Feint Whispers Chapter #6: A Modest Proposal

[jasamcarl]

Everyone regains 8 thanks to Bhartus. Five charges are expended.

The party winds its way back down the trail. Day becomes night and back again. By around noon the next day you emerge from the woods into an area covered in the wheat fields that mark the Evenwood lands.

On the horizen, casting a large shadow away from the descending sun that blazes into your eyes, stands the now familiar Evenwood fortification, with its mix of hard stones and tangled tree limbs. It is only as you approach that you make out the less prominent, but more surprising, presense of hundreds of tiny figures at the castle's base. Then you see the posted standards of dozens of noble houses, flying over scores more of tents. And the tell tale glint of armor. War must be coming.....

End of Chapter. Norri gets 3100 xp. Everyone else gets 2900. As a reward for killing the bear, everyone gets 1600gp, in the form of both gold and services; remember your out in comparitive wilderness, so you can't purchase a single item worth more than 800gp. If you've got the xp, feel free to level. You have a week of downtime if you choose, so, as usual, let me know how you plan to spend it. I'll start the new thread after everyone has updated their statblock in the ooc forum. Boy this was a long one. Congrats though..you've learned how to retreat.

ooc: I need to know what you guys plan to tell the Lord about what happened. Everthing? Something you are going to leave out? I just want a very short summary.


ooc: Mirth, if Tarowyn levels, I want to convert him fully to 3.5. You shouldn't loose anything in the transition. I will also give you the details on the revised Order of the Bow initiate if you don't have Complete Warrior. The requirements have changed, so if you want to get into it early, taking another fighter level isn't the way to go.

 

[Krug]

Bhartus suggests telling the Lord everything, though he seems to think that there were a lot more elementals at the fight...

Bhartus will heal his comrades and practise his healing skills on the populace. He senses the approach of war...

 

[Festy_Dog]

Norri doesn't care what the Lord is told, he's only interested poking around and finding out about the situation.

 

[Mirth]

ooc: Mirth, if Tarowyn levels, I want to convert him fully to 3.5. You shouldn't loose anything in the transition. I will also give you the details on the revised Order of the Bow initiate if you don't have Complete Warrior. The requirements have changed, so if you want to get into it early, taking another fighter level isn't the way to go.

OOC: Looks like I'll be short of the next level by 272xp (I never added in the 133xp that we gained last Aug./Sept., so I'm adding 3033xp for a total of 9728xp). Regardless, I've got the 3.5 books and Comp. Warrior so I'll try to get everything updated tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Tokiwong]

Jericho deicdes to relate back the tale of the slaying of the bear, the battle with the goblins, and the fact that a powerful goblin druid still lurks in the woods near a stone obelisk of power. He has nothing to hide, and besides they know now what the druid can do, and his focus, next time they can destroy the loathsome creature.

Once he is finished with his tale, he will train alone, to work on his skills. Focuisng his abilities on the bastard sword, and his training. The war on his mind, mixed with thoughts of his homeland, and the thoughts of his current comrades at arms.

 

[jasamcarl]

OOC: Looks like I'll be short of the next level by 272xp (I never added in the 133xp that we gained last Aug./Sept., so I'm adding 3033xp for a total of 9728xp). Regardless, I've got the 3.5 books and Comp. Warrior so I'll try to get everything updated tonight or tomorrow.

ooc: thanks man. you will all be rewarded much sooner this time around if i have anything to say about it. On the bright side, with the new ranger level, you can max out your spot skill and such. Eight more skill points if i'm not mistaken. +2 favored enemy, etc.

 

[jasamcarl]

Epilogue

Norri: As you partake in general acts of pestering and sneaking, you come about a few choice tidbits of information. 1) It seems that all of the soldiers, especially the footmen, are generally anxious conscerning the rumors about terrible goblin magics that the Fist brough back with it from its soujourn in the forests. The Knights, on the other hand, are atleast feigning contempt for the 'humanoid tricks' and snicker at the party for its 'cowardice', referring to the party's retreat. 2) Added to this are whispers of a dispute between the Lord Evenwood and his heir; it seems young Darven, while glad to be rid of the prospect of wedding Whitney, is upset that his father will not let him lead the army into battle and instead wishes him to remain in the castle. 3)But by far the most hushed rumor is that the Lord's nephew, Galvan, has betrayed the Lord and joined with the Aporos or goblins; many conclude this from the sighting by the Fist of eight of Galvan's men in the forest who have yet to return.

Whitney: Kyrie Ebonblade meets you two nights after your return. Through both magic and messenger, Kyrie has been able to transcribe a message from your father. To paraphrase, he is jubilant to hear that, after all you have been through, you are still alive. He holds great pride for all that his daughter has accomplished and learned, and he knows that one day your arcane skills will be of great service to both your house and Kingdom. But....today isn't that day. Given the dynastic strife that has taken hold of the Kingdom, any number of nobles great and petty would love to murder the daughter of the Gellens, hold her hostage, or even forcibly marry her. To that effect, your father is putting you under the protection of House Evenwood as long as your remain in the south and he strongly stresses that you atleast temporarily break away from your adventuring company until the fighting dies down. Your presense there is still vital, because the Evenwoods see you as a guarantee on the deal the King struck with them. Kyrie will soon depart by off paths back to Duvik's Pass and then back to the Gellen estate, but, even without a representative, your father vows to always be with you.

Bhartus: The Evenwood warriors listen to your tales with a mixture of awe and occasional wry cynisism as the common infantry take any oppurtunity to invite to drinks the boisterous dwarf, a rare sight indeed in these party. Over the course of the week, whenever he sees your, Lord Evenwood mentions his desire for you to give Moradin's blessing to his army, which could use some of your people's hardiness and resolve.

Jericho and Tarowyn. Near the middle of the week, you are invited into the Lord Evenwoods private quarters and informed that he wishes the assistance of the two of you in planning and leading the coming campaign. Despite the distrust that the party and Jericho in particular rouse in the Knights and even to himself, the two of you of demonstrated through you relating of the skirmishes with the goblins, that you have the greatest battlefield experience and expertise, and, with Galvan missing, you have no equal (other than his old self) in the castle. He would send his son, but given the expected intensity of the fighting, he wishes to at all costs preserve his line. What do you say?

OOC: I'll start the new chapter thread either today or tommorow. This should be fun.

 

[Mirth]

Tarowyn's been updated to 3.5E

 

[Tokiwong]

Jericho and Tarowyn. Near the middle of the week, you are invited into the Lord Evenwoods private quarters and informed that he wishes the assistance of the two of you in planning and leading the coming campaign. Despite the distrust that the party and Jericho in particular rouse in the Knights and even to himself, the two of you of demonstrated through you relating of the skirmishes with the goblins, that you have the greatest battlefield experience and expertise, and, with Galvan missing, you have no equal (other than his old self) in the castle. He would send his son, but given the expected intensity of the fighting, he wishes to at all costs preserve his line. What do you say?

Jericho listens to the lord, and follows his words intently. He mulls over his options thinking of the past few weeks with his companions, allies, and friends. They were all being swept up into a burning conflict that would shape the region around them. The climate was rife with political firestorms, and there would be no solace until blood was shed. Many would suffer, but that was the way of war, and so he relented to his new role in life. A wandering warrior, in a foreign land, without home, family, or honor doing the best he could with what he had. All he had was his sword, and his skill, he traveled the waves of fate towards an uncertain destiny.

But at least he was having fun doing it.

Jericho draws his sword, admiring the red glowing edge and smiles to the lord, “There are many of your men who fear me because they think of me as more beast then man, or perhaps more man then beast? But I cannot swear to fealty to you, if I so choose to serve your cause, it I because I believe in its course. I am but a warrior of waves, when my purpose is done here I shall continue on. For now Lord Evenwood you have my sword, you have my strength, and I will lead your men to battle. But lets be pragmatic, my services, the services of the Fist do not come cheap, a reward of some monetary value is in order, good Lord, although land makes a suitable substitute.”

 

[jasamcarl]

The seated Lord brow furrows at Jericho's barely veiled demands. "Your people's reputation as barterers seems well deserved, D'orite. All about the deal...No matter, I'm sure whatever I give you here will be compensated for when I'm sitting atop the celestial mount looking down at you writhing in whatever hell sand folk go to....You and your companions get first choice of all plunder taken off of enemies on the battlefield, which may total no more than one quarter of the total value. Any land you take in the course of this campaign with the troops which I will provide will be divided evenly between my house and your party; first choice should be determined by which domain the land borders. If it borders Duvik's Pass, you shall have first choice. If it borders my land, then the gods' will hold the reverse to be true. If neither of us have adjacent claims, we shall let the All Father decide. Finally, I will guarantee this current alliance with Duvik's Pass for the remainder of the year, regardless of when this war is settled and will provide the Pass with two units (100 men each) of foot for the duration of the winter that is upon us. I don't believe in trusting larger numbers of coin to anyone, D'orite. You will have to fight for your reward. My armies are your tool. Is this acceptable?" His jaw is obviously clenched...