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Softwind's Tale: Companions of the Valley (upd 04/01/04) - REALLY!
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<blockquote data-quote="Softwind" data-source="post: 1230317" data-attributes="member: 13893"><p><strong>Tam the Tinkerer and the tumultuous toys</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Thirteen Session (Dec 02) </strong></p><p></p><p>The next morning is greeted by the shouts and laughter of children and above the noise, the clamor and clanging of pots and pans hung precariously off the sides of a wagon coming into town. Pulled by a little pony, and driven by a gnome, the wagon is painted with bright colors, with gadgets and gizmos in evidence everywhere. The children of Merikest seem to recognize him, as they shout his name, “Tam!” and run up to greet him. They also ask what he had brought them this year.</p><p></p><p>Tam does not disappoint the waiting juvenile masses, for when he pulls his pony to a halt in the town square, he opens a door in the wagon wall behind him, and begins pulling out toys, and dolls, and balls, and all sorts of funny things, and hands them out to the anxious kids. With each one, he mentions the child by name, pats him or her on the head, and hands over the toy. And without fail, each child’s face lights up, and they thank Tam, before running off to play with their new plaything.</p><p></p><p>Curious, Tombit wanders over to the wagon. “Well now,“ says Tam, “You must be new in town, young fellow. I don’t believe I know your name.” Tam reaches down, and shakes the Halflings hand. “Ah, Tombit, I think you’re a wee bit old, but…” Surprised, Tombit doesn’t react as his name is said by the little gnome, and instead waits to see what Tam pulls from the wagon, “this may appeal to you, anyway.” Tam says, with a twinkle in his eye. He holds out a fur cap, in the form of a coonskin cap, although this one has a cat fur pattern, and ears, and a little cattail. “I think you’ll enjoy it.”</p><p></p><p>Tombit nods, looking over his new acquisition intently. He looks up, grins, and thanks the gnome, who takes the thanks modestly. “You are welcome, good halfling. Wear it in good health.” So saying, the gnome turns back to his other “customers”, waiting as patiently as a child can, for their own toys.</p><p></p><p>To the bemusement of the party, Tombit marches back to them, proudly displaying his hat. Tombit is taken aback as his friends’ reactions, though, as he places the furry cap on his head. “What?” he says, or rather, meows. “Yipe,” he thinks, looking down at himself. For, rather than seeing the furry feet bequeathed upon him by his parents (good hobbits, both), he sees the paws of a cat. And his hands held out before him also bear the tabby stripes of a cat. </p><p></p><p>“Woohoo!” Tombit begins to spin in a circle, trying to see if he has a tail or not… and discovers it there, always trailing behind him. Overjoyed with his new gift, he races back to Tam, to ask what manner of gift this is. The gnome’s eyes sparkle in the evident glee of the Halfling with his new present. </p><p>“That, good young hobbit, is what I like to call a beastmask. A minor enchantment I picked up some years ago – you’ll find the cats in this town will take to you like one of their own. The illusion of a cat is a side effect of the spell. Now, I’m no great wizard, so you may find that the spell weakens over time. But, if you are here next year when I return again, I’ll be glad to spruce it up again for you. Now, begging your pardon, I must be to my duties, as tinker extraordinaire.”</p><p></p><p>Tam pulls his wagon off the street, near an empty area nearby, and opens up its sides, revealing even more pots, pans, mugs, bowls, utensils, dishes and the like than which covered the outsides. He also pulls out a miniature anvil, and coal forge, with which to repair damaged cookware. Seeing that Tam has set up shop, adult townsfolk begin to congregate, some bearing kitchenware, others bearing a hunger for outside events and news of the land. (For, you know, all successful tinkerers are not just handymen, but bards and tellers of tales as well.)</p><p></p><p>Tombit gambols off in his new guise, to see how well it worked with the alley cats of Merikest. The rest of his party wanders off as well, to see to their own affairs and needs. They do not think it odd, when, even after sun had set, Tombit had not returned to the Inn. “He’s a big Halfling, or rather, kitty, “Athena said, “He can take care of himself. *chuckle*“ The sentiment is echoed by the others around the table. </p><p></p><p>In the wee hours of the morning, the Companions hear the sounds of children crying, plaintively asking where their toys have disappeared to. Rubbing sleep from their eyes, the Companions pull on their gear and step out onto the street to investigate. They are met with the sight of many children, some still in nightclothes, wandering the streets, occasionally looking in rainbarrels, or under rocks or bushes. Pulling aside one young half-elf boy, they ask the child, “What is going on?”</p><p></p><p>Holding back a sniffle, the boy looks to Brynn, and cries, “My drum is gone! I lay down in bed last night, with my drum right beside me, so I could play with it when I woke up. But, when I woke up, it was gone. I looked all over my room, but it wasn’t there! Please mister, can you help me look for it?”</p><p></p><p>Disconcerted, Brynn roughly assures the boy that he and the Companions will assist in the search. This sentiment is strengthened as the other party members hear additional tales of woe from the children. As they continue to listen to distraught children, a pattern begins to emerge. Especially when they discover other children still retain possession of their playthings. From what they can figure, mostly toys that had some effect other than making noise or colored lights were taken. They track down Tam, to determine exactly what kinds of enchantments he had placed on the toys he had given out. Tam seems puzzled, but rattles off descriptions of spells he used – a few from several professions, nothing higher than first circle enchantments. Some items created noise or lights; a lantern with Dancing Lights, or a drum with Ghost sounds. Some were for budding housewives; small sewing kits with Mending, gloves with Prestidigitation, dishware with Create Water, Purify Food and Drink, and Goodberry. Others were for future woodsmen or rangers; hats with Detect, Calm, or Speak with Animals, sandals with Jump, a toy compass with Know Direction. But the ones that caught the Companionss attention were those things that in some way modified a person or their environment. Lesser versions of Bear’s Endurance, Bull’s Strength, and Cat’s Grace embedded within armbands; Chill and Heat Metal in cups and bowls, masks with Disguise Self. These were the types of items more often being stolen. </p><p></p><p>“But, with such minor enchantments, what would be the purpose?” asks a puzzled Athena.</p><p>“I don’t know, but perhaps Humphrey would,” Brynn suggests. Thanking Tam for his help, the party walks to the town library, where the sage Humphrey makes his home. Ushered inside by a frazzled Lad, the group, very familiar with the layout of the library, heads to the back room. The old man too looks a little rough around the edges. Inquiring after his health, the group learns that the sage had spent the previous night in restless slumber. </p><p></p><p>“It’s the Ether, it is unsettled,” he states, prodded by the Companions. “There has arrived, a disturbance, within the town. I have not felt it’s like in many years; not since my days teaching at the Academy.” He seems lost in thought, then shakes himself and looks back at the gathered party. “What brings you here to my lab? Not more Identifying, please, not yet. I’m not able to concentrate properly.” he asks.</p><p></p><p>Brynn assures him that their purpose there has nothing to do with Identifying magical items acquired lately. “Humphrey, we’ve spent the past hours hearing from many of the town children that their toys given them by Tam have been stolen. From what we have gathered, there is a bit of a pattern emerging, but it still doesn’t make sense.” Brynn continues with what the party had found – most of the toys had some power that would affect the user, and most of the toys stolen were taken from the northern part of town. No discernable tracks were found near the homes subject to theft, and no other possessions or valuables were taken. “We’re dealing with a very odd thief. Not a person was awoken during the night, and coin stashes and silverware remained untouched.” </p><p></p><p>“Tam is back in town, you say? Interesting. Haven’t seen him in quite some time. In fact, since I last taught…” he trails off. “Ah, but that is not important now. Stolen toys you say? Hmmm. Have you talked to Tam about it?” Hearing an affirmative, he continues, “And for the most part, only things that changed the user were taken? Hmmm. Let me do some investigations, I’ll send Lad to you when and if I find anything.”</p><p></p><p>Brynn and the others thank him, and exit the library. They decide that nothing will be done on an empty stomach, so head to the local tavern for a meal. Over stew and ale, they discuss what they have learned so far. Their thoughts keep returning to the puzzle of why anyone would steal toys, but not coin or other valuables. While finishing their repast, a familiar form of a small halfelven boy comes up to them, a bundle clutched to his chest. The boy lays the bundle on the much-scarred table, and pulls back cloth to reveal a drum, then steps back, looking at them expectantly.</p><p></p><p>“Nice drum,” Grimnyr grunts roughly, before being shushed by Athena. She turns to the boy, “Yes child, what may we do for you?” The boy looks at her, then to the drum, and back. “I found my drum, but it doesn’t work anymore. Since you folks are trying to help, I figured you might know why…” </p><p></p><p>“It doesn’t work?” Athena taps the drum, and is rewarded with a *tap, tap* noise. “It seems fine to me… Could you show me?”</p><p></p><p>The boy takes back the drum, and taps on it. “It makes noise, yeah, but yesterday, it would make a rumble noise, like thunder!” His eyes light up, “And if I hit it harder, it would get louder…” His face falls, “Then I had to take it outside, cuz Momma yelled at me for making such a racket. It got taken last night – I just found it a bit ago, south of town…”</p><p></p><p>The Companions look at each other. “May we borrow that, child?” asks Athena gently. “We will return it, I promise.” </p><p></p><p>“Nah, you can keep it. It’s not so much fun now…” So saying, the boy hands Athena the drum, then skips out the door. “Maybe Tam’ll give me another!” he calls, over his shoulder. Chuckling, the party turns back to their meal, occasionally tapping the drum, to the annoyance of the rest of the tavern. Skylar casts Detect Magic on the drum, and detects a faint and weakening aura of illusion magic. “Whatever it had, it’s gone now,” she quips. “Kinda like it was dispelled.” </p><p></p><p>“Or drained,” says Brynn. ‘Or drained…”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Softwind, post: 1230317, member: 13893"] [b]Tam the Tinkerer and the tumultuous toys[/b] [b]Thirteen Session (Dec 02) [/b] The next morning is greeted by the shouts and laughter of children and above the noise, the clamor and clanging of pots and pans hung precariously off the sides of a wagon coming into town. Pulled by a little pony, and driven by a gnome, the wagon is painted with bright colors, with gadgets and gizmos in evidence everywhere. The children of Merikest seem to recognize him, as they shout his name, “Tam!” and run up to greet him. They also ask what he had brought them this year. Tam does not disappoint the waiting juvenile masses, for when he pulls his pony to a halt in the town square, he opens a door in the wagon wall behind him, and begins pulling out toys, and dolls, and balls, and all sorts of funny things, and hands them out to the anxious kids. With each one, he mentions the child by name, pats him or her on the head, and hands over the toy. And without fail, each child’s face lights up, and they thank Tam, before running off to play with their new plaything. Curious, Tombit wanders over to the wagon. “Well now,“ says Tam, “You must be new in town, young fellow. I don’t believe I know your name.” Tam reaches down, and shakes the Halflings hand. “Ah, Tombit, I think you’re a wee bit old, but…” Surprised, Tombit doesn’t react as his name is said by the little gnome, and instead waits to see what Tam pulls from the wagon, “this may appeal to you, anyway.” Tam says, with a twinkle in his eye. He holds out a fur cap, in the form of a coonskin cap, although this one has a cat fur pattern, and ears, and a little cattail. “I think you’ll enjoy it.” Tombit nods, looking over his new acquisition intently. He looks up, grins, and thanks the gnome, who takes the thanks modestly. “You are welcome, good halfling. Wear it in good health.” So saying, the gnome turns back to his other “customers”, waiting as patiently as a child can, for their own toys. To the bemusement of the party, Tombit marches back to them, proudly displaying his hat. Tombit is taken aback as his friends’ reactions, though, as he places the furry cap on his head. “What?” he says, or rather, meows. “Yipe,” he thinks, looking down at himself. For, rather than seeing the furry feet bequeathed upon him by his parents (good hobbits, both), he sees the paws of a cat. And his hands held out before him also bear the tabby stripes of a cat. “Woohoo!” Tombit begins to spin in a circle, trying to see if he has a tail or not… and discovers it there, always trailing behind him. Overjoyed with his new gift, he races back to Tam, to ask what manner of gift this is. The gnome’s eyes sparkle in the evident glee of the Halfling with his new present. “That, good young hobbit, is what I like to call a beastmask. A minor enchantment I picked up some years ago – you’ll find the cats in this town will take to you like one of their own. The illusion of a cat is a side effect of the spell. Now, I’m no great wizard, so you may find that the spell weakens over time. But, if you are here next year when I return again, I’ll be glad to spruce it up again for you. Now, begging your pardon, I must be to my duties, as tinker extraordinaire.” Tam pulls his wagon off the street, near an empty area nearby, and opens up its sides, revealing even more pots, pans, mugs, bowls, utensils, dishes and the like than which covered the outsides. He also pulls out a miniature anvil, and coal forge, with which to repair damaged cookware. Seeing that Tam has set up shop, adult townsfolk begin to congregate, some bearing kitchenware, others bearing a hunger for outside events and news of the land. (For, you know, all successful tinkerers are not just handymen, but bards and tellers of tales as well.) Tombit gambols off in his new guise, to see how well it worked with the alley cats of Merikest. The rest of his party wanders off as well, to see to their own affairs and needs. They do not think it odd, when, even after sun had set, Tombit had not returned to the Inn. “He’s a big Halfling, or rather, kitty, “Athena said, “He can take care of himself. *chuckle*“ The sentiment is echoed by the others around the table. In the wee hours of the morning, the Companions hear the sounds of children crying, plaintively asking where their toys have disappeared to. Rubbing sleep from their eyes, the Companions pull on their gear and step out onto the street to investigate. They are met with the sight of many children, some still in nightclothes, wandering the streets, occasionally looking in rainbarrels, or under rocks or bushes. Pulling aside one young half-elf boy, they ask the child, “What is going on?” Holding back a sniffle, the boy looks to Brynn, and cries, “My drum is gone! I lay down in bed last night, with my drum right beside me, so I could play with it when I woke up. But, when I woke up, it was gone. I looked all over my room, but it wasn’t there! Please mister, can you help me look for it?” Disconcerted, Brynn roughly assures the boy that he and the Companions will assist in the search. This sentiment is strengthened as the other party members hear additional tales of woe from the children. As they continue to listen to distraught children, a pattern begins to emerge. Especially when they discover other children still retain possession of their playthings. From what they can figure, mostly toys that had some effect other than making noise or colored lights were taken. They track down Tam, to determine exactly what kinds of enchantments he had placed on the toys he had given out. Tam seems puzzled, but rattles off descriptions of spells he used – a few from several professions, nothing higher than first circle enchantments. Some items created noise or lights; a lantern with Dancing Lights, or a drum with Ghost sounds. Some were for budding housewives; small sewing kits with Mending, gloves with Prestidigitation, dishware with Create Water, Purify Food and Drink, and Goodberry. Others were for future woodsmen or rangers; hats with Detect, Calm, or Speak with Animals, sandals with Jump, a toy compass with Know Direction. But the ones that caught the Companionss attention were those things that in some way modified a person or their environment. Lesser versions of Bear’s Endurance, Bull’s Strength, and Cat’s Grace embedded within armbands; Chill and Heat Metal in cups and bowls, masks with Disguise Self. These were the types of items more often being stolen. “But, with such minor enchantments, what would be the purpose?” asks a puzzled Athena. “I don’t know, but perhaps Humphrey would,” Brynn suggests. Thanking Tam for his help, the party walks to the town library, where the sage Humphrey makes his home. Ushered inside by a frazzled Lad, the group, very familiar with the layout of the library, heads to the back room. The old man too looks a little rough around the edges. Inquiring after his health, the group learns that the sage had spent the previous night in restless slumber. “It’s the Ether, it is unsettled,” he states, prodded by the Companions. “There has arrived, a disturbance, within the town. I have not felt it’s like in many years; not since my days teaching at the Academy.” He seems lost in thought, then shakes himself and looks back at the gathered party. “What brings you here to my lab? Not more Identifying, please, not yet. I’m not able to concentrate properly.” he asks. Brynn assures him that their purpose there has nothing to do with Identifying magical items acquired lately. “Humphrey, we’ve spent the past hours hearing from many of the town children that their toys given them by Tam have been stolen. From what we have gathered, there is a bit of a pattern emerging, but it still doesn’t make sense.” Brynn continues with what the party had found – most of the toys had some power that would affect the user, and most of the toys stolen were taken from the northern part of town. No discernable tracks were found near the homes subject to theft, and no other possessions or valuables were taken. “We’re dealing with a very odd thief. Not a person was awoken during the night, and coin stashes and silverware remained untouched.” “Tam is back in town, you say? Interesting. Haven’t seen him in quite some time. In fact, since I last taught…” he trails off. “Ah, but that is not important now. Stolen toys you say? Hmmm. Have you talked to Tam about it?” Hearing an affirmative, he continues, “And for the most part, only things that changed the user were taken? Hmmm. Let me do some investigations, I’ll send Lad to you when and if I find anything.” Brynn and the others thank him, and exit the library. They decide that nothing will be done on an empty stomach, so head to the local tavern for a meal. Over stew and ale, they discuss what they have learned so far. Their thoughts keep returning to the puzzle of why anyone would steal toys, but not coin or other valuables. While finishing their repast, a familiar form of a small halfelven boy comes up to them, a bundle clutched to his chest. The boy lays the bundle on the much-scarred table, and pulls back cloth to reveal a drum, then steps back, looking at them expectantly. “Nice drum,” Grimnyr grunts roughly, before being shushed by Athena. She turns to the boy, “Yes child, what may we do for you?” The boy looks at her, then to the drum, and back. “I found my drum, but it doesn’t work anymore. Since you folks are trying to help, I figured you might know why…” “It doesn’t work?” Athena taps the drum, and is rewarded with a *tap, tap* noise. “It seems fine to me… Could you show me?” The boy takes back the drum, and taps on it. “It makes noise, yeah, but yesterday, it would make a rumble noise, like thunder!” His eyes light up, “And if I hit it harder, it would get louder…” His face falls, “Then I had to take it outside, cuz Momma yelled at me for making such a racket. It got taken last night – I just found it a bit ago, south of town…” The Companions look at each other. “May we borrow that, child?” asks Athena gently. “We will return it, I promise.” “Nah, you can keep it. It’s not so much fun now…” So saying, the boy hands Athena the drum, then skips out the door. “Maybe Tam’ll give me another!” he calls, over his shoulder. Chuckling, the party turns back to their meal, occasionally tapping the drum, to the annoyance of the rest of the tavern. Skylar casts Detect Magic on the drum, and detects a faint and weakening aura of illusion magic. “Whatever it had, it’s gone now,” she quips. “Kinda like it was dispelled.” “Or drained,” says Brynn. ‘Or drained…” [/QUOTE]
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