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<blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 4200781" data-attributes="member: 1210"><p><strong>Turning the Authorities in to the Authorities</strong></p><p></p><p>The patrol of soldiers stops, and their leader approaches our heroes. “Good morning,” he nods to them. His mouth is a thin taut line. “What are you folk doing out here? You don’t look to be from these parts.”</p><p></p><p>“We’re heading for my home town of Drellin’s Ferry,” Grom speaks up. “There are some goblins causing us trouble. Maybe you folks could come help?”</p><p></p><p>“We’re stationed here, I’m afraid.” The knight shrugs.</p><p></p><p>“That’s not really what we want to talk to you about, though,” Barouk harrumphs. “There is an earl nearby that is a criminal. He’s a thief and a murderer.”</p><p></p><p>“Really!” exclaims the patrol’s leader. “What evidence do you have?”</p><p></p><p>Barouk stops. “Well,” he says, and stops again. “Well,” he picks up after a moment of silence, “he has my father’s lajatang!”</p><p></p><p>“And?”</p><p></p><p>“He killed him for it!”</p><p></p><p>“Is there a body?”</p><p></p><p>“Years ago!”</p><p></p><p>“Is there any evidence now?”</p><p></p><p>“I...” Barouk grumbles.</p><p></p><p>“Come, walk with me for a moment,” the commander sighs. The dwarf and the human walk a few dozen yards away in silence. The man’s brow furrows; clearly, he is thinking hard about what to say or do next. Then, he says, “Listen, dwarf, if you go accusing a member of the aristocracy of a serious crime, you had better have some good solid evidence. If it comes down to your word versus his, he will win. <em>He’s an aristocrat.</em> And you’ll make enemies, and probably be brought up on charges yourself for slandering him, or inciting insurrection or some such.” He stares Barouk in the eye. “Now, if you want me to take you to my captain, I will, and you can make your complaint. But if you don’t have any evidence to back up your claim, I suspect that you will be dealt with rather harshly- especially given your previously-proven association with bandits.”</p><p></p><p>“What!”</p><p></p><p>“We searched your party,” the man snaps, “and you had stolen goods on you.”</p><p></p><p>“It was loot we found when we <em>fought</em> the bandits!”</p><p></p><p>“So you say,” the commander answers, clearly unconvinced.</p><p></p><p>Barouk sighs. “He’s an evil man, and he is guilty of many crimes,” he says wearily.</p><p></p><p>“Gather evidence, then accuse.”</p><p></p><p>Barouk stares at him. <em>I cannot just abandon my oath of vengeance,</em> he thinks, <em>but I am a dwarf. I can be patient. We must take time to recover ourselves, to grow in power- and then I will seek my revenge. Then I will return to you, Earl of Thyrozim, and I will destroy you! I swear it!</em></p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>The patrol rides off, leaving our heroes again on their own. Barouk, clearly in a very foul mood, snaps at Romdar several times. The duskblade tries again to explain his actions with the earl, but Barouk will have none of it. Kifla tries to settle the two of them down, but Barouk needs to lash out at someone. His anger cannot be completely contained. </p><p></p><p>The party discusses their next course of action. Barouk declares that he still wishes to slay the earl in time, staring at Romdar when he says it. </p><p></p><p>“Look, I’m not going to fight against you guys,” Romdar said. “I never did!”</p><p></p><p>“You need to fight <em>with</em> us when the time comes,” Severin replies. “Can we count on you?”</p><p></p><p>”Yes! Yes, I’ll fight with you!” Romdar cries.</p><p></p><p>“Bah,” says Barouk.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>The party begins journeying into the mountains. There is a path above them; they climb towards it, finally reaching it, and continue their ascent towards the saddle that leads to the Elsir Vale.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly, Barouk cries out, “Look! In the sky! A beast!!” His pointing finger indicates a strange monster in the sky, part eagle and part horse. He darts over to a boulder and scampers up to the top.</p><p></p><p>“It’s a hippogriff,” Kifla announces. “They can make good mounts, but the wild ones might try to eat us, especially those of us that are, um, smaller.” Her eyes widen in dismay. “Hey, that’s me!” Quickly, she casts <em>mage armor</em>.</p><p></p><p>“It looks friendly,” Romdar says. He still draws his bow. The creature flies over the party, spiraling down and slashing at Kifla’s face. “Hey!” the duskblade exclaims. “Maybe I’m wrong- that wasn’t friendly at all!” </p><p></p><p>Kifla squeals in dismay and casts <em>expeditious retreat.</em> She tumbles back- she’s been practicing!- and escapes the hippogriff’s reach. “Scare it off!” she shouts. “It’s trying to eat me!”</p><p></p><p>Grom jumps forward. “If we can tame it,” he cries, “maybe we can ride it!” He grabs the hippogriff’s mane, but it pushes him back and breaks free. He poises himself to try again.</p><p></p><p>Barouk, meanwhile, leaps from the boulder and manages to kick the hippogriff in the beak. It squawks in pain. He lands on his feet, ready to engage it, but it steps back a pace and instead turns its full attentions on Romdar. Both of its razor-sharp talons tear across him, slicing open his chest and belly. Romdar screams in terrific pain as his intestines spill out on the ground, looping around his ankles! Then the hippogriff’s beak flashes out and it literally bites his head off. </p><p></p><p>Romdar’s screams cease, immediately and forever.</p><p></p><p>“NOOOOO!!” Kifla screams. “ROMDAR!!!”</p><p></p><p>Everyone is paralyzed in horror for a split-second. Then Grom backs away. “Dexter’s nadlies,” he gasps. </p><p></p><p>The hippogriff weathers a few thrown punches by Barouk as it clutches Romdar’s body in its talons and his head in its beak. It begins to crack his skull like a nut’s shell and leaps into the air. Our heroes can only watch as it flies away to enjoy its meal.</p><p></p><p>“Wow,” Severin says. </p><p></p><p>“I feel bad now,” Kifla nods. “We were all mad at him, and we never had a chance to make up!”</p><p></p><p>“He was a traitor,” Barouk shrugs, but even he sounds less harsh than normal. </p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>With no choice but to continue, the party goes over the saddle of the ridge of hills and proceeds down into the valley. Soon they are moving through fields of grains along a trail that leads to the gates of a decent-sized city called Brindol. It costs each of the adventurers a silver coin to enter the city, but they quickly find a tavern-the Thirsty Zombie- where they can sit down and enjoy a drink and fresh food. The proprietor is a corpulent half-orc named Torgin, and a heavy crossbow hangs behind the bar. Grom gravitates to him by virtue of their shared ancestry, and soon they are chatting amicably while they both sip on a brew. Grom explains the party’s mission, and Torgin scratches his chin.</p><p></p><p>“So,” the bartender says, “you’re adventurers, eh?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes,” Grom nods. “But we’re on a quest already, and we’ve already been delayed too much. We can’t really afford any more time...”</p><p></p><p>“Fair enough.” Torgin shrugs. “It’s just that my friend Callus has been having, well, a pest problem. Some kind of big beetles. And his farm is just outside of town.”</p><p></p><p>“Beetles?” Severin perks up.* “Which side of town does your friend live on?”</p><p></p><p>“He’s outside of town about two miles, to the north,” Torgin replies. </p><p></p><p>“He’s on the way,” Severin nods. </p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>A night’s sleep in a bed is quite luxurious, after what feels like years on the road (but is more like weeks). In the morning, our heroes are reminded of just how wonderful fresh bread is, and after a very nice breakfast, they set out to find this fellow Callus.</p><p></p><p>It takes a few hours, during which they are traveling the right direction, although less quickly than if they weren’t looking for someone, but eventually they find him. Callus is a middle-aged human male. When he hears that Torgin sent them, he breaks into a grin. “Ah, Torgin, always helping his friends out!” He grins. “Well, I don’t know if you’re willing to help for what I can afford to pay- which is fifty gold coins each plus some goat cheese and juice- but if you are, I have a small problem.”</p><p></p><p>“We heard something about beetles?” Severin inquires. </p><p></p><p>The farmer nods. “Yes. I’ve had trouble with these things eating my crops and livestock.”</p><p></p><p>“They’re big enough to eat livestock?” Severin sounds impressed.</p><p></p><p>“Goats,” Callus answers. “They aren’t so big.”</p><p></p><p>“Ah.”</p><p></p><p>“Anyway, there’s a small nest of them- and they’re some kind of earthquake beetles.”</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Next Time:</strong></em> Our heroes fight jishin mushi!</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>*Vermin, of course, are Severin’s favored enemy.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="the Jester, post: 4200781, member: 1210"] [b]Turning the Authorities in to the Authorities[/b] The patrol of soldiers stops, and their leader approaches our heroes. “Good morning,” he nods to them. His mouth is a thin taut line. “What are you folk doing out here? You don’t look to be from these parts.” “We’re heading for my home town of Drellin’s Ferry,” Grom speaks up. “There are some goblins causing us trouble. Maybe you folks could come help?” “We’re stationed here, I’m afraid.” The knight shrugs. “That’s not really what we want to talk to you about, though,” Barouk harrumphs. “There is an earl nearby that is a criminal. He’s a thief and a murderer.” “Really!” exclaims the patrol’s leader. “What evidence do you have?” Barouk stops. “Well,” he says, and stops again. “Well,” he picks up after a moment of silence, “he has my father’s lajatang!” “And?” “He killed him for it!” “Is there a body?” “Years ago!” “Is there any evidence now?” “I...” Barouk grumbles. “Come, walk with me for a moment,” the commander sighs. The dwarf and the human walk a few dozen yards away in silence. The man’s brow furrows; clearly, he is thinking hard about what to say or do next. Then, he says, “Listen, dwarf, if you go accusing a member of the aristocracy of a serious crime, you had better have some good solid evidence. If it comes down to your word versus his, he will win. [i]He’s an aristocrat.[/i] And you’ll make enemies, and probably be brought up on charges yourself for slandering him, or inciting insurrection or some such.” He stares Barouk in the eye. “Now, if you want me to take you to my captain, I will, and you can make your complaint. But if you don’t have any evidence to back up your claim, I suspect that you will be dealt with rather harshly- especially given your previously-proven association with bandits.” “What!” “We searched your party,” the man snaps, “and you had stolen goods on you.” “It was loot we found when we [i]fought[/i] the bandits!” “So you say,” the commander answers, clearly unconvinced. Barouk sighs. “He’s an evil man, and he is guilty of many crimes,” he says wearily. “Gather evidence, then accuse.” Barouk stares at him. [i]I cannot just abandon my oath of vengeance,[/i] he thinks, [i]but I am a dwarf. I can be patient. We must take time to recover ourselves, to grow in power- and then I will seek my revenge. Then I will return to you, Earl of Thyrozim, and I will destroy you! I swear it![/i] *** The patrol rides off, leaving our heroes again on their own. Barouk, clearly in a very foul mood, snaps at Romdar several times. The duskblade tries again to explain his actions with the earl, but Barouk will have none of it. Kifla tries to settle the two of them down, but Barouk needs to lash out at someone. His anger cannot be completely contained. The party discusses their next course of action. Barouk declares that he still wishes to slay the earl in time, staring at Romdar when he says it. “Look, I’m not going to fight against you guys,” Romdar said. “I never did!” “You need to fight [i]with[/i] us when the time comes,” Severin replies. “Can we count on you?” ”Yes! Yes, I’ll fight with you!” Romdar cries. “Bah,” says Barouk. *** The party begins journeying into the mountains. There is a path above them; they climb towards it, finally reaching it, and continue their ascent towards the saddle that leads to the Elsir Vale. Suddenly, Barouk cries out, “Look! In the sky! A beast!!” His pointing finger indicates a strange monster in the sky, part eagle and part horse. He darts over to a boulder and scampers up to the top. “It’s a hippogriff,” Kifla announces. “They can make good mounts, but the wild ones might try to eat us, especially those of us that are, um, smaller.” Her eyes widen in dismay. “Hey, that’s me!” Quickly, she casts [i]mage armor[/i]. “It looks friendly,” Romdar says. He still draws his bow. The creature flies over the party, spiraling down and slashing at Kifla’s face. “Hey!” the duskblade exclaims. “Maybe I’m wrong- that wasn’t friendly at all!” Kifla squeals in dismay and casts [i]expeditious retreat.[/i] She tumbles back- she’s been practicing!- and escapes the hippogriff’s reach. “Scare it off!” she shouts. “It’s trying to eat me!” Grom jumps forward. “If we can tame it,” he cries, “maybe we can ride it!” He grabs the hippogriff’s mane, but it pushes him back and breaks free. He poises himself to try again. Barouk, meanwhile, leaps from the boulder and manages to kick the hippogriff in the beak. It squawks in pain. He lands on his feet, ready to engage it, but it steps back a pace and instead turns its full attentions on Romdar. Both of its razor-sharp talons tear across him, slicing open his chest and belly. Romdar screams in terrific pain as his intestines spill out on the ground, looping around his ankles! Then the hippogriff’s beak flashes out and it literally bites his head off. Romdar’s screams cease, immediately and forever. “NOOOOO!!” Kifla screams. “ROMDAR!!!” Everyone is paralyzed in horror for a split-second. Then Grom backs away. “Dexter’s nadlies,” he gasps. The hippogriff weathers a few thrown punches by Barouk as it clutches Romdar’s body in its talons and his head in its beak. It begins to crack his skull like a nut’s shell and leaps into the air. Our heroes can only watch as it flies away to enjoy its meal. “Wow,” Severin says. “I feel bad now,” Kifla nods. “We were all mad at him, and we never had a chance to make up!” “He was a traitor,” Barouk shrugs, but even he sounds less harsh than normal. *** With no choice but to continue, the party goes over the saddle of the ridge of hills and proceeds down into the valley. Soon they are moving through fields of grains along a trail that leads to the gates of a decent-sized city called Brindol. It costs each of the adventurers a silver coin to enter the city, but they quickly find a tavern-the Thirsty Zombie- where they can sit down and enjoy a drink and fresh food. The proprietor is a corpulent half-orc named Torgin, and a heavy crossbow hangs behind the bar. Grom gravitates to him by virtue of their shared ancestry, and soon they are chatting amicably while they both sip on a brew. Grom explains the party’s mission, and Torgin scratches his chin. “So,” the bartender says, “you’re adventurers, eh?” “Yes,” Grom nods. “But we’re on a quest already, and we’ve already been delayed too much. We can’t really afford any more time...” “Fair enough.” Torgin shrugs. “It’s just that my friend Callus has been having, well, a pest problem. Some kind of big beetles. And his farm is just outside of town.” “Beetles?” Severin perks up.* “Which side of town does your friend live on?” “He’s outside of town about two miles, to the north,” Torgin replies. “He’s on the way,” Severin nods. *** A night’s sleep in a bed is quite luxurious, after what feels like years on the road (but is more like weeks). In the morning, our heroes are reminded of just how wonderful fresh bread is, and after a very nice breakfast, they set out to find this fellow Callus. It takes a few hours, during which they are traveling the right direction, although less quickly than if they weren’t looking for someone, but eventually they find him. Callus is a middle-aged human male. When he hears that Torgin sent them, he breaks into a grin. “Ah, Torgin, always helping his friends out!” He grins. “Well, I don’t know if you’re willing to help for what I can afford to pay- which is fifty gold coins each plus some goat cheese and juice- but if you are, I have a small problem.” “We heard something about beetles?” Severin inquires. The farmer nods. “Yes. I’ve had trouble with these things eating my crops and livestock.” “They’re big enough to eat livestock?” Severin sounds impressed. “Goats,” Callus answers. “They aren’t so big.” “Ah.” “Anyway, there’s a small nest of them- and they’re some kind of earthquake beetles.” [i][b]Next Time:[/b][/i][b][/b] Our heroes fight jishin mushi! *Vermin, of course, are Severin’s favored enemy. [/QUOTE]
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