Alvar Thorne & Associates, Part 1 - orsal judging

The morning passes uneventfully. Shacks and shanties on the outskirts of the city give way to farm and grazing land. The road is well maintained, and they pass a light but steady stream of traffic going the other way. Most are wagons, some obviously other traders, and some farmers with produce or beasts for sale.

A group of dwarves, clearly adventurers, clad in dented mail and carrying notched weapons, march determinedly up the highway. They are weary and batte-scarred, and grim of visage. They do not respond to Allistra’s hail, or to the greeting Milak calls out to them in Dwarven. He leans out to watch them as they pass, then spits into the dust. “Glaikit gits!” he mutters in disgust.

After six hours of steady travel, the sun is directly overhead and the city is a good twelve miles behind them. When Allistra calls a halt, Jendral and Milak rein in the horses, set the wagons’ brakes, and jump down to tend to the animals. They unharness the giants, and the other horses, and lead them off to tether on a running line beneath a stand of trees, where there is fresh fodder for them. Perhaps mindful of their skittishness earlier in the day, Jendral grabs a handful of the food which has meanwhile been unpacked and settles under the trees with his charges.

Milak likewise helps himself and sits leaning against a wagon wheel. He eats noisily, spitting out bits of gristle and drinking periodically from a small flask he takes from an inner pocket of his jerkin. You get the feeling that he’s not a very sociable character.

“Help yourself,” Allistra says. “There’s no standing on ceremony.”

“We’ll rest here an hour, then go on. It’s two and a half days to Allimon, so we should be there by noon the day after tomorrow.”

The food is typical road fare - hard bread, some type of jerky, dried fruits and small beer. There’s a small stream not far from the road - probably the reason Allistra chose this place to stop.

Taelythenihel takes a selection of food. "I shall eat with Ossa beyond the trees," she says. "If you have need of us within the hour, call aloud. Ossa, follow me." The pair move off, and settle down on the far side of the copse, with their backs to a tree.

In the time that they rest, Valdaris drinks from his waterskin and eats his share of the food provided before absently wiping his hands clean on his vest. He then wanders over to the stream to fill up his waterskin, before returning to relax near the caravan. He doesn’t utter so much as a word to anyone unless spoken to directly.

Ruud eats a bit then lies down to take a nap.

Ciprinus take off his armor, leaving it next to the tree, and then climbs it, taking his lunch with him. Carpio leaves the safe of the druid armor, and disappear between the highgrass.
After eating his food, the half elf leg hanging from the tree is his only visible part. Snoring noises can be hear clearly.

OOC: Please respond to your characters' entries using sblocks - since the characters are effectively separated.

[sblock=Ciprinus]It’s so good to be out of the city and back in the midst of nature again. The tree’s life is close at hand. He feels it in the flow of sap within the trunk. He hears it in the rustle of the leaves. That gentle sussuruss lulls him into a refreshing sleep.[/sblock][sblock=Ruud]Ruud dreams of bewitching displays of light and colour and majesty. His sleeping mind unlocks the secrets of the hidden world. If only his waking mind could recapture them![/sblock][sblock=Taelythenihel]Taelythenihel & Ossa move away from the group, passing beyond the copse of trees to rest at the edge of the small stream. They are screened from the others, and can settle comfortably in the long, cool grass at a bend in the stream. It curves gently towards the road before straightening out again to run parallel to it for a time.

Perhaps half an hour after they have settled in the spot, a dog appears further upstream, trotting along the bank towards them. It’s of nondescript breed, a tawny golden-red in colour. It’s carrying a dead bird in its mouth. When it sees them, it stops short, growling. The growls grow louder and more ferocious and it drops the bird in the grass. Snarling now, it moves towards them, stiff-legged and threatening. It’s about 40 feet away.[/sblock][sblock=Valdaris]Allistra comes over and sits next to Valdaris. “You seem to be the only one of this group who’s actually cut out for this work. What were you doing before you came to Orussus?”[/sblock]

[sblock=Boddynock]Valdaris smiles politely at the compliment as he makes room for Allistra near the caravan, shuffling only as close to the surly dwarf as he needs to in the process. Something he’s sure the dwarf would appreciate.

“I was, err, running caravans much like this one, ma’am.” He says, digging his dagger into the dirt between his thighs, but stopping when he finds Allistra’s attention on him.

“Nothin’ regular. Just occasional work along some of the local trade routes... though I’ve never heard of your company before.” He looks at her, his tone as much a question as a statement.


OOC: That's a half-truth.

Valdaris was 'running' caravans before. The difference is that this time he is protecting one. Previously, he was just robbing them blind. Though I guess it still counts as work experience. [/sblock]

[sblock=Valdaris]Allistra nods, pursing her lips as she considers Valdaris' unspoken question.

My brother's been in business for some years now - but has concentrated on establishing a client base in Orussus. It's only fairly recently that he's started trading further afield."

"So, if you were running caravans, what brought you to the Red Dragon? Looking for a bit more excitement in your life?"[/sblock]

[sblock=Taelythenihel, for DM]Taelythenihel keeps a wary eye on the dog and throws some of Ossa's untouched meal towards and a little way ahead of it.[sblock=OOC]Hoping for 'negotiated' friendly response from dog.
If she can get to her feet before combat starts, that'd be nice. If combat begins:
(1) if T wins initiative, and if standing already, she casts Mage Armor on Ossa and moves 30' towards the main group. Otherwise, she stands, and casts Mage Armor on Ossa. Ossa will use move actions to ready its shield and scimitar, if already standing; otherwise stands and readies shield.
(2) if the dog attacks first.... well, let's face that if it happens, depending on which of the pair it attacks, and whether anyone has been injured.
Taelythenihel init +3, AC 13 (FF 10), HP 4/4
Ossa init +5 (but relies on Taelythenihel for instruction), AC 15 (16 with shield readied, 20 with Mage Armor active, 1 less while flatfooted), HP 6/6
[/sblock][/sblock]

[sblock=Boddynock]“Excitement? I think excitement finds you whether you look for it or not!” He chuckles at his own joke which bears more than a hint of truth, as he points to his left eye and clearly shows a nasty scar that so nearly took it.

“This came to me courtesy of a thief who once tried to relieve me of my gold - something I wasn’t willing to readily part with.... You could say that I’ve had plenty of experiece with their kind before.”

He turns to look into her eyes directly, his dark blue eyes showing a hint of emotion. “I’m just trying to make my way, Allistra. And if your goals and mine are the same, then all the better for it.”
[/sblock]