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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 9765134" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 2“Mister? Hey, mister!”The voice jolted Grimdark out of his reverie. He looked around for the speaker, but didn’t see them at first. The inside of the barn was a bit dark with the keep’s outer wall cutting off the sunshine, but he could see a wagon half-loaded with hay a few feet past the open front doors.“Down here,” came the voice again, this time obviously amused.The warrior looked down to see that the speaker was a blonde-haired halfling girl, dressed in faded blue denim overalls over a white shirt. She’d been standing next to one of the large back wheels of the wagon, but as she stepped forward he could see that she had a small pitchfork that she leaned on as she gave him an evaluative look.“You okay, feller?” she asked. “Looked a mite… lost there, for a moment.”“I’m fine.”She pulled a bit of stray hay out of her hair, which looked more than a bit disheveled. “You a farm boy?”“No… ah, I mean… not anymore,” he said.Well, you know what they say,” the girl said. “You can take the boy out of the farm…” She let that trail off for a moment, but when he didn’t respond she said, “I’m Cornflower.”“Grimdark.”She gave him another look, up and down, not missing the hilt of the sword sticking up from over his shoulder. “Say… don’t suppose you could help me with something?”The warrior looked around, not sure what need there would be for a man like him in a place like this. “Um… what is it?” he asked.“Lost me a few of my goats,” she said. “My own fault; I accidentally left the pen unlocked last night, and this morning, they were gone! I’m sure they’re still within the keep, but I need to tend to the other animals here and make sure no others get loose? I’d consider it a right big favor if you could track ‘em down and bring ‘em back here.”“Ah…”“I’ll give you a gold piece for each one you bring back.”“Gold?”“Aye, it’s the least I could do.”“Ah… sure, I guess.”“Splendid! Here, let me get a coil of rope for you. They’re the sweetest bunch… bit stubborn, though…”* * *This was his life now, the warrior thought. Hunter of lost goats. Goat-Finder… now there was a title destined to live forever in the legends.The first goat let out a tinny bleat, as if chiding him for such idle thoughts. The warrior’s back was sore from all the bending over, and his stomach… well, perhaps he could be forgiven for glancing back at his charge with thoughts of sauce in his head.Finding the first goat hadn’t been hard at all, actually. He was able to find tracks in the slightly muddy earth around the barn, and followed them to a fenced-in yard behind the temple, the golden-topped structure he’d spotted earlier. How the goat got over the fence he had no idea, but it had been helping itself to morsels from the priests’ garden. The warrior quickly snuck in and recovered it before he might have been forced to confront any of the residents.That early success had not been repeated, however. He’d been all over the keep, or at least the outer ward; the guards at the inner gatehouse hadn’t seemed all that welcoming, their attention sharp enough that he doubted even a wayward goat could have slipped past them. He’d resorted to approaching some of the residents, but they’d proven less than friendly. Maybe it was his dust-covered clothes, or maybe the huge sword slung across his back, the warrior thought.Finally, he unslung his pack and sword and sat down with his back to the wall, not far from a fancy-looking but small building that he’d passed earlier. The place appeared to be open for business, but there was a guard—a sharp-eyed human woman—on duty out front. She was watching him closely, but didn’t interfere.“Gods, it feels good to be off my feet,” the warrior said. The goat started cropping some of the grass nearby. “Where did your friends get off to, eh? A pity you can’t talk.”He leaned back and rested his head against the solidity of the wall. He closed his eyes. The sounds of the activity in the keep was constant, but not too intrusive. He could hear the steady sound of a hammer striking metal; probably the smithy he’d gone by earlier. No goats there, or at least not outside. It had looked like the smith was a dwarf, maybe she had decided to have a barbeque…His eyes flicked open and he looked at the goat. The animal looked back, its gaze strangely intent. “Maybe you can’t talk, but you can think, can’t you?” the warrior asked. “How to think like a goat…”He maintained the gaze a few moments longer, then he pushed himself up. Shouldering his burdens, he gripped the goat’s lead rope and gave it a tug. “Come on.”* * *“So I followed my nose to the tavern,” the warrior said. “And sure enough, these two were having a fine time in the refuse pile out behind the place. It was fenced in, but these guys appear to be talented climbers.”“And escape artists to boot,” Cornflower said, regarding the three goats all strung out on the line of rope. “Ew, you stink. Come on, let me get you inside. Wait just a moment, Grimdark, I’ll be right back.”She pulled the goats inside. The warrior glanced up; the sun had already faded behind the western walls, and the sky was quickly deepening in shade from blue to purple. His stomach grumbled loudly.The girl returned after just a few moments. “Sorry I couldn’t find the last one,” the warrior said.“It’s okay,” she said. “He’ll be back, once he gets hungry enough.”“Assuming he didn’t climb the inner wall and sneak into the castellan’s pantry,” the warrior said.The girl laughed. “Well, thanks for your help. Here is your reward.” She reached into a purse and pressed three coins into his hand. The warrior started to put them into a pocket, but stopped as he caught a look at the gleaming metal, bright even in the half-light.“Ah… are you sure?” he asked.“Of course! You did me a big favor. Let me know if you see Mister Snarfgoggles! He’s the last goat. I call him that because he has dark rings around his eyes and a big appetite! Hoo, it’s late, and I got to get everyone fed! See you around, Grimdark!”The girl bounded away before he could respond. The warrior stared down at the coins in his hand. Three circles of gold. Real gold—at that he lifted one to his mouth and bit down on it. His teeth had left a tiny impression—it seemed real enough, all right. The coin was old, the stamp on it some kind of animal that he couldn’t quite make out. But he was fairly sure it wasn’t a goat. The thought caused a giggle that he quickly stifled; he was starting to feel a bit light-headed.Adjusting his sword, he headed in the direction of the tavern he’d passed earlier.Game Notes:Grimdark:Wisdom (Survival) 15 (-1): 14 vs. DC 10, SuccessCharisma (Persuasion) 7 (+0): 7 vs. DC 10, FailureIntelligence (Nature) 20 (+2): 22 vs. DC 15, SuccessI know that there aren’t any critical successes in 5e 2024, but I allowed a double-success (finding two goats) on the last check.</blockquote>

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