, but our grouping is still somewhat odd. It would be like having a Korean and a Japanese in the same group and not expecting there to be some tension.
From: Mark
Subject Split up or together
What an egocentric bastard. Always assumes it's about him.
From: Karl
Subject Split up or together
Well, then, if Harp voices his objection, Salix will tell him not to worry. If he doesn't, well, he'll just have to worry. ;-)
From: Kevin
Subject Split up or together
Its not about him, its about the whole group, or this part of the group traveling together. Even in the LOTR, people did notice when a dwarf, elf, human and halflings were in the same group. Now, we are going to add in a 1/2 orc? Who should be, for all intents and purposes be their natural enemy? Inquiring minds want to know.
From: Mark
Subject Split up or together
When did this become LOTR? And that only happened in the bigoted, racist civilized nations. The halflings were treated like everyone else in Mordor.
From: Kevin
Subject Split up or together
Individually, or as Surin and Kal traveling together, that would be one thing. I still think (maybe wrongly) that this group of 4 (Harp, Kal, Ragnar and Surin) would cause some eyebrows to raise.
Just MHO.
Time and Distance, to the gates
Subject To the gates
Playing too much of you new computer game??
From: Mark
Subject To the gates
No the wife is out of town and I have to take care of the kids. Cutting into my game time. And for some reason my boss thinks I have something better to do when I am at work.
This is our busy time of the season. Our normal volume is 15,000-18,000 cases per week and we have been averaging almost 30,000 cases a week for the past three months.
I will get a turn out tonight.
From: Mark
Subject Distances
I was just reading some of the back story and realized that I made a mistake in the distances.
The distance from the grove where the party appeared to the edge of the forest was 20 miles. The distance from the edge to Bodentown is 5 miles.
more or less.
I will do a slight retconing on this next turn to reflect this.
From: Mark
Subject Time
Kevin asked a question about what time of day it was.
The party left the original druid circle at about 2 AM. Due to the distance east they moved it was about 7AM when they appeared from the tree in the grove near Bodentown. The next combat and stuff took about an hour. The travel through the woods took the better part of a day, so they would have gotten to the edge of the woods about 3PM. It is now 6 miles to Bodentown and they will get there about 5PM. This far north, at this time of the year it gets dark about 7PM.
I will send out a turn in a bit.
From: Mark
Subject To the gates
The party takes a break as they discuss how they should approach Bodentown. Allistair is all for staying together but the general consensus is that the party would attract less notice is they split up. They decide that Mund, Allistair, Salix and Ran would head out first and enter the town first while Harp, Ragnar, Surin and Kal would lag behind a bit and enter the town later. "I hope that enough people enter and leave the town every day: Salix muses "that another couple of small parties will not be noticed. We will get a room at the inn closest to the south gate, assuming there is a south gate. You 4 get a room somewhere close to the north gate. In the morning, you come and try to find where we are at. If you do not show we will try and find your place for dinner. If we have not found each other by the end of tomorrow, lets meet back here at sunrise of the next day? Everyone understand?" Nods from all around ease Salix's mind and his party heads off.
As the sun sets in the west Salix and the others see workers heading back towards town. They march in two's and threes, usually following wagons loaded with large logs. They trundle along the dirt road, making ruts in the muddy path. The dispirited workers hardly look up from the ground as they pass the four. They are dressed in furs and old worn out clothes, warm but patched together. The workers try to avoid the armed party, moving to the other side of the road when they are approached.
Another two hours walking sees the 4 within site of Bodentown. Salix is shocked to see how large it is. He had been expecting a small town of maybe 800 to 1,000 people. This was a good sized town. From the number of buildings it looked like there might be upwards of 8,000 people living here. A wooden palisade 20 feet high surrounds the town and a dingy haze hangs over it. Most of the buildings look to be two to three stories high, but there are several buildings that stand five to six stories high, with most of them located near the center of town.
As they approach the gate on the south side of town they see platoon of guards stopping some people as they enter the town. The party is about 50 yards out and they are in plain sight of the guards at the gate and those on the wall.
OODM:What do you guys do? This is for Karl, Derek, Randy and Porter when he gets back to us. The party is healed except for the poison effects I mentioned earlier. All of Harp's and Ragnar's spells are gone except for a few 0 level ones.
At the gates
Subject At the gates
Allistair mumbles to the others. "Keep walking, hesitating here would only make us look suspicious. Tell them we're just travelling through, perhaps looking for work if it's available. We've only known each other a few weeks, just travelling together for safety."
From: Derek
Subject At the gates
OOC: Allistair has 4 ranks in bluff, if everyone wants him to do the talking he will. Also, Allistair's ioun stone was stowed away before they got into sight of anyone else.
Welcome to Bodentown
Subject Welcome to Bodentown
Salix nods agreement. "If we're stopped, let Mund do the talking. He looks most like he'd be comfortable in this area. No offense." He nudges Mund, then adds "Oh, and call me 'Sam'. I don't know if anyone here would glean any meaning from 'Salix', but it's best to be safe."
From: Karl
Subject Welcome to Bodentown
If you think that's really necessary, then have Ally suggest it, otherwise Salix would more likely go with Mund, since he's the roughest looking member of *this* party.
From: Josh
Subject Welcome to Bodentown
I had a dream last night that we were all playing Dnd together, but it was real instead of by email. Not real like sitting around a table with dice, but out in the woods somewhere. The party was split up like it is now, and we were sitting there in the woods waiting for Mark to write up the next section so we could go forward more.
That was scary. :-)
From: Mark
Subject Welcome to Bodentown
The four continue moving towards the gate. Some people seem to have free movement through the gate while others stand in a line waiting for the guards to inspect them. The party trys to go through the gate when one of the two guards on gate duty shouts "Hey, you four. Where do you think your going? I don't recognize you. Get over in line over there?" The guard and his partner each lower a halberd and move to intercept the party.
OODM: How do you want to respond?
From: Derek
Subject Welcome to Bodentown
Mund speaks up. "Oh, sorry. Didn't know the rules here. Let's get in line, guys." Mund then walks back to the line indicated by the guards. Allistair (and I assume the rest) follow him.
In line, the others wait
Subject In line
Salix moves with Mund to the back of the line.
From: Kevin
Subject The others wait
Harp and the others wait for over an hour as the others head down the road. While they wait, Harp starts asking some questions "Do we want to come up wiht a basic cover story in case some one asks? A general passer-by was can tell to mind their own business, but if we get stopped by a town guard or some one with some authority we will probably need some type of story. And, for that matter, do we want to use our real names or not?"
From: Mark
Subject In line
The four companions wait in line for the guards to pass them. The watch as they wait and notice a few things. First, most of the people are allowed to enter and leave the city with no interference. These seem to be locals, merchants and pesants, going to or from for business or pleasure. The people seem serious and there is a sense of despair in the air. The landscape around Bodentown is bleak, with not a single tree to be found. What should be farmland lays fallow, barren. Most of the people have a sort of distant look to their faces and seem to lack a certain vitality.
A few minutes later the guards signal for the four to approach. One of the guards comes forward, a clip board in hand and asks with a bored expression "Names and purpose in Bodentown?"
From: Derek
Subject In line
Mund bows slightly with unfeigned awkwardness and lowers his eyes in subservience. "I'm called Mund, sir, and this here's Ally, Sam, and Ran. We've come lookin' fer work."
OOC: Mund can give a more detailed cover story if the guard asks for it, but he'll keep it as simple as he can.
From: Mark
Subject In line
"Work huh?" the guard says as he writes the names down. " Well those three might find something, but you look like a bookworm. Best bet is to check in at the Mercenary guild. That's where all the hirin' is done. Now city passes is 5 gp per person and they is good for a 5day. Youse got to show them to any City Guard who asks or you get thrown in jail, understand?"
From: Derek
Subject In line
OOC: 5gp for a 5 day pass? Isn't 1 sp per day more or less 'standard' wages in the D&D universe? And they're charging 10x that per day? Unless the D&D universe has had massive inflation....
IC: Mund shrugs and feigns disinterest. "5 gp? Alright, here you go." Mund reaches in his pocket and gives the guard 5 gp, as do Allistair and (I assume) the rest.
From: Mark
Subject In line
OODM: It is too late now but a sense motive check might have been usefull. Remember this town is not know for being good and lawful. As they say "You'r not from around here are you?"
From: Derek
Subject In line
OOC: Oh well. At least we're in the town now.
From: Mark
Subject In line
Not a big deal. You will still have to pay it but I will write something up. I might still make some bluff checks and sense motives when I get home tonight.
Out of town, the others wait
Subject Out of town
I'm going to be out of town tomorrow through Tuesday next week, for the T-day holiday. I'll have no access to email during this time. If you guys want to keep playing, Kevin can take Salix for the duration, or if we break for the weekend, that's fine with me too.
Happy T-day everyone!
From: Mark
Subject Out of town
As much as I hate to do it, we can take a break. That will give Porter time to get back on line.
I will write some more up this afternoon and probably tonight.
From: Kevin
Subject The others wait
Do Kal, Ragnar or Surin want to chime in?
From: Jason
Subject The others wait
OOC: Does anyone find it ironic that the two poisoned characters went off without either of the clerics? Anyways...
IC: "I don't think there should be any problem using our own names, but we should definitely come up with a reason for coming here. I suggest that we could be looking for someone who owes us money. That could go a fair way to explaining the diverse nature of our group; money has brought odder collections together. Kal and I are small-time merchants, I believe, partners in a small but successful antiques and rare items business. Harp works for us, and we hired Surin to help us track down an employee who took the profits from our last big sale and ran with them. That should also give Surin an excuse to nose around a bit asking questions. (OOC: not a very good excuse, given the types of questions he'll need to ask will have nothing to do with our supposed purpose, but hey Ragnar doesn't really think that way.) If they ask, we don't expect any trouble once we track him down, not with Harp here. What do you think?"
From: Kevin
Subject The others wait
" Not a bad idea, but instead of a business, since none of us look like merchants, maybe he stole what treasure we had found on an adventure and we are trying to track him down before he can sell it? "
A place to stay
Subject A place to stay
Mund grunts and pulls 5 gold coins from his pouch. The others do so as well while Ran mumbles something about how high the pass rates are. The guard hands each of them a piece of clay painted blue and says "Move along." As the four move through the gate Ally grabs the others and moves over to an alley way near the gate. "Make sure no one is watching" he says. The others turn and check the area while Ally casts a quick spell. Using the cantrip to detect magic, he looks at his pass and is not surprised to see it give off a faint glow. Not wanting to look to obvious, he cancels his spell and tells the others what he has found.
"The passes have been enchanted somehow. I will have to do a bit more research when we find a place to stay, be we should keep our noses clean until I can figure out what they are really for. Now, let's go find an inn." "I'll just follow my nose" Mund says and takes a long sniff of the air. He takes a few more and then proclaims, "This way." He leads the others down an alley and up another street. The others are surprised to see one of the buildings has a large sign out front. It has a picture of a large metal cup on it with a liquid spurting out of a hole on the side. "After you gents" Mund gestures to the others and follows them as they enter the front door.
OODM: I will write up more over the weekend about some of the sights these four have seen while in town. If you guys want to write up anything about how you want to go about getting a room I can do that as well.
From: Josh
Subject The others get ready
"Perhaps it would be a good idea to hide that i'm an elf?"