Mallak

"Father, it's all right. There were bandits on the road, and these men saved my life." The old man has his sword down off the mantle, and holds it in his left hand, struggling to remove the scabbard with a right arm that ends just below the elbow. Mery's words finally seem to get through, and he blinks twice, standing up straight and lowering the sword. "Oh. Are you sure you're all right, Mery?" There is genuine concern in his eyes and voice. "Well, then I suppose I owe you men a debt of gratitude. There is a pump out back by the stable if you'd like to wash up, then come inside and get warm by the fire. I have some stew cooking. Mery, perhaps you should show them where it is and get washed up yourself." There is a quality to the old man's voice which indicates embarrassment, and perhaps a bit too much wine. His eyes are clear and sharp, though.

The men follow Mery back out to the stable where there is a pump next to a horse trough. They wash up there in the chilly water before returning inside. Before entereing, Mery extinguishes the lamp by the door.

In their absense, Mery's father has replaced the sword and layed out four bowls of stew around the simple wooden table. The bowls and spoons both are simple affairs, carved from wood, and there is a loaf of crusty bread in the center of the table. There are three mismatched chairs at the table, and the old man has pulled his armchair over from its previous position near the fire. When they enter, he introduces himself as Brrerick, a farmer. He is dressed in farmer's clothes, but even so there is an edge about him that suggests a militaristic past. He is an old, grizzled man with a weathered face and a fuzz of white hair on his head. He looks far too old to be Mery's father, but stranger things have happened.

"Come, sit men, Mery, and tell me how you ended up looking like a butcher's block." As if suddenly realizing his word choice was not the best, he walks to the mantle where he proceeds to fill and lite a pipe one handed. When he is finished, he leans against the wall near the fire. As Mery recounts the tale of the fight in the woods, he listens with an expressionless face without interrupting. Mery's perception of the fight is rather limited, so the men fill in sections as needed. When Wakil tells of how he charged from the roadside hedge, Brrerick mutters a barely audible "Fool," under his breath. He seems suitably impressed with N'un T'Chauck's decapitating strike, and his face becomes so hard it seems it will break when Mery recounts the details of her own kill. When the tale comes to an end, he looks at the men with an unreadable expression. "So, one of them got away, eh? Well, that's it then. You men are welcome to stay for the evening; I'm sure we can make room. Tomorrow, Mery and I must pack and be on our way."

"But, Father--!"

"No buts, girl. This is something I've been thinking about for a while. There is nothing here for us anymore. Once, I had some cousins in the west. It's past time to look in on old family and see how they're doing."

There are berries for dessert as they talk more about their preperations and where they will go. Before too long, however, they must turn in and get some sleep. Mery has a room curtained off from the main living quarters, and she is soon fast asleep, the events of the past few hours weighing heavily on her. Alone with the men again, Brrerick begins to grill them.

"What can you tell me about these men? How did they fight? Where did the attack take place? What did they look like? How did they dress? How did they communicate? You men said you were grievously wounded, yet I see no wounds upon you. How is this possible?" The heroes answer as best they can. Upon hearing that they brought the bodies back with them, Brrerick grunts, then insists on seeing them.

In the light of the moon and a lamp, he looks over the bodies. "Yes, I know these men. They're hired thugs, brutes, strongarms. Generally work for the Bledsum clan. Seems strange they'd do something like this, though. The Bledsum's are supposed to be on the up and up these days. Not that anyone believes that...I wonder what they thought they were going to accomplish? It's not like folks would sit by if Mery disappeared. There's nowhere they could keep her that I wouldn't find her. Unless..." His face clouds over for a moment. "The Bledsum's are working with some foreigners these days, slavers from the far west, real shifty folks. If they thought they could get away with something like this..." He shudders. "I think it's past time we were out of Tortila. Let's head back inside."

Brrerick gives them spare blankets from his bed, and offers both the floor and the stable as places to sleep. "I'm only sorry I can't do more for the men who saved my daughter. But you may have all the berries you can eat," he says with a grin.

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unleashed

Looking at the bucket line, Colmarr says, “Well if we’re going to continue on to the ship I’d advise vigilance, as it appears the guards that were assigned to protect the Pander Ban are busy on the bucket line. I hope the Merchant Bledsum hasn’t chosen this time to wreak his revenge on the captain...”

Jdvn1

Malachi does go and wash himself outside when the old man recommends it. <All this travel... it's nice to have some good water around. Not quite like the sea, though.>

Back inside, Malachi eats his meal, trying to be good company, but Wakil and N'un are the real warriors of the three of them. As for himself, he can only muster, "I'm a healer, you see." If Brrerick asks further, Malachi will explain the best he can, between berries.

Once outside, now Malachi presses Brrerick. "What can you tell us about this Bledsum clan? And the foreign slavers? We might be spending more time in Tortila and would likely to be as informed as possible. ... You, of course, would probably be safer with your extended family. I wish you a safe trip." Before returning indoors, Malachi will insist on burying the body--then cleaning up again and then going to bed. He asks for, at least, a shovel from the old man.

"The floor is just fine with me. I'll use the wall to prop up my head." Malachi smiles, "Thank you for your kindness."

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jkason

Mag frowns. "Best way to pull off a trick is to get your audience to pay attention to something else." He glances back at the burning building. "And if that isn't a bright, shiny, perfect distraction ... whether Bledsum did it on purpose or not, I think we need to pick up the pace."

The young man pulls his sling out again, loading it, and urges the group to move as quickly as they can while keeping an eye out for their own safety.

Drowned Hero

Troth nods at the Gnome when se realizes de danger they may be in. As Mag take up his sling himself unsheets his Rapier. "only one way to know my friend" he says to Colmarr "and thats on the ship" "even if there is a ambush there we need to secure the ship" "wich way Colmarr?" "Grondar you follow me and attack whatever im attacking"

ooc:GM

Strahd_Von_Zarovich

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"I am the Ancient, I am the Land
My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I was the warrior, I was good and just
I thundered across the land like the wrath of a just god.
...But All goodness slipped from my life; I found my youth and strength gone, and all I had left was death..."

unleashed

“Let’s go then...it’s that way,” Colmarr says, pointing towards the eastern side of the port and placing his free hand on his dagger.