(Casual D&D) A Game of Trust

[Uriel]

OoC: Went the whole Gencon without rolling a '20' and then I get one here.
Diplomacy '20' +7 =27.

Niccolo, though personally tired of the prattlingand wishy-washy nature of the Priests, sighs and turns to them one final time.
' Good Brethren of the Cloth. I have heard your voices espouse finding the missing Father, and I have also heard them arguing and fighting amongst yourselves in uncertainty. Some of you wish to fall back from your appointed duty and return to an easier path, thinking that this mission is in vain, or not in the interest of your Church. I say this to you now, though: The interest of your Church, of yourselves, of the World that you cherish and know,even, is in jeopardy.
We follow a course to set right things and events that a most righteous man began, Sir Exantrius, may his Sould ever fly the highest clouds of Heaven.I say that not a one of you is fit in righteousness to even share the same air with he, though he himself would smile and say otherwise.
Bicker if you will, naysay if you will, your own course. But this I say...If there be a one amongst you that truly cares for something other than their own skin, then finish this path.Do it for yourself, for your Faith, for your people,whatever reason that you require to justify not faltering and falling by the wayside, but do it. This is all that I have to say other than to thank you for the effort that you have so far aided our Quest with.'

Niccolo sits quietly in the boat,wiping dust from the Banner with a damp cloth, having nothing more to do with these bird-brained humans.

Edit:I was wiping dust fromthe 'anner' a moment ago...

 

[doghead]

Xaio eyes the boats dubiously, the peddle contraptions in particular from the safety of the bank.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

Niccolo: The Heironeans listen to your words of encouragement quietly... When you are done, there is silence for a moment, interrupted by Lucian's call:

"I think we shall travel downriver."

This is met with some momentary bickering -- perhaps only the squabbles of confusion -- but shortly it seems they are agreed. By the time they are ready, so too are more boats (requiring five more boats; after Shavah, there are ten more)

(I'm still not clear on your "marching order," so to speak. I don't need hyper-specifics, just enough so that I have an idea of where you'll all be in relation to each other as you head downriver.)

Xiao/Xaio: (which one is it, btw? ) The pedal system is extremely simple -- there are no gears or chains, just a single wooden bar on either side connecting the pedals to the paddle -- one turn of one means one turn of the other, as far as you can tell. (I can draw a diagram if it isn't clear, but really, it's a simple design.) Though the boats themselves seem to be of quite sturdy construction, this piece of the system seems to be a real vulnerability.

 

[Uriel]

OoC: I'll travel with Fendric in whichever boat he is in.

 

[doghead]

Turning to no one in particular, Xaio says, "I think some paddles might be a good idea. I'm going to see what I can find.

"Just in case."

OOC: As he doesn't know anyone in particular, Xaio will partner with whoever.

 

[dpdx]

[Fendric'll want to make sure someone is with Nurthk who can protect him/heal him (okay, who's the smallest healer? ). After that is taken care of, Fendric will naturally gravitate to Niccolo's boat, having known him the longest, but if that isn't feasible for some reason, he'll go with Hiritus. He'd prefer that Nurthk's boat be in the middle, somehow, to protect him as best as possible from any endangerment, and to help guide it, since it'll be harder to steer. After that, he'd want either his boat or Shavah's boat to be in front, to benefit best from low-light vision.]

In the process of gathering his things and carrying them to the dock, Fendric appears to be deep in contemplation. He looks over at Hiritus for a moment [to see what kind of armor he's wearing], then walks beside him.

"I fear we haven't gotten a chance to talk recently, Brother, may Pelor forgive me for it. Specifically, I wonder if you might have any use for my previous armor. It's recruitment-issue studded leather, and it has protected me well through thick and thin. Father Brewek mentioned that if I were to upgrade, that I might find a proper use for it. Would you be interested in having it?"

 

[Guilt Puppy]

"I fear we haven't gotten a chance to talk recently, Brother, may Pelor forgive me for it. Specifically, I wonder if you might have any use for my previous armor. It's recruitment-issue studded leather, and it has protected me well through thick and thin. Father Brewek mentioned that if I were to upgrade, that I might find a proper use for it. Would you be interested in having it?"

Hiritus' face flushes a little at the offer. "It would be an hono," he says with a bow, and goes off under the shade of a tree for a little polite privacy to don the new honor. As he does this, you catch a glimpse under his travel vestments, and see that he wears quite the same recruitment-issue armor -- and his appears far more fresh and new. Still, yours is by all means in condition to serve its purpose; if anything, his suit might fetch more gold, if you ever come in need.

By the time Hiritus is rearmored, it seems everyone else is ready -- and it appears as well that someone has managed to gather together the party from the tavern, quietly no less, to bid you farewell. The air is strangely more somber now than festive, as the Heironeans make their first clumsy attempts at piloting these halfling boats...

(Okay, here's what seems like the right boat order -- correct me if I misunderstood, and of course, butt in if there happens to be any last-minute business to take care of in town: )

[color=wheat]
     LnLu  MaSm  [color=white]Xa[/color]Hi
     
      Ha**    Sv[color=white]Nu[/color]    [color=white]NiFe[/color]   -->

     ElKi  LmVz  [color=white]Fu[/color]Ba      

Fe = Fendric (or Iron)
Fu = Furgus
Ni = Niccolo
Nu = Nurthk
Xa = Xaio

[SIZE=1]Hi = Hiritus
Sv = Shavah

Ln = Lanatus
Lu = Lucian
Lm = Laam
Sm = Shamil
Ba = Balger
Ha = Hasdural
Ma = Marten
El = Elo
Ki = Kim
Vz = Vitz
[/size][/color]

 

[Uriel]

OoC:Looks good to me...

 

[doghead]

Xiao places his staff, bag and oddly ornate heavy crossbow into the boat and climbs in with Hiritus as indicated. He quietly pleased with the choice of travelling partner. Hiritus is a man of the church, and Xiao hopes to learn more of the beliefs of this world. But initially, he concentrates on carefully getting into the boat and pushing away from the jetty and getting underway. He does everything carefully for a while, including settling his bag and loaded crossbow* within easy reach.

But after a while, once they have settle into a more comfortable routine, Xiao introduces himself properly to Hiritus, and asks the other man if he can tell Xiao about his church and the path that he has chosen.

*OOC: Can you leave crossbows loaded for an extended period of time?
PS: Sorry. Its Xiao. I think.

 

[Festy_Dog]

Nurthk lies paralyzed, and wrapped in a blanket, on a small boat, rocking too much for his liking.

Getting kinda warm in here... maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I fell into the water... actually since I can't swim right now that'd probably be really bad.

[ooc: I don't think you could, there's the slight hurdle of them not having a safety switch, and I think if the crossbow was left loaded over a long period of time the bow string would become stretched and not be able to fire bolts as hard or far.]