[Burning THAC0] B2: The Keep on the Borderlands

[Mathalus]

Ferrantos pulls Vellekhyr by the arm and whispers, “Come on. That Dwarf is going to dry up and turn to dust any moment. Just let the Corporal enjoy his veneral disease or whatever that is on his face and we’ll go get you set up. Let’s visit my brother for funds before we hit the Provisioner.”

“Which way to my brother, Corporal?”

 

[mistrlittlejeans]

Ferrantos pulls Vellekhyr by the arm and whispers, “Come on. That Dwarf is going to dry up and turn to dust any moment. Just let the Corporal enjoy his veneral disease or whatever that is on his face and we’ll go get you set up. Let’s visit my brother for funds before we hit the Provisioner.”

“Which way to my brother, Corporal?”

Aurvang licks his dry lips, and blinks his blue eyes expectantly.

"Leave it to a half-naked elf to hold up the line," he whispers to Constance. Ay Corporal! We'll see the elf gets dressed properly soon enough. Now, down to business. Where might a fine company such as ours (sarcastic shifting of the eyes to Vellykhyr) find a suitable tavern? It's been a long trek and we're parched."

 

[engrishonly]

ooc: Okay, since there was Persuasion dice & a failure that should lead to a complication...

Vellekhyr again attempts to protest his treatment by the Corporal of the Watch, but the Mannish soldier will have none of it. He is not impressed by the stern Elven ranger's voice. Clapping his thick hands together, the Corporal of the Watch calls in his reinforcements from the gatehouse. The scribe at the lectern cringes as the armed men rush into the Entry Yard.

"Well, good sir, the old Keep may be a frontier outpost, but we are still Lawful folk... and I must say, even for an Outlander, your ways are confounding, and near to introducing Chaos into our fair Keep!

"Perhaps a night in the gaol will do you some good!"

With that, the Corporal of the Watch waves the rest of the party along while Vellekhyr is escorted along the same route (at a distance), towards one of the wind-ward external towers of the Keep.

-----

While the Elven ranger is ushered into a drafty cell by the blue-clad men-at-arms, the rest of the party settles in at the Keep's only tavern - the Slippery Rock. (Just outside the tavern is a bubbling fountain that spatters the flagstones outside with water, hence the name.)

The Slippery Rock is a crowded place in spite of its generous size. Off-duty men-at-arms mingle with the odd traveller or merchantman from afar, as well as the few locals who live within the walls of the Keep.

At a table near the fire is Sir Auromos and several members of his knightly order, the Chevaliers of the Lady of Penhaligon. They are dressed in bright red finery, trading stories with all manner of people - comely wenches, dreaming men-at-arms, and a curious looking Friar who wears a plain monk's habit.

-----

Meanwhile, locked away in a cramped and drafty cell in one of the Keep's towers, Vellekhyr has all of a smelly bucket (for bodily functions), a straw pallet (for sleeping), and a moldy crust of bread in a wooden bowl.

Outside his cell, Vellekhyr hears another prisoner shouting. "LINOS?! IS THAT YOU?! HAVE YOU SEEN MY TURTLE?! I THINK THE DRAGON ATE HIM!! HOW WILL I TELL MY WIFE ABOUT THE TURTLE?! SHE WILL NEVER BELIEVE ME!"

 

[Mathalus]

Ferrantos struts up to his half-brother, “Auromos. I bet you’re glad to see me. Meet my travelling companions."

 

[engrishonly]

Sir Auromos looks up and sees Ferrantos. "Brother! I did not expect to find you here! Not moping amongst those pointy-eared bastards anymore, I see!

"As for myself, the Chevaliers have been protecting the roads around this Keep... there are bandits, you know! Just south of the old trade road!

"This Friar, here, he says there's some sort of Caves, some three days hence. You aren't one of those seeking out that place, are you, Ferrantos? The Chevaliers could use some allies in rousting the bandits from their camps... but we horsemen would have little interest in slogging our way through any Caves. Surely, the Caves pose little threat to the Keep on the Borderlands!"

The red-clothed Chevaliers all lift their tankards and cheer at Auromos' words. The plain-faced Friar seated with them simply smiles and nods.

 

[Voidrazor]

Surprised by the turn of events and bewildered by their suddenness, Vellekhyr begins to sing in the first tongue. At first he ignores the mad human in the next cell, seeking through the Song of the Eldar to gain some sense of unfolding events. That the officious simpleton at the gate could not be swayed to provide basic hospitality was a terrible sign. How much harder would it be to raise a war host? Perhaps a night of quiet contemplation was precisely what was called for. Yet quiet was not a given. Elf finally pays some small heed to his cellmate, switching to songs more fit to soothe and silence the man.

 

[Mathalus]

Ferrantos beams at group of soldiers, “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, gentlemen. I see that all of you are as fond of a good beer as my brother. Perhaps this brotherly reunion calls for a drink, Auromos. I know my travelling companions are thirsty. Would you mind buying this round? This poor Dwarf here is about to expire.”
Grabbing a nearby stool, Ferrantos plants himself on it and leans forward, his metal eye-patch reflecting the firelight, “You know me so well, Brother, especially when it comes to Elves and caves. I admit, I do have an Elf who accompanied me here. Unfortunately, the bigoted corporal at the gate locked him in a tower simply for his awkward clothes. I would have argued with him more strenuously, but I knew that a man of your station would easily be able to see him freed right away.”
“As for caves, I might ask the Friar to speak what he knows about them. I know that some of my companions and I might be interested in a little spelunking. Of course we are in a sorry state where equipment is concerned. Maybe if we worked with you clearing out bandits you would see fit to equip us. Crossbows, travelling gear, plated leather and the like. You could probably talk a most of us travelers into helping you fight these bandits if you were willing to throw in shares of the spoils. Plus it could only help clear the path for those of us who needed to get into those caves.”

 

[engrishonly]

Vellekhyr hears the howls and gibbering of his prison-mate begin to quiet slowly over time. "NO!!! THE BEES! THEY WILL FLY AWAY WITH THE TURTLE!"

After a while, the man is quiet. "In the ancient days, my forefathers were dragons. No... that's not right. My forefathers, they were of Traladar. Turtles. And priests of the order. Maybe druids, men of the spirits and the woods. And definitely turtles!

"There was a legend about the old man of the hills, east of here, north of here, in the uplands. Dragons used to live here. And people of Traladar. There was a time when we ruled this land, and then we offended the gods! The gods! Or did the gods offend us, the turtles? For that, we lost the land to the bees. Buzz! Buzz!

"One of the immortals is said to live in the hills, and I wanted to see him... but I could not find him. I wandered until the men on the horses brought me here. Maybe the old immortal is under the hills? Like a turtle? I will need a shovel! I will bring a shovel next time. Next time!"

The unseen man in the cell next door lapses back into silence.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Constance is amused at how quickly things have gravitated to a pub, and, though she would never admit it, she is concerned at how little concern there is when one of their travelling companions was arrested. She has retrieved her possessions, and they are secured under a table by her feet. When she is served a drink, she begins to speak -- she's using a loud voice, and she wants to be overheard.

"The road we have travelled has indeed been long, and the journey has made us thirsty. We come with news, though, and the news concerns the whole keep. While you are busy playing law and order, there are people dying beyond your gates. The brigands are growing ever more fierce, attacking all who travel along the roads. what's more, it is said that they themselves are being pushed out of the forest, threatened by a greater evil still.

"Our noble comrade, whom the watch detains, was merely one of the victims of this increasing threat. While of course it is easy to laugh at an elf" -- here she interrupts her self to allow a moment for those listening to snicker, and takes a gulp -- "we all know the power of their songs, and we'd do well to honour them in their weakness.

"Now we have come, and we have survived the road, because the gods are with us and have blessed our enterprise. In the coming days we'll be preparing to mount an expedition to the caves. All of us will be travelling, and if you're lucky, we'll take you along.

"Now who's buying my friends a drink?"


OOC: okay -- don't quite know how we want to do this. I scrambled to get resources 1 (hence all the clothes!); is that sufficient for buying the first round, or does everything need to be rolled? Constance delivers the above speech. It's meant to make people fear the wild (cf. belief), but only the ref knows whether it's true or not. If so, then Intimidation? If not, then Falsehood? Either way I want to lay the foundation for volunteers and uncertainty about the roads, hopefully (if it was a Falsehood) so that things will seem safer than everyone expects when we do start travelling. I'm happy to add details about wild animals mauling the first Paladin if that will help. Also, Engrishonly, do you want OOC discussions here like this? Colour okay for speech? Add rolls to these posts? It's obviously easier to keep up to date on everything if everything's i the one thread. Will you call for rolls? Do you want us to suggest them?

 

[mistrlittlejeans]

"Now who's buying my friends a drink?"

I like your style little lady says Aurvang with a wink. Then he licks his lips again.

ooc - Let me know if this is playable.

Task: loosen the tongues of the Chevaliers by drinking them under the table.

Intent: learn where my cousin Gloi was last seen and any clues that might lead me to him.