[LPF] Ties that Bind

[jkason]

Eanos Setirav, human inquisitor

Eanos' lips thin slightly at the sight of the sludge ale. He pauses a moment before saying, "You know, ride was a little rough. Still not sure I've got my stomach back. Maybe just a regular mead, yes?"

[sblock=mini stats]Eanos Setirav
Initiative: +6
AC: 17 (19 w/ SoF)
HP: 29 Current: 29
CMB: +4 CMD: 17 Fort: +5 Reflex: +5 Will: +8

Conditions: Wet

In Hand: None

Arrows: 33/33
Blunt Arrows: 20/20
Cold Iron Arrows: 19/19
Silver Blunt Arrows: 16/16
CLW Wand charges: 31/50 remaining (second wand full)

Judgement: 2/2 Remaining Determination: 2/2 remaining
Silver Tongued Haggler: 5/6 remaining
Spells: Orisons (DC 13): Brand, Create Water, Detect Magic, Disrupt Undead, Guidance, Light
1st (4/4 remaining)(DC 14): Divine Favor, Expeditious Retreat, Protection from Evil, Shield of Faith, Wrath
2nd (2/2 remaining)(DC 15): Silence, Weapon of Awe[/sblock]

 

[Qik]

Ferick nods with a smile. "Reg'lar mead it is! Gods know not everyone is blessed with the constitution of a dwarf." Nodding at Audra, he adds, "Though she seems to be so fort'nate."

[sblock=OOC]So your options here are to:

1) Try to extract more information from Ferick. It's clear that there isn't much directly related to Alecks - i.e. he doesn't recall him - but there still might be some other information to glean about services that would be useful to Alecks, traveling routes, etc.

2) Go visit Gohred.

3) Try another tact.

I'm open and amendable to any one of these. If a consensus hasn't been reached by the beginning of next week, I'll just push you on to Gohred's.[/sblock]

 

[Artur Hawkwing]

Audra takes the mug and eyes the contents, more like maple syrup than drink. She considers it a moment, and feels a little better when Fulgrim steps up to the..um..mug. She doesn't take a sip until the comment made about the cast iron constitution of a dwarf. She gives a look at Fulgrim, shrugs and lifts her mug.

To our good fortune in our search for Alecks.

She holds the mug out for a toast, and lifts it to her lips. Rather than letting the mug rest a second before drinking, lest she decide that such a thick, almost tar like drink, is too much for her, she begins drinking immediately, and manages about a third of the mug before she has to pull the mug away. She coughs, loudly, several times and wipes her eyes.

Think that was a little....*gasp*...too fast.

Another spasm of coughs, three or four, and she seems done, though she seems a little the worse for wear from her experience.

Certainly will...kill your thirst...

She coughs again and takes a much smaller sip.

 

[IronWolf]

Fulgrim finishes his mug of syrup like ale in a very smooth manner, a smile playing at the edges of his mouth as he enjoys the drink. He places the empty mug on the bar, pats Audra's shoulder with his dwarven-sized hand. "Good effort dere!" Fulgrim says with a warm, wide smile. "Dat was a 'eavy dwarves stout. Might even start to grow a beard on ya! Shame I can't git a jug 'o dis to take ta Ni back in da city!"

 

[GlassEye]

Elenka watches indulgently as the others get drinks and chat amongst themselves and with the dwarven barkeep. They, and particularly Audra, are entitled to a bit of relaxation after their journey so far but Elenka feels a persistent nagging that time is running out for Alecks and that she should be doing something. When there is a lull in business Elenka again talks with Ferick.

"There is, perhaps, more that you could do to help. This man we are searching for, Audra's brother," she says motioning towards the small monk, "we believe would have traveled through here on his way south, heading to the Seithr Mountains around the western side of the Wild wood. Since we plan to follow in his footsteps, such as we can guess them, we need to outfit ourselves for a trip into the Seithr's. Could you direct us to outfitters and suppliers that could prepare us for such as expedition?"

[sblock=OOC]
Gather Info (outfitters & suppliers): 1d20+12=14
Dang, poor rolls...[/sblock]


• • • Elenka Danyllova • • •

[sblock=MiniStats][size=+1]Elenka[/size] Human Summoner 5
Initiative: +2 Perception: +7

AC: 16 (12 touch; 14 flat-footed) [20 w/Shield]
HP: 37 Current: 37
CMB: +4 CMD: 16 Fort: +1 Ref: +3 Will: +6

In Hand:
Spells:
1st level: 4/5 remaining.
2nd level: 2/3 remaining.
Rod of Extend: 2/3 remaining (3rd lv. or lower)
Special: Summon Monster 3 6/6

[size=+1]Drevezh'Korol[/size] Eidolon
Initiative: +2 Perception: +5; Darkvision 60 ft.

AC: 20 (12 touch; 18 flat-footed) [24 w/Mage Armor]
HP: 38 Current: 38
CMB: +9 CMD: 20 Fort: +5 Ref: +3 Will: +4

In Hand: --
Conditions: [/sblock]

 

[Qik]

Ferick chuckles at Fulgrim's enthusiasm. "Nothin' beats an authentic dwarven stout, that be sure. Tell ya what, ye stop by here next time yer through and I'll see if we can give yer a travel-friendly jug er two - one fer you, one fer your friend. Puts the hair on one's chin fer sure."

The bar-slash-inn-keep frowns as he struggles to think of a specific place to recommend. "I'm afraid I can't be of much help to ye, missy. I don't do much expeditin' meself. Merchant's Corridor, on the western side o' town, would likely be tha place ta look, but I'm afraid that anythin' more specific than that would be nothin' but bluster on my part. Gohred deals with all kinds a' travelers through Tal Hallow, though, so 'e should be able to help ya. His stables are on the western edge a' town too, just past tha Merchant's Corridor, so 'e should be able to point cha in tha roight direction."

Ferick gives everyone more specific directions to Gohred's, saying as they depart, "Ye tell that big lunk tah stop by his brother's fer a change. Dwarf lives in the same city as I and doesn't even take tha time to stop in and share an ale." With that, the group sets off to see Gohred, pleasantly full of ale.

Gohred's stables are indeed on the very edge of town. As the quartet approaches, they spot a massive dwarf who seems to be finalizing arrangements with a customer. The two agree with a nod and a handshake, and massive dwarf sends the customer and their pony off with a wave. One can't help but feel sorry for the pony made to bear this dwarf's weight. He greets the group with a genuine smile. "Greetings! Ye've got tha look a' travelers about ye! How can I be of help?"

[sblock=OOC]Feel free to ask any final questions of Ferick. Monday's are generally a busy day for me, so I just wanted to push this ahead while I had the chance.[/sblock]

 

[jkason]

Eanos Setirav, human inquisitor

As Fulgrim and Audra seem to do what they can to prove their constitutions against the thick dwarven ale, Eanos nurses his mead, conserving the drink and thus his sobriety.

He gives his thanks to the barkeep as they leave. As the group approaches the stable, Eanos gives Elenka's shoulder an encouraging squeeze and whispers, "My lady's with us, may she keep guiding our words." The summoner thinks she hears for a moment and echo of a whisper on the wind, but it's gone almost before she registers it. Still, she does feel a slight boost in her confidence.

"If you've secrets to spare, lady..." he whispers, eyes skyward, and again there's the suggestion of a voice on the wind, and a fleeting smile on Eanos.

"Gohred, yes?" Eanos says with a smile and a strong handshake. "Just came from your kin--" here he jerks a thumb in the direction of the Inn, "Said you were the body to talk to about horses and the men who rent them. See, we're looking for both? Trying to track down our friend's brother, Alecks, would have come through here a while back on a mission to the Seithr."

[sblock=ooc]Cast guidance on Elenka and Eanos for the chatting up, and Eanos burned another Silver Tongued use. I think Gohred might be forthcoming.

Silver tongue, Guidance Diplomacy (1d20+11=31)[/sblock]
[sblock=mini stats]Eanos Setirav
Initiative: +6
AC: 17 (19 w/ SoF)
HP: 29 Current: 29
CMB: +4 CMD: 17 Fort: +5 Reflex: +5 Will: +8

Conditions: None

In Hand: None

Arrows: 33/33
Blunt Arrows: 20/20
Cold Iron Arrows: 19/19
Silver Blunt Arrows: 16/16
CLW Wand charges: 31/50 remaining (second wand full)

Judgement: 2/2 Remaining Determination: 2/2 remaining
Silver Tongued Haggler: 4/6 remaining
Spells: Orisons (DC 13): Brand, Create Water, Detect Magic, Disrupt Undead, Guidance, Light
1st (4/4 remaining)(DC 14): Divine Favor, Expeditious Retreat, Protection from Evil, Shield of Faith, Wrath
2nd (2/2 remaining)(DC 15): Silence, Weapon of Awe[/sblock]

 

[Qik]

Gohred's oversized hand swallows Eanos' in a friendly greeting. "Ferick sentcha, eh? Even that thick-head 'as some sense now and agin," he chuckles. "Yes, I'm tha one tah talk to 'round here if yer lookin' fer travelin' animals. The Seithrs, ya say? That's quite a trip..."

The group chats a bit with Gohred, who seems to clearly take a liking to them. As a little more information gets shared on the situation, the dwarf says, "Well, I'd be lyin' if I told yer I remembered all my customers, but I make up fer that limitation with good book keepin'. Come on, let's go see what we can dig up..."

Gohred leads the group into a tiny, cluttered office at one end of the stable. Between the large dwarf and the group, the space fills up quickly. Gohred shifts through some of the chaos on his desk and pulls out a large ledger. "Here we go..." he murmurs to himself, flipping through the pages. After scanning down a few, he says, "Ah! Here we are. 'Alecks Frost.' Rented a horse and a pack mule from me a couple a' months ago. Paid a sizable deposit so as to keep the rental open, but from what it says here, 'e shudda been back by now...." Gohred looks to the others to get their response.

[sblock=OOC]Eanos obviously rocked that one. That's two successes now.

Also, just to check in about it - how we doing folks? I understand that this is a long one, and that there's a lot of traveling/talking right now (which may or may not be a bad thing). I'm asking primarily because there's still a lot ahead for us, and I want to make sure the adventure doesn't wear out its welcome. If people think things are dragging too much, I can find ways to expedite things; I left a lot of flexibility in the latter part of the adventure for just this reason. So I just wanted to see if I could get your opinions: I won't be offended if you think things would help to be spurred along a bit, so please, be honest! Constructive input is how I learn. [/sblock]

 

[Artur Hawkwing]

[sblock=OOC]It's going fine. Sorry I'm not posting as much right now as I probably should, since this adventure is so personal to Audra, but searching for somewhere to live by 1 July is taking up a lot of time and energy. So is packing most of my worldly possessions, so time is a bit limited. Managed to get on today from work, by having finally caught up on the work I had to miss to do someone else's job....again...I need a raise...or a vacation...or both preferably.[/sblock]

Audra follows along quietly, the ale seeming to have calmed her down a little, and at least provided some warmth to her inside. She, too, offers her hand to the Dwarf upon meeting him, but keeps along in silence, finding some wall to prop her back against, glad she didn't eat too much at the Inn, when she hears it. Her brother's name causes her to catch her breath and leave the wall, leaning forward. The mention of his return date passing causes concern to cross her face.

How long ago did he plan to be back? And did he say anything about where he was going, other than into the Sethirs?

 

[Qik]

[sblock=OOC]Don't worry about it, Artur. You've said before that you have some RL craziness, so I wasn't worried about your rate. Or anyone else's, for that matter: although there have been ebbs and flows, that's only natural, and everyone has been really good about communicating when things might slow up for them, which is all I ask for. Personally, I'm fine with the rate that things are moving: I just want to make sure everyone else is, too, rather than just presume.

So don't sweat it![/sblock]