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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Welcome to the Halmae (updated 2/27/07)
- Thread starter spyscribe
- Start date
spyscribe
First Post
dpdx said:
Oh, I'm not proud about it, but it really did.
After the first time, no one even had to make the joke. I'd just flash the "palm out" sign to Eva's player across the table, and we'd both lose it.WisdomLikeSilence did so much good background work on the elves, came up with their whole system of government. And look what she gets for it.
spyscribe
First Post
Part the One-Hundred Sixty-Third
In which: the party talks to the… you know, that women in charge of the war.
Their guide takes off at a run, and the party is hard-pressed to follow. After several hours, they are forced to ask her to slow down and allow them to catch their breaths. The woman does, but grudgingly, slowing her pace just enough so that the party does not lose their way in the gathering twilight.
Sometime after midnight, the party finally reaches a small encampment, and is escorted to see the War Hand.
She is middle-aged, for an elf, and wears thick and heavily-decorated braids which give her name as Maya Reni of the Olam Tribe and describe her as a “raider of raiders.” Like the ten warriors who accompany her, her face is painted, making her appear alien and savage.
She glares at the party. “You come to defend these stealers of children?”
Reyu hurries to explain. “We are neutral parties here. We merely wish to help avoid bloodshed if we can, and return your children to you. What happened?”
It’s some moments before the War Hand answers. “The human soldiers invaded our camp three nights ago. They completely overwhelmed us and took four of our young ones.”
“Why?”
Maya’s eyes snap fire. “There is no reason for what they have done.”
Reyu presses the other woman. “You’re sure the attackers were soldiers, not slavers?”
“Yes.”
“Had the tribe encountered the soldiers? Perhaps fought with them? Why were they angered?”
“The tribe had done nothing to these humans.”
Maya answers quickly, and with considerable anger, but Reyu detects a hint of bluster about her. Somehow, she suspects that she is not being told the whole story. The other woman continues. “We immediately called to the other tribes for aid and pursued the child-thieves across the desert. But before we could catch them, they took refuge in the human village and have blockaded themselves in.
“Since then, we have attacked the village every night. Thus far, they have held us back. But more and more of the Shesher have been coming to our call to action. Very soon, we shall have the strength to take the humans by force, raze their village, and rescue our children.”
“Raze the village? But what about the human villagers?” Lira can’t help asking.
“What about them?”
“If you raze the village… I mean, there must be innocent people living there. Your fight is with the soldiers,” Lira says, stammering slightly under the unflinching gaze of the War Hand. “You’ll let the civilians go, won’t you?”
The War Hand is unequivocal. “It is the human soldiers that have brought this fight to the door of their people. Their deaths are not on our hands.”
“Surely you have warned them?” Reyu asks. “Tried to reason with them? Can the humans not be persuaded to return the children on their own?”
“They have received our ultimatum. Still they refuse.”
The party confers.
“We should speak to the villagers,” Anvil says.
“We should get the hell out of here,” Thatch counters. “This has nothing to do with us.”
“Don’t you want to try and stop this?” Lira asks. “Innocent people are going die.”
“Innocent people die every day,” Eva points out.
There is a pause.
“What? I’m not saying I like it, I’m just saying it’s true,” she adds a bit defensively.
Reyu turns back to the War Hand. “Can your people delay their attack? Give us time to speak to the villagers and see if a peaceful settlement can be reached.”
The War Hand shakes her head. “I have no time to give you. More human soldiers are on the way. They will reach the village in three days. If we do not take the village before they arrive, we will not be able to take it. And we will never see our children again.”
“You have three days. Surely, to save the lives of the children and those of your own warriors, you can give us one of those days.”
“Warriors of the Shesher are not afraid to die for our children,” she snaps reflexively.
There is a pause. “I do not doubt your resolve, sister,” Reyu says quietly. “But it is not incompatible with our request.”
The War Hand is thoughtful. Finally, she says, “Very well. We will not attack until sundown tomorrow. I give you until then to speak reason to the humans. But be warned, if you fail, we will attack. And I can make no guarantee of your safety if you are still in the village.”
As the rest of the party beds down to catch what anxious sleep they can before dawn—when the War Hand has agreed to send them with an escort to within sight of the village—Reyu goes to talk with the other warriors to see if she can learn anything more about what has predicated this situation.
She returns to the group a few hours later.
“What did you find out?” Eva asks.
Reyu shakes her head, and merely indicates that they should wait until they can speak privately.
###
Shortly after dawn, the party leaves their elven escorts at the edge of the elven encampment and makes their way alone through the no-man’s land between the wild scrub and the village.
“So?” Eva asks Reyu pointedly as they make their way towards the earthworks mounded around the village.
Reyu waits until she is sure that they are out of ear-shot of their guides. “The War Hand was not entirely forthcoming regarding the events that precipitated the kidnapping,” she admits.
“No, really?” Thatch mutters.
“The children… counted coup against a human caravan that was traveling on the Sea Road,” she explains.
“Counted coup?”
“The oldest is only 17; they are babies. Counting coup is a way to prove honor and daring, to earn accomplishments in the eyes of the tribe.” Reyu indicates her own achievement braid by way of explanation. “Among my people, a youngling might track a bear, then touch it with a stick in front of witnesses, without the bear attacking or running away.”
Anvil, who has been quietly grinding his teeth for much of the morning, interjects. “I doubt the humans would have kidnapped the children for poking a caravan with sticks.”
Reyu pauses, mulling her words carefully. “The children… took trophies from the caravan.”
“What kind of trophies?” Eva asks, dubious.
“Tell me it wasn’t ears,” says Lira.
There is a long pause.
“Oh, gods!”
In which: the party talks to the… you know, that women in charge of the war.
Their guide takes off at a run, and the party is hard-pressed to follow. After several hours, they are forced to ask her to slow down and allow them to catch their breaths. The woman does, but grudgingly, slowing her pace just enough so that the party does not lose their way in the gathering twilight.
Sometime after midnight, the party finally reaches a small encampment, and is escorted to see the War Hand.
She is middle-aged, for an elf, and wears thick and heavily-decorated braids which give her name as Maya Reni of the Olam Tribe and describe her as a “raider of raiders.” Like the ten warriors who accompany her, her face is painted, making her appear alien and savage.
She glares at the party. “You come to defend these stealers of children?”
Reyu hurries to explain. “We are neutral parties here. We merely wish to help avoid bloodshed if we can, and return your children to you. What happened?”
It’s some moments before the War Hand answers. “The human soldiers invaded our camp three nights ago. They completely overwhelmed us and took four of our young ones.”
“Why?”
Maya’s eyes snap fire. “There is no reason for what they have done.”
Reyu presses the other woman. “You’re sure the attackers were soldiers, not slavers?”
“Yes.”
“Had the tribe encountered the soldiers? Perhaps fought with them? Why were they angered?”
“The tribe had done nothing to these humans.”
Maya answers quickly, and with considerable anger, but Reyu detects a hint of bluster about her. Somehow, she suspects that she is not being told the whole story. The other woman continues. “We immediately called to the other tribes for aid and pursued the child-thieves across the desert. But before we could catch them, they took refuge in the human village and have blockaded themselves in.
“Since then, we have attacked the village every night. Thus far, they have held us back. But more and more of the Shesher have been coming to our call to action. Very soon, we shall have the strength to take the humans by force, raze their village, and rescue our children.”
“Raze the village? But what about the human villagers?” Lira can’t help asking.
“What about them?”
“If you raze the village… I mean, there must be innocent people living there. Your fight is with the soldiers,” Lira says, stammering slightly under the unflinching gaze of the War Hand. “You’ll let the civilians go, won’t you?”
The War Hand is unequivocal. “It is the human soldiers that have brought this fight to the door of their people. Their deaths are not on our hands.”
“Surely you have warned them?” Reyu asks. “Tried to reason with them? Can the humans not be persuaded to return the children on their own?”
“They have received our ultimatum. Still they refuse.”
The party confers.
“We should speak to the villagers,” Anvil says.
“We should get the hell out of here,” Thatch counters. “This has nothing to do with us.”
“Don’t you want to try and stop this?” Lira asks. “Innocent people are going die.”
“Innocent people die every day,” Eva points out.
There is a pause.
“What? I’m not saying I like it, I’m just saying it’s true,” she adds a bit defensively.
Reyu turns back to the War Hand. “Can your people delay their attack? Give us time to speak to the villagers and see if a peaceful settlement can be reached.”
The War Hand shakes her head. “I have no time to give you. More human soldiers are on the way. They will reach the village in three days. If we do not take the village before they arrive, we will not be able to take it. And we will never see our children again.”
“You have three days. Surely, to save the lives of the children and those of your own warriors, you can give us one of those days.”
“Warriors of the Shesher are not afraid to die for our children,” she snaps reflexively.
There is a pause. “I do not doubt your resolve, sister,” Reyu says quietly. “But it is not incompatible with our request.”
The War Hand is thoughtful. Finally, she says, “Very well. We will not attack until sundown tomorrow. I give you until then to speak reason to the humans. But be warned, if you fail, we will attack. And I can make no guarantee of your safety if you are still in the village.”
As the rest of the party beds down to catch what anxious sleep they can before dawn—when the War Hand has agreed to send them with an escort to within sight of the village—Reyu goes to talk with the other warriors to see if she can learn anything more about what has predicated this situation.
She returns to the group a few hours later.
“What did you find out?” Eva asks.
Reyu shakes her head, and merely indicates that they should wait until they can speak privately.
###
Shortly after dawn, the party leaves their elven escorts at the edge of the elven encampment and makes their way alone through the no-man’s land between the wild scrub and the village.
“So?” Eva asks Reyu pointedly as they make their way towards the earthworks mounded around the village.
Reyu waits until she is sure that they are out of ear-shot of their guides. “The War Hand was not entirely forthcoming regarding the events that precipitated the kidnapping,” she admits.
“No, really?” Thatch mutters.
“The children… counted coup against a human caravan that was traveling on the Sea Road,” she explains.
“Counted coup?”
“The oldest is only 17; they are babies. Counting coup is a way to prove honor and daring, to earn accomplishments in the eyes of the tribe.” Reyu indicates her own achievement braid by way of explanation. “Among my people, a youngling might track a bear, then touch it with a stick in front of witnesses, without the bear attacking or running away.”
Anvil, who has been quietly grinding his teeth for much of the morning, interjects. “I doubt the humans would have kidnapped the children for poking a caravan with sticks.”
Reyu pauses, mulling her words carefully. “The children… took trophies from the caravan.”
“What kind of trophies?” Eva asks, dubious.
“Tell me it wasn’t ears,” says Lira.
There is a long pause.
“Oh, gods!”
spyscribe
First Post
Part the One-Hundred Sixty-Fourth
In which: a reluctant fighter meets an obligated officer and a sassy sorcerer narrowly preserves her back.
Following that revelation, the party stops to reconsider their position. Many members are ready to turn back for the Sea Road right then and there.
On that side, Thatch makes several compelling points:
Reyu counters that she was told that the children offered the humans healing, that that humans made no attempt to express their displeasure before kidnapping the younglings, and that death or enslavement are hardly proportional punishments for the crime of children who thought they were playing a harmless game.
Anvil points out that ignorance of the law is no excuse and that extra-judicial mutilation is generally not regarded as behavior acceptable under Kettenek’s law, be one a young wild sand-elf or no.
“Look at it this way,” Lira points out. “If we do nothing, the elves are going to lay siege to the village until they either destroy it or the Ebisite army arrives to destroy them, and either way, in the middle of the whole thing is a village full of people who really don’t have anything to do with this except that they had the misfortune of the soldiers deciding to shelter there.”
“Your point?” Anvil asks as Lira pauses for breath.
“That if we go to the village we might be able to talk some sense into someone.”
Thatch snorts. “Sense doesn’t seem to be in great supply.”
“Does going to the village in any way increase the possibility of innocent blood being shed?” Lira asks.
“Yes,” Thatch replies, “ours!”
Anvil picks up his pack again and starts towards the village. “I will warn you,” he says, looking straight at Reyu, “if these negotiations fail, from what I know of the matter so far, I am likely to side with the villagers against the elves.”
Reyu looks back at him just as steadily. “That is your choice.”
Seeing that Anvil is bound to continue on this crazed mission, Thatch picks up his own gear again and continues towards the town. The rest of the group follows suit.
###
The party arrives at a town under siege. The village is surrounded by earthworks peppered with Elven arrows. The ground is marred with bloodstains and scorch marks, testifying to the fierce battles fought over the last few nights. During more peaceful times, a large wooden gate allowed entry into the town proper. Now, the gates have been augmented by piles of rough timber, garbage, and anything else that could be quickly pressed into service as reinforcement.
Reyu guesses that outside the village there were once extensive olive groves and date orchards, but the trees have all been felled or burned—by which side is unclear—and the remaining stumps woodshaped into low cover for use by archers. Clearly, she thinks, these humans will not be easily convinced that the elves are ready to reason.
Reyu stops abruptly.
Lira notices and turns back to see what has developed.
“Lira, might I borrow your hat?”
###
The party puts a handkerchief on the end of Thatch’s sword and waves it around a bit before cresting the earthworks and beginning their descent into the town proper. Thanks to Lira’s hat of disguise and Kiara not being in bird form, the party appears to consist of seven ordinary, albeit foreign, humans as they approach the small group of soldiers who stand waiting for them.
Leading the Ebisites is a Lieutenant Katib who naturally wants to know how they have reached the village through the elven lines. The party explains how they were waylaid by the elves on the road and then convinced them to allow them in to negotiate.
Katib is only a little skeptical. “They never seemed interested in negotiation before,” he points out.
“We are foreign to this land,” Anvil points out. “They rightly determined we have no interests here.”
(“You can say that again,” Thatch mutters.)
Katib shrugs his shoulders. “If you wish to help, convince the elves to let us pass. I have orders to take the prisoners back to Nayarii to stand trial, and I will see it done.”
“The elves are not inclined to let you pass with their children,” Anvil informs him.
“Since I am not able to release them, it seems we shall have to remain here.” There is the slightest hint of smugness in Katib’s voice, as if he knows a secret the party does not.
Reyu correctly guesses what it is. “You cannot wait them out,” she says. “The elves know your reinforcements are coming. They will take this village before help arrives.”
For an instant, there is the slightest hint of doubt in Katib’s eyes. But it is quickly replaced with the stoic look of a professional soldier. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. It is in the hands of the gods now, I suppose.”
Lira attempts another tack. “What about the people here. Surely you can’t let them be slaughtered over… over an ear!”
Katib turns a hard look on Lira. “A citizen of Ebis was assaulted and mutilated on the Sea Road by elven brigands,” he says. “We cannot tolerate banditry on the Sea Road, especially not from the Shesher, to whom the merchants of the Empire pay a hefty sum every year to stay off the road. We cannot let this attack go unanswered. An example must be made.”
“Even if it means the death of your soliders? Of these villagers?” Lira says.
Katib stands firm. “I have my orders,” he says.
“The elves you have taken prisoner are just children,” Reyu protests. “They may not have known of your… arrangement… with the Shesher. They thought they were playing a game.”
“Mutilation is a game?”
“They claim they left healing for those they injured.”
“They lie. No such healing was found,” Katib sighs. “I am sorry, I truly am. I am sorry for these children, whose parents did not teach them well enough, and I am sorry for the innocents here. But it is out of my hands. I’m not authorized to deal. Not unless Jamaladeen decides to drop the charges.”
“Jamaladeen?” Reyu asks.
“The merchant who was attacked.”
“Perhaps we should speak to him then,” Anvil suggests.
The Lieutenant shakes his head. “You’re welcome to try. But I don’t think it will do any good.”
###
Katib escorts the party to the house where Jamaladeen has been billeted. Along the way, Anvil asks him, “I realize that this man’s honor has been offended, and that your agreement with the Shesher was violated, but is this not a lot of trouble to go to on behalf of a single merchant?”
Katib seems just the slightest bit aggravated, but Anvil gets the impression that his irritation is not directed towards the party. “Jamaladeen is a rich and influential merchant, with rich and powerful friends… I have very little latitude for discretion in this assignment.”
Anvil nods. “I see.”
Katib makes introductions. Jamaladeen is a short man, with a large frame, dressed in ostentatiously rich robes. He is surrounded by five much larger bodyguards, whose swarthy, unfriendly looks place them somewhere on the scale between cutthroat and thug.
Rather quickly, Katib leaves the party to converse with Jamaladeen in private. Well, relative privacy anyway. Lira is convinced that anyone standing within ten feet of the door of the cottage would be able to hear the outraged merchant’s side of the conversation at least.
“My honor has been offended and restitution must be made!” he demands in a loud, booming voice. The man isn’t Aegosian, but she’s willing to bet he’s had trade dealings with them.
Jamaladeen continues, “I cannot go abroad without everyone knowing of my disfigurement! Not to mention my poor wife!”
Eva, who has noticed that the merchant has two fully intact ears ventures, “You appear fine… sir.”
“No thanks to those filthy little savages. We’re fine now. I had to pay a priest to regenerate my ear. And my wife’s, too. Do you know what that kind of blessing costs?”
“Perhaps if the elves compensated you for your regeneration,” Lira suggests, hoping Reyu will keep her head, or at least, her hat in the face of Jamaldeen’s bigotry.
“They couldn’t afford it. Besides, how could they compensate me for the lost business this has cost me? I’m the laughingstock of Nayarii!”
“Perhaps you wouldn’t be if you hadn’t been so… forthright about your dishonor,” Lira ventures.
Jamaladeen stops his tirade and glares at the young sorcerer. She returns his glower with her blandest smile. Jamaladeen’s eyes snap and he turns, red-faced and shaking with outrage, to Anvil.
“If you do not teach this urchin some manners, I will do it myself.” As he speaks, he allows his right hand to fall heavily on a cat o’ nine tails that hangs at his belt.
“That,” Anvil replies in clipped tones, “is enough.”
However, his remark was not addressed to Lira.
Jamaladeen’s eyes narrow. “I beg your pardon?”
Anvil nods shortly. “Good.” He turns to the others. “If no one has any further questions…?”
Reyu steps forward. She had not noticed the whip wielded by the merchant until he placed his hand on it, but something about it has caught her eye. Each tongue of the lash is made of knotted ropes.
“I could not help but admire your… weapon. Where did you obtain it?”
This seems to mollify Jamaladeen somewhat. He shoots Lira another quick glare and draws the cat o’ nine tails from his belt, holding it out so that the party can see. (Lira does her best not to flinch.)
“I had it made, custom.” He holds out two of the strings. “These two, the little brats left behind. See how they like getting a taste of their own.”
Up close, Reyu confirms her earlier suspicions. The ropes are not knotted randomly; they contain elven writing.
In which: a reluctant fighter meets an obligated officer and a sassy sorcerer narrowly preserves her back.
Following that revelation, the party stops to reconsider their position. Many members are ready to turn back for the Sea Road right then and there.
On that side, Thatch makes several compelling points:
- This isn’t their fight.
- The elves have already lied to them, and he is disinclined to go out on a limb for them on that account.
- The kids cut off ears!
Reyu counters that she was told that the children offered the humans healing, that that humans made no attempt to express their displeasure before kidnapping the younglings, and that death or enslavement are hardly proportional punishments for the crime of children who thought they were playing a harmless game.
Anvil points out that ignorance of the law is no excuse and that extra-judicial mutilation is generally not regarded as behavior acceptable under Kettenek’s law, be one a young wild sand-elf or no.
“Look at it this way,” Lira points out. “If we do nothing, the elves are going to lay siege to the village until they either destroy it or the Ebisite army arrives to destroy them, and either way, in the middle of the whole thing is a village full of people who really don’t have anything to do with this except that they had the misfortune of the soldiers deciding to shelter there.”
“Your point?” Anvil asks as Lira pauses for breath.
“That if we go to the village we might be able to talk some sense into someone.”
Thatch snorts. “Sense doesn’t seem to be in great supply.”
“Does going to the village in any way increase the possibility of innocent blood being shed?” Lira asks.
“Yes,” Thatch replies, “ours!”
Anvil picks up his pack again and starts towards the village. “I will warn you,” he says, looking straight at Reyu, “if these negotiations fail, from what I know of the matter so far, I am likely to side with the villagers against the elves.”
Reyu looks back at him just as steadily. “That is your choice.”
Seeing that Anvil is bound to continue on this crazed mission, Thatch picks up his own gear again and continues towards the town. The rest of the group follows suit.
###
The party arrives at a town under siege. The village is surrounded by earthworks peppered with Elven arrows. The ground is marred with bloodstains and scorch marks, testifying to the fierce battles fought over the last few nights. During more peaceful times, a large wooden gate allowed entry into the town proper. Now, the gates have been augmented by piles of rough timber, garbage, and anything else that could be quickly pressed into service as reinforcement.
Reyu guesses that outside the village there were once extensive olive groves and date orchards, but the trees have all been felled or burned—by which side is unclear—and the remaining stumps woodshaped into low cover for use by archers. Clearly, she thinks, these humans will not be easily convinced that the elves are ready to reason.
Reyu stops abruptly.
Lira notices and turns back to see what has developed.
“Lira, might I borrow your hat?”
###
The party puts a handkerchief on the end of Thatch’s sword and waves it around a bit before cresting the earthworks and beginning their descent into the town proper. Thanks to Lira’s hat of disguise and Kiara not being in bird form, the party appears to consist of seven ordinary, albeit foreign, humans as they approach the small group of soldiers who stand waiting for them.
Leading the Ebisites is a Lieutenant Katib who naturally wants to know how they have reached the village through the elven lines. The party explains how they were waylaid by the elves on the road and then convinced them to allow them in to negotiate.
Katib is only a little skeptical. “They never seemed interested in negotiation before,” he points out.
“We are foreign to this land,” Anvil points out. “They rightly determined we have no interests here.”
(“You can say that again,” Thatch mutters.)
Katib shrugs his shoulders. “If you wish to help, convince the elves to let us pass. I have orders to take the prisoners back to Nayarii to stand trial, and I will see it done.”
“The elves are not inclined to let you pass with their children,” Anvil informs him.
“Since I am not able to release them, it seems we shall have to remain here.” There is the slightest hint of smugness in Katib’s voice, as if he knows a secret the party does not.
Reyu correctly guesses what it is. “You cannot wait them out,” she says. “The elves know your reinforcements are coming. They will take this village before help arrives.”
For an instant, there is the slightest hint of doubt in Katib’s eyes. But it is quickly replaced with the stoic look of a professional soldier. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. It is in the hands of the gods now, I suppose.”
Lira attempts another tack. “What about the people here. Surely you can’t let them be slaughtered over… over an ear!”
Katib turns a hard look on Lira. “A citizen of Ebis was assaulted and mutilated on the Sea Road by elven brigands,” he says. “We cannot tolerate banditry on the Sea Road, especially not from the Shesher, to whom the merchants of the Empire pay a hefty sum every year to stay off the road. We cannot let this attack go unanswered. An example must be made.”
“Even if it means the death of your soliders? Of these villagers?” Lira says.
Katib stands firm. “I have my orders,” he says.
“The elves you have taken prisoner are just children,” Reyu protests. “They may not have known of your… arrangement… with the Shesher. They thought they were playing a game.”
“Mutilation is a game?”
“They claim they left healing for those they injured.”
“They lie. No such healing was found,” Katib sighs. “I am sorry, I truly am. I am sorry for these children, whose parents did not teach them well enough, and I am sorry for the innocents here. But it is out of my hands. I’m not authorized to deal. Not unless Jamaladeen decides to drop the charges.”
“Jamaladeen?” Reyu asks.
“The merchant who was attacked.”
“Perhaps we should speak to him then,” Anvil suggests.
The Lieutenant shakes his head. “You’re welcome to try. But I don’t think it will do any good.”
###
Katib escorts the party to the house where Jamaladeen has been billeted. Along the way, Anvil asks him, “I realize that this man’s honor has been offended, and that your agreement with the Shesher was violated, but is this not a lot of trouble to go to on behalf of a single merchant?”
Katib seems just the slightest bit aggravated, but Anvil gets the impression that his irritation is not directed towards the party. “Jamaladeen is a rich and influential merchant, with rich and powerful friends… I have very little latitude for discretion in this assignment.”
Anvil nods. “I see.”
Katib makes introductions. Jamaladeen is a short man, with a large frame, dressed in ostentatiously rich robes. He is surrounded by five much larger bodyguards, whose swarthy, unfriendly looks place them somewhere on the scale between cutthroat and thug.
Rather quickly, Katib leaves the party to converse with Jamaladeen in private. Well, relative privacy anyway. Lira is convinced that anyone standing within ten feet of the door of the cottage would be able to hear the outraged merchant’s side of the conversation at least.
“My honor has been offended and restitution must be made!” he demands in a loud, booming voice. The man isn’t Aegosian, but she’s willing to bet he’s had trade dealings with them.
Jamaladeen continues, “I cannot go abroad without everyone knowing of my disfigurement! Not to mention my poor wife!”
Eva, who has noticed that the merchant has two fully intact ears ventures, “You appear fine… sir.”
“No thanks to those filthy little savages. We’re fine now. I had to pay a priest to regenerate my ear. And my wife’s, too. Do you know what that kind of blessing costs?”
“Perhaps if the elves compensated you for your regeneration,” Lira suggests, hoping Reyu will keep her head, or at least, her hat in the face of Jamaldeen’s bigotry.
“They couldn’t afford it. Besides, how could they compensate me for the lost business this has cost me? I’m the laughingstock of Nayarii!”
“Perhaps you wouldn’t be if you hadn’t been so… forthright about your dishonor,” Lira ventures.
Jamaladeen stops his tirade and glares at the young sorcerer. She returns his glower with her blandest smile. Jamaladeen’s eyes snap and he turns, red-faced and shaking with outrage, to Anvil.
“If you do not teach this urchin some manners, I will do it myself.” As he speaks, he allows his right hand to fall heavily on a cat o’ nine tails that hangs at his belt.
“That,” Anvil replies in clipped tones, “is enough.”
However, his remark was not addressed to Lira.
Jamaladeen’s eyes narrow. “I beg your pardon?”
Anvil nods shortly. “Good.” He turns to the others. “If no one has any further questions…?”
Reyu steps forward. She had not noticed the whip wielded by the merchant until he placed his hand on it, but something about it has caught her eye. Each tongue of the lash is made of knotted ropes.
“I could not help but admire your… weapon. Where did you obtain it?”
This seems to mollify Jamaladeen somewhat. He shoots Lira another quick glare and draws the cat o’ nine tails from his belt, holding it out so that the party can see. (Lira does her best not to flinch.)
“I had it made, custom.” He holds out two of the strings. “These two, the little brats left behind. See how they like getting a taste of their own.”
Up close, Reyu confirms her earlier suspicions. The ropes are not knotted randomly; they contain elven writing.
Shieldhaven
Explorer
Duuude. Cool plot twist!
I'm impressed with how well the importance of elven knotted writing was built up in play, then used in an unexpected way. Fajitas, you may not like this, but I need to eat your brain to gain your powers.
Haven
I'm impressed with how well the importance of elven knotted writing was built up in play, then used in an unexpected way. Fajitas, you may not like this, but I need to eat your brain to gain your powers.
Haven
WisdomLikeSilence
Community Supporter
Shieldhaven said:Duuude. Cool plot twist!
Fajitas, you may not like this, but I need to eat your brain to gain your powers.
Haven
Nope. Sorry. You are not allowed to eat my husband's brain.
We're using it, you see.
-WLS
KidCthulhu
First Post
WisdomLikeSilence said:
It makes a great door stop! Plus, it's tasty with fries.
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