Six From Gate Pass - Chapter 3: Shelter From The Storm

[Gregor]

Chapter 3: Shelter From The Storm

You leave Innenotdar forest behind and step back into the cold mountain air. However, Indomitability’s boon seems to keep you comfortable in the chill without the need for your cold weather gear or even blankets at night. Diashan is able to take care of himself, casting a minor spell each morning to similarly protect himself from the elements. After a few days of walking, you descend out of the mountains and into foothills and valleys where the temperature rises and you can see that spring is on its way in these lands. The days go by easily and hunting is surprisingly well. Diashan occasionally bags some small game animals to supplement the meals and assists in preparing shelter each night. You all relax now that the trouble in the woods is behind you and pass the time chatting, telling stories and bringing your new party member up to speed on the events that have transpired over the past 40 years.

You follow the Old Elf Road through a narrow rocky valley between the Hettkomn and Tunda mountain ranges. The road has not been travelled on, let alone maintained, for quite some time so it takes you a few more days to hike around fallen boulders and mountain pines, pits due to erosion and mile after mile of scree. Eventually you exit the valley, still following the road and judging by stone markers along the way, you cross the border into the Kingdom of Dassen. Torrent checks her map and pushes you on along your current destination. Slowly the land slopes down into gentle sloping hills and fields, with dense forests in the distance. A glacial waterfall spills down behind you and flows as a wide river parallel to the highway. Torrent marks it as Churnett River and smiles as she notes that a town should be coming up.

After another day or so of hiking alongside the river, you spot a small town directly ahead of you on your path. Stone and wood buildings clutter the main road and chimney smoke scents the breeze with the smells of food, charcoal and hot metal. An arched stone bridge spans the river, connecting with another road and farms line the countryside. A few slowly turning mill wheels churn in the current of the river and grain silos stand in packed clusters. Perched atop a hill, adjacent to the town is a squat stone tower-keep riddled with arrow-slits. Banners, detailing heraldry of a frosty mountain, blow in the wind from its parapets. As you approach, a few bored-looking human guards rouse from seated positions and look at you curiously.

“Hail and welcome to East Watch” one cries out hesitantly, “In the name of Lady Timor of the Kingdom of Dassen, we respectfully ask that you approach and be named before entering this town.”

 

[digimattic]

Arnir smiles as they approach the small town. Though he had been casting prestidigitation on himself religiously in order to keep clean, the thought of a proper bath administered by a proper woman warms the cockles of his heart. As the human guardsman calls out to them, he tries to think of any information he knows about this town, especially whether they will be friendly to elves...and where the nearest brothel is. For the time being he keeps his mouth shut, waiting for the others to identify themselves.

 

[Adjuntive]

Alric brings himself forward his hands out in greeting. Though his voice is somewhat more friendly than usual, his face still has it's characteristic stony visage.

"Hail! I am called Alric Greyblade. We seek to pass through your town and refuge within it from the elements. Could you tell us if and where a tavern could be found that we could find ourselves some drink and company?"

 

[Gregor]

[sblock="for Arnir"]Arnir, you don't know anything about this town, and judging by its size it probably failed to be recorded in any interesting tome about Dassen. You do know that the Kingdom is a grouping of feudal states that are each ruled by a certain Lord or Lady and bend the knee to King Steppengard. Dassen is predominantly made up of humans and dwarves, but the states of Timor, Rego and Namin have higher elven populations due to their proximity to Shahalesti (which is on the other side of the Tunda mountains). Dassen is not hostile to elves.[/sblock]

The guard writes down Alric's, and everyone else's name on a ledger which appears to be blank and slightly yellowed with age. He eyes the party suspiciously as he does so, but apologizes for his rudeness and then says: "mean no offense friends, I don't mean to stare. Its just that nobody has come down this road in the twenty years I've been a soldier stationed here in East Watch ... the elven woods a few days up the road have been cursed with unending flames for decades! Anyway, you can find lodging in the town's only inn and tavern, the Sword and Plow which is just down the main road. Wait. You didn't come from that forest did you?"

 

[Bannock]

Bannock puffs up proudly.

"Came from it we did! And put the fire out we did too! There's not much that'll stop this motley band I say", he boasts, coming up between Arnir and Alric as he does so and draping his arms on their shoulders.

"I wasn't sure about these folk when I first laid eyes on 'em, but a stout-hearted lot they've turned out to be! I mean, the elves can be a little weasely sometimes, if you know what I mean.", he says, squeezing Arnir. "It sure is good to see some more humans for once! There's Alric here, not to forget. He's alright I s'pose. Do him good to crack his face with a smile some days, but anyway, hey, we've all managed to come out of some good scrapes together! Hey, when you're off duty you should come have a drink with us. Man alive, do we have some stories!"

 

[Gregor]

"You put it...out? The forest? The cursed unending flames? Uh...well...I don't know what to say about that good sir. I'll need to run your names up to the keep so the Baron is aware, but I won't keep you any longer. Be sure to keep the peace though ... this is a peaceful town. Oh and I may take you up on that drink!"

As you walk past the guard and into the town you can vaguely here him speaking to his buddies: "They came from the forest and they say the put the bloody thing out! Yes Jenkins the Innenotdar wood by Helm's ever watching eye! Don't stand there slack jawed, run these names up to the keep and ..."

The voices fade as you walk deeper into the town. You figure that no more than a few hundred souls call this place home, but you wager that the outlying farms probably house a few hundred more families. The roads are muddy with the spring thaws and you dodge villagers that go about their business: herding sheep or pigs, hauling sacks of grain from the silos to the mills or hammering metal in a few of the forges. You find the inn without trouble and given that the sun is about to slip beyond the mountains, there are a number of patrons already enjoying an ale after a hard day. The inn has been built from stone and mortar with an all wooden second floor and a few horses are tethered along the side of the building.

"The Sword and Plow eh?" says Torrent, "well I've definitely seen worse places. Lets grab a few rooms, a hot meal and most importantly ... a keg of ale. Tonight's on me."

 

[The Bashar]

"The Sword and Plow eh?" says Torrent, "well I've definitely seen worse places. Lets grab a few rooms, a hot meal and most importantly ... a keg of ale. Tonight's on me."

"I can get behind that! It's been too long since I've had ale! Oh Moradin, I can only hope they have some roast lamb as well! Thank you kindly Torrent!"

 

[fromage67]

Lars settles at a table inside the inn and lets out a long, loud sigh of satisfaction. He removes his boots and lays his feet on a nearby chair. He calls over the innkeeper and calls for a large tray of his best liquors, wines and spirits. "And a warm meal, a roast fowl! And potatoes and greens and thick gravy. But first, get me a bath. And I need new clothes." Lars hands the innkeeper a piece of gold and adds, "For me and my friends, we want good service."

 

[Bannock]

Bannock is exhausted, but in high spirits. He takes a room on the upper floor of the inn and sets his heavy pack, containing what are probably all his worldly possessions at this point, at the foot of the bed. His glaive and three javelins he sets leaning against the corner of the room. He wants to remove his heavy armour but checks himself. The party has seen mortal combat with such frequency on this voyage that he no longer feels comfortable unprotected, especially in new territory. He looks over the glaive captured from his vanquished foe from below. He cherishes it - his first trophy. He can't bring himself to leave it in the room for someone to steal.

He walks down the stairs, black glaive slung over his shoulder. He spots Lars sitting at a table and joins him, leaning his new weapon on the nearest wall where he can keep an eye on it. Greedily, Bannock takes three drinks at random from the tray ordered by Lars and begins to consume one after another. He surveys the room for persons or items of interest, with an eye in particular for any of the gentler sex.

 

[Adjuntive]

Alric walks into the inn in much the same fashion as Lars has. Quickly he obtains his room key with a full gold piece tip to the tavernmaster, orders a hot bath and his clothing laundered. Afterwards, once feeling much refreshed he joins his comrades downstairs and you find him clean shaven and his hair freshly oiled back. He orders the whole bottle of the innkeeper's finest bottle of spirit and you quickly find he delights in pouring the spirit in the cups of his comrades.

Once Greyblade has become flushed enough by alcohol, he orders whatever roast meat the innkeeper has and digs in voraciously. Once his hunger is quenched, he engages Kirio in discussions of old poetry (even though his mastery of it is laughable, even if he weren't drunk). Alric also keeps an eye out for the tavern wenches, and in his state, he's not too picky.

To many of your this behaviour seems contrary to Alric's typical manner. But you just chalk it up to him drinking too much.