Talking to the Lady
Subject: Talking to the Lady
Ragnar signals Ally to end the spell and the mage, though a bit distracted, does so. Ally quickly pulls his bag of holding out and starts rummaging in it for some rope. Ragnar turns to the Lady "My Lady, I apologize that we had to enter so suddenly. Before we talk, perhaps you might find something more comfortable to wear?" The Lady looks down and realizes what has happened. A slight tinge of red colors her cheeks but her voice does not waver "If I wore anything more comfortable I would be as naked as the day I was born." She grabs the ties and pulls the robe closed "Just like men to notice the unimportant things. Quickly mage, cast your spell so we can talk unobserved."
Ally pulls out a length of rope and chants his spell. The rope climbs about 6 feet into the air and then disappears. "Follow me," Ally says, trying to keep his eyes averted. Ragnar climbs up next. When Ranthir motions for the Lady to go ahead of him she shakes her head demurely "I think, considering what I am wearing, that I would rather have you ahead of me than underneath me." Ran turns, blushing furiously again, and climbs into the rope trick. A few seconds later the Lady follows, still showing a distracting amount of leg as she climbs into the almost empty space.
When she steps off of the rope she turns. Before he can stop her, she slaps Ranthir across the face, hard. Her eyes blazing with anger she says "I was going to apologize for when I hit you at the reception. It was unfortunate but necessary. However, if you lay hands on me again with out my permission, I will have you killed." She then turns to the party, her demeanor switching back to her normal attitude. "I was hoping one of your group would have the brains to figure out I wanted to meet with you. Which one of you figured it out?" Ran motions to Ragnar and that seems to surprise the Lady. "I would have put my money on you "she motions to Ally "or that nature priest." She turns back to Ragnar "I keep forgetting that even though you are a dwarf, you have been trained by the Order. I don't care much for the Order, they tend to be sticks in mud, but they do train competent people."
"On second thought" she says "it is probably good that you are here. What I have to say concerns the fate of the Underkingdom." She sits down, placing her legs in a demure position. "The King should not be King. Something is wrong. I can not tell you how I found this out. Let's just say that we maintain some contacts here and I have been able to talk with them. I also think that the attack on my person coming here is part of the plot. You need to find out what really happened to King Dar."
OODM: Questions for the Lady?
From: Derek
Subject: Talking to the Lady
"May I ask what you do know about the circumstances of the death of King Dar? Also, what do you suspect is the reason for you being targeted? I of course do not ask you to reveal your sources, but the more information we have the easier it will be to get the bottom of this."
From: Mark
Subject: Talking to the Lady
"Two questions." Says the Lady. "First. To have a King die of something other than old age or in battle is rare for the dwarves. Second, to have a dwarf tunnel collapse is almost unheard of. Third, to have the King at the exact place of the collapse strains belief. Fourth, to have called off the search with out having found a body is unheard of, but Barden did so."
She takes a breath and continues "I believe that the attack at the pass was conected mainly to keep me from asking questions. The alliance between the dwarves and Byho is longstanding. Others would like to break that alliance, some for profit, some for power. My being here means that certain questions might be asked that can not be avoided. However, if I bring these questions out in the open, I risk my life or even possible civil war amongst the dwarves. If Barden is involved in what happened to Dar, proof will be needed to bring him down."
"That wizard is still out there. He is either behind this or in the employ of whoever is behind this. Now that I am here, attacking me would draw too much attention, as long as I do not obviously threaten them. So I am going to play the spoiled rich lady. And hope your party can help me."
From: Kevin
Subject: Talking to the Lady
OOC: Ran should have known she was going to whomp him no matter where he touched her and gone for the big "accidental" grope. If this had been our RL evil game, it would have happened.
From: Derek
Subject: Talking to the Lady
Allistair has a few more questions. "Do you know if there were any members of King Dar's staff or retinue that have lost their positions and been replaced by the new king? They might be a good place to start asking some questions and getting information. Were there any survivors to this cave-in that claimed King Dar's life? Also, speaking of the cave-in, if it is so suspicious as you say, then why hasn't there been any outcry from the populace or from the populace, from the nobility, or at least from Dar's family?"
From: Jason
Subject: Talking to the Lady
Ragnar is inclined to agree with the Lady's assessment; the account of the king's death had seemed suspicious since he first heard it. That being said, he maintains a skeptical expression while Allistair begins to question the Lady de Blum. Suspicions are not proof, and if his suspicions were correct, the most obvious culprit was none other than the king himself. Which meant that if they did decide to look into what happened, they would have to use extreme caution.
OOC: Allistair's already asking all the questions that I want to know as a player, so I'm mostly just checking in for now.
From: Randy
Subject: Talking to the Lady
Ranthir returns the blazing anger with his eyes on fire as well. "The next time you raise your hand to me, you will regret it. My father taught me that when a lady stops acting like one it is time to stop treating her like one. Just as it was unfortunate but necessary for you to slap me at the reception, it was necessary for me to ensure you would not cry out at our sudden appearance."
Ran finishes his statement with a finality that makes it clear he doesn't expect further discussion about the subject and he proceeds to listen to the ensuing conversation.
From: Mark
Subject: Talking to the Lady
OODM: True love. :)
From: Mark
Subject: Talking to the Lady
"I don't know yet. I've only had a day or so to gather this much info together. As to the King's family, Dar, from what I understand, was fairly young when he became King. His parents were killed in an ambush several years ago. Since he was an only child and had not married yet, there is not much immediate family. That is one of the reasons why his cousin became king."
"The King says that he had his top miners inspect the area of the collapse and that there must have been some sort of underground event that weakened the tunnels. No one has questioned him about it since. That is all I have been able to find out."
"I need your help. Please find out what really happened to King Dar."
From: Derek
Subject: Talking to the Lady
Allistair looks over to Ragnar. "Well, what do you think, Ragnar? I know this isn't the reason we have come to the Underkingdom, but I think the Lady's concerns are genuine and her analysis is thorough. Besides, if her suspicions are true, then I somehow doubt that Barden is just going to give us the item that we came to retrieve."
From: Jason
Subject: Talking to the Lady
As Allistair finishes his questioning, Ragnar finally allows his face to relax. "Actually, I believe that her suspicions are correct. At least, I've had a similar suspicion in my mind since last night when I first heard the story. And yet, my Lady, I have to wonder at your confidence in us. Is there something in particular you had in mind for us, other than simply asking a few questions? You must know that we dwarves are not generally talkative by nature. Perhaps we could investigate the tunnel itself, and yet... though I'm a dwarf, I'm hardly an expert stonecutter myself."
OOC: Ragnar is mostly fishing for ideas/more information here, he does plan on looking into it and he has a couple of ideas, and that might show in his voice or on his face, given his great skill with diplomacy/bluffing... But it'd be nice to know if she had any ideas.
Dwarf questions
Subject: Dwarf questions
The tunnel would be a good start. Asking questions about the old King directly might raise suspicions. There has to someone out there who is unhappy with the situation."
"Why you? You are all I have. You have proven yourselves capable and you and the 1/2 orc are members of the Silver Sword. From what I hear this is right up your alley. And you are a dwarf. This might not be your warren but I am hoping what is happening here offends you enough for you to do something about it."
"Now, you must go. The dwarves will be back soon for the dishes. You should leave with them. They will cover your leaving. I'll go down first."
From: Derek
Subject: Dwarf questions
Allistair speaks up hastily. "Wait. We will need to be in fairly regular contact if we are to coordinate our efforts. Is there some easier way we can be in contact with each other? If there is someone that does have access to your rooms, I can magically transform myself to appear like them. If you let us know your schedule for when you will be out in public, we could arrange for a magical conversation where we can whisper to each other from hundreds of feet away."
"Also one last question. Do you suspect any of the other ambassadors may be involved? What country would gain the most from strife between the Underkingdom and Bhyo?"
From: Mark
Subject: Dwarf questions
Just as the Lady is preparing to climb down the rope she stops. "We should meet again. Come back here at lunch time in two days time. I don't know if all three of you have to come. That seems risky to me." She waits a few seconds to see if there are any other questions.
OODM: Last chance and then I will move the story on.
From: Derek
Subject: Dwarf questions
Did you send this before or after Allistair asked his questions about meeting again and about the other ambassadors?
From: Mark
Subject: Dwarf questions
"There are several dwarves that are in and out but I hope you speak dwarf. I don't want to risk being seen anywhere near any of your party, even by accident."
" I suspect all of them and none of them. What I mean is that I have no evidence that any of them are involved but these things are exactly what someone would plan. The country and would benefit most from my not being around is probably Fornax. They also have a large forest and have been trying to convince King Dar to use their foundry works instead of ours. They have been trying for years and years but Dar would not give them any serious consideration."
From: Jason
Subject: Dwarf questions
At this, Ragnar speaks up. "Actually there is a way we can pass short messages with complete secrecy; Heironeous grants his followers this ability. I would be able to send a message to you, which would be relayed directly to your mind with no need for meetings or messengers, after which you can reply in kind, my Lady. Be aware however, that the message must be short; 25 words or less. If there is an urgent need, we may contact you in this manner."
From: Mark
Subject: Dwarf questions
She nods "That will be wonderful. Let's use that to set time for one of you to come here and report more indepth. You should also contact me that way every couple of days so that I can let you know if I have found out anything."
Back together
Subject: Any more questions?
Anything else for the Lady before I move on? If Derek, Jason and Randy would check in I will move on this afternoon.
From: Derek
Subject: Any more questions
Allistair thanks the Lady for her time and indicates she can descend from the rope first if she so desires.
From: Randy
Subject: Any more questions
Ran says nothing. He waits until at least on of the other two follows the lady out before he descends.
From: Jason
Subject: Any more questions
Ragnar's covered everything he wanted to.
From: Mark
Subject: Back together
Allistair looks to Ragnar and Ranthir, arching his eyebrow, seeing if they have any other questions. When they do not respond he signals to the Lady to head down the rope. She shimmies down the rope followed by Ragnar then Ran and lastly Ally. The four stand in the middle of the room as Ally says the word of dismissal and the rope falls to the ground.
From out side the door a gruff male voice calls out "My Lady, are you done with breakfast yet?" "Give me a few minutes" she replying, gesturing for the others to eat the food on the tray before them. The four of them make quick work of the meal. Minutes later the Lady points at Ally and motions to his companions. Ally gets the hint and chants his spell. Touching the other two on their shoulders, they all vanish from site. The Lady calls out "You can come in now."
An older dwarf enters the room, walking towards the food cart. "My Lady, is there someone in here with you? I thought I heard voices?" "No, no" is her reply "I just pretend to talk to my husband when I have things to work out. It is a silly habit but I am just a woman." The dwarf nods and pushes the cart out of the room. Giving the party a few seconds to get through the door the Lady closes it behind them.
The three companions follow the dwarf down the hallways of the embassy. There are more people here now, mainly dwarves but a few humans here and there. As they go Ally realizes that this dwarf is going much slower leaving then the one they had followed coming in. By the time they get to the main entrance to the embassy Ally is fairly sure that it is going to be a very close call for them to get past the main gate before his spell ends. He signals to the others as best he can, trying to let them know the situation. Ragnar and Ran nod their heads, seemingly understanding.
In the back of his mind Ally is trying to figure out how much time is left. He is sure that they are down to less than half a minute when they finally get through the gate. He signals for the others to run as soon as they are beyond the gate. Behind them they hear a voice say "Shhh, did you hear that?" Ally looks behind him as he runs and several of the guards are listening in the direction the party is. He turns back forward just as they take a turn around the corner of a building. Seconds later Ally feels the spell expire. "I think we just made it."
The three companions make their way back to their rooms to fill the others in on what has happened.
OODM: I will let the party discuss what they want to do next
From: Derek
Subject: Back together
After Ragnar tells everyone what had happened, Allistair speaks up. "I think we should try and figure out what happened to King Dar, but we don't have a lot of leads and we don't exactly fit in here. We could probably start by taking a look at the caved-in passageway. We probably don't have to deal with people there, and there may be evidence left behind."
Ragnar's plan
Subject: Turn
No one wants to discuss what they are going to do?
From: Jason
Subject: Ragnar's plan
As he walks back to the rooms, Ragnar seems lost in thought. With his shorter legs, this frequently means he falls behind. Sometimes he realizes it and catches up, but more often than not his companions have to wait for him. By the time they arrive at the rooms, he's finally decided what to say, though not entirely sure what to do.
Once secure in their rooms, Ragnar relates what happened to the rest of the group. "The Lady de Blum said that she has reason to believe that King Dar was the victim of treason rather than accident or circumstance. While the evidence she was able to give us was not particularly conclusive, the truth is I believe her. The circumstances surrounding his death or disappearance seem far too suspicious to be a true accident. She wants us to find out what really happened to King Dar."
At this point Ragnar briefly describes the Lady's evidence and answers questions about it. After the questions finish, or when someone asks him what he intends to do about it, he continues. "Our mission here in the Underkingdom remains the same. I am not committed to doing this, but I suspect that in the end, we are going to need to do as she asks. Later today I will attempt to obtain a meeting with King Barden. However, given the previous king's sudden disappearance, it is entirely possible that Barden doesn't know anything about the gem, or that it belongs to the Order. If this turns out to be the case, we will need to pray that Dar is still alive, and that we can find him.
More in the room, dwarven ale
Subject: Back together
Mund catches a hint of something in his brother's voice as he talks about the Lady, and he pushes for more information. He finds it very interesting that she was practically naked with them there, and keeps asking lewd questions as long as they'll let him.
Once he has that out of his system, he has something useful to contribute. "You know, at that dinner thingie we went to, I got the feeling that a lot of the dwarves are pretty pissed about the king and how he hasn't tried hard enough to find his cousin's body. Maybe we should get some help from some of them?"
From: Mark
Subject: Back together
Any one else? I will wait until about 3PM this afternoon to write up the next step.
From: Derek
Subject: Back together
Allistair nods in agreement. "Well, the only one of us here that has any chance of blending in is Ragnar. Although Surin, you've been able to come up with some interesting information already. Do you know of any group of people that are not happy with the current succession?"
From: Porter
Subject: Back together
"Why should we bother to blend in? I reckon that the "Lady" actually has a good idea. Let's clomp around like big giant doofuses who couldn't possibly be trying to hide anything, we're being so obvious. That'll let us wander 'round and talk with folks."
"Yeah, there were several of these dirt-diggers that were grumblin' about the new king. I can't 'member their names, but if we met them again, I reckon I'd know 'em."
OOC: Actually, I don't know if that's true. Do I remember any of their names?
From: Mark
Subject: Dwarven ale
No Mund was too drunk. :) He's not used to fine dwarven ale.
From: Porter
Subject: Dwarven ale
What? Mund has a significantly higher constitution than the average dwarf. The only person in the party who can drink him under the table is Alley.
Check in, dwarven ale, out and about
Subject: Turn
I have the basic outline for the next turn done but am waiting for Jason to give me some info before I finish it.
Can every one check in before we move on?
From: Porter
Subject: Check in
Check.
From: Mark
Subject: Dwarven ale
Actually in my world dwarven ale and dwarves are a special case. It is not sold outside of the warrens. It is also brewed specifically for dwarves, not to get them drunk faster but to let them keep the buzz longer.
Dwarves have a +2 when seeing if they are getting drunk on dwarven ale while all non dwarves get a -2.
From: Porter
Subject: Dwarven ale
Awesome! Mund is going to do everything he can to acquire vast amounts of Dwarven ale. So that he can get used to it. You know, just in case. It might come in handy some day. :)
From: Mark
Subject: Dwarven ale
Well it is not for sale in quantities that can be carried around.
I mean you can get all you want at the local pubs but it is not for sale for transport.
And Mund had thought he had had dwarven ale before, but he now realizes that those places were selling rip off dwarven ale.
Does that make sense? The place called it dwarven ale but it really was not.
From: Porter
Subject: Dwarven ale
That makes perfect sense.
Mund's going to be drinking it a *lot* while he's here. He's also going to be trying to bribe some people to let him have a cask or two for when they leave.
From: Mark
Subject: DWarven ale
I will keep that in mind.
From: Kevin
Subject: Check in
OOC: Check.
You know, I checked my mailbox 1/2 hour ago, and there was nothing. I come back now, and there are 7 messages.
You guys are too fast.
From: Derek
Subject: Check in
Check.
From: Randy
Subject: Check in
Check
From: Mark
Subject: out and about
Harp watches as Ragnar talks and realizes that the dwarf has come to some sort of a decision. When the dwarf looks up at the others he speaks "We need to find out more about what is going on around here. We are going to split up for the day. Ally and Mund, you two make the rounds of several bars and pubs." The two humans nod and Mund says "Great, I can try some more of that dwarven ale. It ain't nothing like what they had back home. That stuff back home was like piss water compared to this stuff."
Ragnar turns to Harp and Kal "You two check out what you can on the military. Harp, you have already worked out once at one of their training grounds. Go back. Take Kal with you; see what you can pick up from the warriors. Try and be discreet. Don't push. You two will probably have the hardest time, due to your backgrounds. Don't piss any one off. That is an order for both of you." Harp nods and Kal looks a bit stricken.
The cleric turns to Surin and Salix "You two see what you can find out from the merchants and other non military groups. I expect you two might have the best chances of finding something out. At the least see if you can find out where the old King was lost." The ½ elf and the halfling nod.
"Lastly" the dwarf says "Ran and I will be, hopefully, meeting with the Steward today. I expect we will be sitting in a room somewhere waiting, but we will see what we can pick up in the places of power." He looks at all of them up and down "Ok folks, this is important, so getting back alive and with info is the main goal today. If someone insults you, take it. Your personal honor is expendable in this matter. Now let's move."
The four groups join up and move out into the dwarf city.
OODM: Over the next couple of days I will be doing each group. I will start with Ally and Mund tonight.
From: Porter
Subject: Out and about
While they're talking to the barflies, besides being unable to realize when he's drunk, Mund will also keep an eye out for friendly games of competition the dwarves might have -- Mund's always up for a good game.
From: Kevin
Subject: Out and about
As Ragnar finishes speaking, Harp nods agreement, and then motions to get Kal attention. Waiving him over, Harp asks "How do you want to try and do this? We can just go down and spar and see if any one responds, or we can spar for a while and see if we can "goad" someone into sparing with one of us and then try to get them talking? Maybe we can get a small wager going and then payoff the bet with a few drinks later on? Either way, we should probably prepare ourselves with that protective blessing before we go. We might need it before we are done."
From: Bryan
Subject: Out and about
Check
From: Josh
Subject: out and about
Check.
I'll respond to Harp hopefully tonight. It's "peak season" at work, been running a little thin lately.
Money, Mund and Ally
Subject: Money
I just realized that everyones money did not get moved over when Mike made the switch on Sakeriver.
Since I have not kept a huge running total of how much every one has, unless you let me know you had a large sum of money, everyone will have 500 gp.
This will mainly be in gems of 100 gp value or so, with 50 or so gp in actual coins, mainly silver and gold.
I am not including any 100 pg pearls the party had for the identify spell.
From: Mark
Subject: Mund and Ally
The four groups head out on their respective missions. Mund can barely control himself "So we get to ask around in bars, huh? Sounds tough" the red haired barbarian says to his brother. Ally laughs at his brother's enthusiasm but cautions him "Just remember that it looks like someone has something to hide and is willing to kill to keep it that way. You concentrate on making friends and I'll do the asking when I think the time is right." Mund shrugs "Sure, what ever you say, as long as I get some more of that dwarven ale. This stuff ain't nothing like the piss water they sell back home. This stuff is smooth." The two walk to the section of the underground city that has the inns and bars. Mund picks one at random, The Hammer and The Anvil.
When they enter the crowd falls silent for a few seconds. Ally starts to worry that the two of them will really stand out, especially since they are each at least a foot taller than the tallest dwarf, but Mund calls out "This round is on me and my brother." Cheers swell up from the dwarves that fill the inn. Mund pulls his brother behind him and strong dwarf hands clap the two on the back as they make their way to an empty table. They sit down and the barkeep bustles up "That'll be 10 gold for the round but I'll throw in your first drinks. What'll you have?" Ally gives the dwarf 10 gold coins
Mund orders a dwarven ale while Ally sticks with wine. The older of the two looks around the bar. The atmosphere seems to have returned to normal: talking, the occasional song from a small group, the smell of roast meat. The barkeep brings their drinks and Mund asks "So any card games of stuff going on? Never been to a dwarf place before and I'ds like to learn some local things. Any ideas?" Mund holds up a gold piece. The barkeep looks at him and nods "Yep. Old Irongrip over there runs a nice Fizbin game." The table the barkeep mentions has about 10 dwarves playing some type of card game. "We've got Orc Eye in one of the back rooms and Elf Twigs over there." Elf twigs looks to be some sort of dart game." Mund nods and gives the barkeep the coin.
Over the next two hours Mund starts to work his way into the games going on. He avoids the Fizbin game and concentrates more on the Elf Twig game and Orc Eye. Orc eye looks to be a mix of jacks and marbles, except that the jacks are made of silver and gold and the marbles are gem stones. Ally keeps track of the money Mund has lost at the games and the money they have spent on booze and food, realizing that they have already spent half of what Mund had. Luckily they had not touched what Ally carried. The mage figures that his money is the back up funds.
Three hours later, when Mund has lost another 100 gold at Orc Eye, he looks at the three dwarves he has been playing against. His mood is still happy go lucky when he proposes something "Hey, you know, I've been loosing all my money to you fellers all night. How about we try something from my part of the world?" One of the dwarves, Gaelheart, gives the human a stare "What type of game have you got in mind?" "Well" Mund replies, "it's a mixture. Part strength, part drinkin. You interested?" Gaelheart looks at his buddies and they nod yes.
"Ok" Mund says "here are the rules. You and me are the main guys. We take turns arm wrestling. The partner of the looser takes a drink. I choose your partner, you choose mine. The first one of those two to pass out, that team looses. Each round we put a gold piece in the pot. The last team standing splits the pot. Sound fair to you?" Gaelheart nods and Mund picks a shorter bearded dwarf standing a few steps away by the name of Cail. "You pick my partner now." The dwarf takes a few seconds to look around, scouring the dwarven crowd. Cail leans in and whispers into Gaelheart's ear. An evil grin crosses the dwarfs face and then he says "The other human, the skinny one next to you."
It takes Ally a few seconds to realize what has happened. He starts to sputter. Mund's voice starts to rise "What? My little brother Ally? I thought you were going to pick a dwarf. Doesn't seem too fair, two dwarves against two humans." Mund keeps going on when Ally realizes what Mund is doing. He is setting Gaelheart up. Mund was stronger than most dwarves and he and Ally had grown up in the Northlands. Hell, up there babies were given ale instead of being nursed. Ally looked like some book worm under his robes, but he knew how to drink. Also, he had been eating while Mund and the other dwarves had been playing. That would help.
OODM: I will write more tomorrow. If Derek or Porter want to do any color fill in they are welcome to
From: Josh
Subject: Money
Kal had less than 500. I should have it written down at home. I'll update the page if I have the actual total.
From: Josh
Subject: Mund and Ally
lol
From: Derek
Subject: Mund and Ally
OOC: I'm at my parent's home for the holidays. I have internet, but can't seem to get the smtp working so I can use thunderbird, so instead I'm stuck using webmail. I'll try and keep up though.
IC: Ally is actually a little surprised at his brother's shrewdness. Ally hadnever heard of a game with these particular rules, and though he was hardly an expert at tavern games, it wouldn't surprise him if Mund made up this game on the spot. What really concerned him was how he and Mund were going to get some useful information. It's one thing to laugh and slap each other's backs in a drinking game, but a whole other thing to ask their opinion of the recent suspicious death of the former king. Ally needs to be careful in phrasing his questions without arousing suspicion but still getting useful information. Plus he will likely get VERY drunk over the next few hours which wouldn't exactly sharpen his thinking.
After a few rounds when everyone is relaxed a bit and hopefully before he loses his faculties too much, Allistair will play the 'clueless foreigner' and innocently ask what happened to King Dar. He won't press very far with further questions unless it looks like one of the Dwarves really want to talk about it.
Salix and Surin
Subject: Turn
Ok I am working on Salix and Surin right now. I expect it will be early afternoon before I get the turn done.
From: Porter
Subject: Ally and Mund
OOC: Excellent job. This is awesome.
IC: "Well, I am mighty strong, so I guess it's only fair. If he's willing, I'm game. I'll just have to make sure he don't have to drink much, neh?"
OOC:
Mund know that his brother's as tough as they come, and doesn't worry too much about him being able to stand up to the drinks. But if it gets to the point where it's getting too close to Alley's threshold for comfort, Mund will definitely be willing to use up his rages for the day in order to win the arm wrassling.
From: Mark
Subject: Ally and Mund
That was what I was planning on doing. However, Mund should win his share of arm wrestling matches by himself. He might even want to through a few early on.
From: Porter
Subject: Ally and Mund
Definitely. :)
From: Mark
Subject: Ambassadors
I was going back and keeping track of some of the NPC's the party has met and found something wierd.
The original write up for Elspeth has him from Tornado. I have no idea where I got that country from. It should be Fornax. The description is correct.
So to review the Ambassadors
Calieri of Camlost
Tripin of Undulant
Elspeth of Fornax
De Blum of Byho
From: Mark
Subject: Salix and Surin
The halfling and the half elf move out to the merchant district. For the first hour or so the two walk through the main market place. Merchants of all kinds line the streets. The merchants are mainly dwarves with a few half elves and humans thrown into the mix. Salix, with Surin in tow, takes the time to talk with many of the vendors. While they start out professional but non-committal at first, after a few minutes of Salix turning on the charm most of them start to warm up. Salix finds that his travels and broad exposure to the natural world helps him to talk to the merchants about the materials that make up their goods. A few of the merchants mistake Surin for Salix's son until they get a closer look. The halfling takes it in stride.
The two buy a few trinkets here and there. Salix is able to work out a good deal on a nice wool cloak for himself and a wool cap for Surin. The two spend a second hour doing much the same as the first, but this time the druid concentrates more on the dwarven merchants. He finds one that seems to have really opened up to the ½ elf and the halfling. The dwarf, called Doli, runs a shop that sells small pieces of worked iron. The work is exquisite, even if it is done in iron. Salix picks up a small rose, no larger then his thumb and talks to Doli about how the dwarven trade system with other countries works.
"Well" says the dwarf "most of my trade is with Byho. We send them the ore, they smelt it down into iron bars, for a price of course, and then ship the bars back to us. We make things out of the iron and then sell the items to traders who peddle it around the world. Most of the apprentices in my shop make basic things like nails and hinges, pots, horseshoes; commodity trade items. Most shops are like mine but we sell to different traders. These guys go out in the world, wherever they think they can get the most profit, and sell our goods."
"Sometimes we trade for things we can not make or grow here. For example Fornax has a lot of agriculture, so we get fruit and vegetables from them. Not that I'm against a good fungus soup, but now and then a dwarf likes a good stew. We do the same with meat. Undulant has a large number of ranches and we get most of our meat from them. Of course we trade with people from around the world, but those three are our closest neighbors, even if they are not always the nicest people."
As they continue talking Salix also finds out that all dwarves serve a minimum 80 years in the dwarven army, usually from the age of 45 until they are 125. During this time they serve in a 5 year cycle: 2 years off, 1 year in prep/reserve, 2 years active duty. Once a dwarf is over 125 he or she can stay in the army as a volunteer if they want. This allows families and clans to run businesses with out too much interruption. There are a total of 5 dwarven armies, any two of which are on active duty at one time, with another in reserve and two more that can be called up in a time of war.
OODM: A bunch of stuff just got dumped on me. I will write more later.
From: Kevin
Subject: Salix and Surin
OOC: Mark, does Salix see any types of animals running around they way you would in a normal town? Cats, dogs, rats, etc.? Anything in particular subterranean? Moles, etc?
Just in case he needs to wildshape in the future he would know what type of animal, if any, would not stick out.
My guess is birds would stick out underground.
From: Porter
Subject: Salix and Surin
Bats?
From: Mark
Subject: Salix and Surin
Dogs yes, cats no, bats yes. There are some other animals. If you mean domesticated types, then not much beyond dogs. If you mean wild, he has not seen too many, but he has seen signs of snakes and other typical underground animals.
From: Bryan
Subject: Salix and Surin
Does Surin see any sign of an organized underworld? This doesn't seemto be the area, but there might still be signs of such a group (afterall, where the money is, organized underworld generally appears)
From: Porter
Subject: Mund and Ally
Allistair should also feel free to exaggerate his intoxication.
From: Josh
Subject: Harp and Kal
OOC: How long does the blessing last for?
Harp and Kal, pt 1
Subject: Out and about
I will cover that in the turn I am writing but it is 1 hour/leve, or 4 hours for Harp.
From: Mark
Subject: Surin and Salix, pt 1
He has not seen any yet.
From: Mark
Subject: Harp and Kal, pt 1
As the two figures head out to the military practice grounds they can sense the stares of the dwarves the pass. The two make an odd couple: The pale skinned elf and the dark ½ orc. Harp towers a foot or more over Kal and is easily double his mass. A few dwarf children point at the two as they walk the stone streets, but the two hardly seem to notice. Kal wonders how he could have a friend as good as Harp. He was a ½ orc, his parentage should have meant he was damned but here he was. A member of the one of the most respected forces for law and good in the world and a solid companion in battle. Kal smiles to himself, knowing that Harp had proved his worth time and time again.
"So" Kal asks Harp "how long does this blessing last?" "Several hours" is Harp's reply "should be long enough for what we need to do. We aren't fighting to the death here, remember that." Harp gives Kal a hard look and the elf laughs and slaps Harp on the back "Don't worry. With you along how much trouble can I get in?" Harp grunts and Kal thinks he hears the ½ orc whisper under his breath "Famous last words". The two continue on to the work out area.
A few minutes later the two stroll into the training area. Harp glances around and sees the dwarf he had worked with the day before. He walks over and greets the dwarf "Hey there Bordin, how are things today. This is the friend I told you about yesterday." The dwarf takes a look at Kal and turns back to Harp "You didn't say nothin about your friend being no elf. First I got to put up with you, but at least you can take it. This puny guy? He'll get broken in half at the first bruise. I mean look at him." Bordin looks Kal up and down, a frown on his face. "He's skin and bones. My youngest weighs more than he does." Bordin goes on for a few more minutes, walking around in circles, listing all the deficiencies of the elven race.
Kal starts to get annoyed but Harp holds up a hand, indicating that Kal should forebear. When Bordin finally stops to take a breath Harp breaks in smoothly "You made similar comments about me yesterday and I did ok, right? I told you there was more to my friend than meets the eye. Give him a chance, just like you gave me one yesterday." Bordin looks up at the two, still grumbling "Oh what the hell. I haven't hit any elves in years. But don't blame me if he gets broken. Harp pulls Kal over to the side while Bordin gets ready and chants his spell of shielding "Ok there you go" Harp tells the elf.
Bordin signals Kal to move to the center of the practice ring. The dwarf is carrying a dwarven war axe in one hand and a large wooden shield in the other. He signals for Kal to advance into the circle.
OODM: How does Kal want to fight the dwarf?
From: Mark
Subject: Dwarven axe
The axe does have a wooden contraption on it that blunts the edges. It still looks like it could break bones but at least it would not cut off a limb.
From: Randy
Subect: Christmas
Merry Christmas Everyone!
I will not be online much for the next 10 days. Ran will go along with whatever Ragnar asks of him.
From: Kevin
Subject: Harp and Kal, pt 1
Harp gets Kal's attention and whispers "Don't kill him, just show him who the better fighter is. Take your time though, I'm gonna try to get a little wagering going on the side. Nothing like takin the payoff in a couple a drinks to get someone on your side"
OOC: Mark, if there are any dwarves standing around, Harp will try to get a little wagerin going, using Kal slight frame and elf background to build it up. No serious insults, just enough to goad them a little.
From: Josh
Subject: Harp and Kal, pt 1
Kal has a practice tip for his rapier in one of his pouches, he'll affix that before stepping into the ring.
I should get something out tonight. (Famous last words).
Ran and Ragnar, Pt1
Subject: Ran and Ragnar
Ragnar puts on his finest clothes and asks Ranthir to do the same. Soon the two are ready for their meeting with the Steward. They ask the guard outside of their rooms for directions and he summons another dwarf warrior to guide them. It takes them almost half an hour to walk to the Steward's office. It is located high in one of the walls that makes up the central open region of the city. The two sit on stone benches along with about 50 other dwarves and the occasional human and ½ elf.
Ragnar sits quietly but after half an hour Ranthir starts to fidget "How can you sit so calmly?" the half elf asks. Ragnar gives a good natured laugh "Years of training on the religious side of the Order. I understand stand that you had several years of training on the martial side of the Order?" Ran nods "Yes, back when I was younger. Then my Mother died and I blamed my father. So I left the Order and went to live with my mother's parents down in the elven homeland. I had not been back until Harp came to tell my father was ill."
Ragnar shakes his head "I find it odd. You and I have such differing views of the Order. I wonder if it is because you grew up so close to them that you can not see what they stand for. I find myself having a bit of the same problem with the dwarves. My family and I were taken from them when I was young and I was not returned to them until I was in my mid 30's. I had been a slave for a tribe of orc's and a paladin of the Order is who set us free and returned us home. That man always fascinated me. So I learned more about Heironeous than I did about the traditional dwarven gods. I left the warrens of my home 5 years later and came to the Chapterhouse. They welcomed me in and I have been there ever since. That was 25 years ago. I know you and your father have grown a bit closer since your return. I hope that maybe I can grow closer to the people of my birth while we are here."
OODM: I will write more tomorrow.