NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 1951899" data-attributes="member: 5808">Sorry for the delay, I've been travelling and off-line for a while.  Hope everyone had a happy New Year!Part the Eighty-Ninth: In which: one journey ends and another resumes.The three days on the road are punctuated by a distinct lack of sudden blizzards or goblin attacks.As they approach Lord Fau Meen's manor, Reyu begins to consider what she should do about her new ursine companion.She asks advice from Lord Agasha.  "I would ask him to wait in the forest outside the estate, but I would be quite... upset if someone were to try and hunt him now.  Do you think Lord Fau Meen might be able to accommodate him?" Lord Agasha chuckles to himself.  "Oh, I'm sure he can come up with something." He chuckles a bit more.  "Oh yes.  You should bring him.  Lord Fau Meen will be most... most pleased." The elderly hunter coughs a bit, perhaps not due to the cold.  "This did all start with a bear hunt, after all."Reyu considers.  Humans can be quite strange sometimes.  It is possible that Lord Agasha is being insincere.  Still, she decides it will not trouble her rest to incommode Lord Fau Meen with the sudden arrival of her animal companion.Lord Fau Meen is somewhat nonplussed to find the bear that was lately terrorizing his peasants now seeking lodging in one of his outbuildings, but a combination of assurances from Reyu that the bear presents no danger and a desire not to appear rattled in front of Lord Agasha conspire to find a place for the bear to sleep.The bear settled, the adventurers all get the opportunity to bathe and rest before being summoned to a banquet in their honor that evening.Lord Fau Meen's central hall has been decorated for the occasion and a very long low table laid out to accommodate all of the party as well as Lord Fau Meen, Lord Agasha, and a few important guests.Most of the party finds eating with chopsticks easier to get the hang of this time, and to everyone's surprise Kiara digs in as though she has been eating with them all her life, showing even more grace than she does with traditional utensils.At last though, the dishes are cleared, and following a toast and fine words from Lord Fau Meen, Lord Agasha rises to speak."We are indebted to you all," he begins.  "This mission to drive the ogre from our lands was a great and honorable one, and it does not shame me to say it would not have been a success without your help."He makes a motion and servants come forward, each standing behind one of the adventurers.  For Lira, already on edge since their return to settled Sovereign lands, it is an act of will to remain placid.  They're just servants, she tells herself, if they were going to arrest us all, there would be guards.  A few of the others shift slightly in their seats as Lord Agasha continues.A scroll case is placed in his open palm.  "With these letters," he continues, "anyone in the Sovereignty may know and recognize you for your valorous deeds, and you will be allowed safe passage through our lands."He closes the case and gives it to Anvil, who accepts with a bow.  Hmm, thinks Thatch, One of us has been getting etiquette lessons.Lord Agasha reaches back again and is handed a small sack, which he places on the table with a distinct clinking sound.  Eva recognizes the sound immediately, and the gold is also handed over to Anvil for safekeeping before it is divided by the party.Reyu speaks up.  "You are most generous.  But surely, little payment is required.  It was an honor to travel and hunt with someone of your stature."Lord Agasha clears his throat modestly.  "You may consider that another part of my payment to you," he replies, much to the relief of other party members who were not feeling so sanguine about refusing 1,000 gold pieces.However, Lord Agasha is not finished.  "Also, allow me to present you each with a token of thanks and esteem."At Agasha's gesture the servants who were standing behind the party members each produce a sheathed blade, about eighteen inches long.  The handles are wrapped with ornately designed knots and finished with tassels hanging off the ends.  The adventurers graciously accept, and find the blades as well-made as they are beautiful."These are wakazashi," Lord Agasha explains.  "They show all who see them that you are honored warriors among our people."The meal is soon concluded, and most of the party members solemnly belt on their new daggers.  All thank Lord Agasha and their host as graciously as they are able.###That night, Reyu watches from her sleeping mat as Lira takes her wakazashi and carefully slides it into her backpack.  Although the sorcerer prefers to stay away from close-rage combat, Reyu knows she must appreciate the higher quality of Lord Agasha's gift compared to her usual dagger.When she mentions this, Lira shrugs and sighs.  "I know.  And it's lovely, but...  I can't give up my old one."  Reyu assumes that Lira is going to leave it at that but she continues.  "It was a gift from my parents, for my sixteenth birthday."Reyu watches with a quiet nod of understanding as the young human checks to make sure her holy symbol is securely tucked down her nightshirt, crawls into bed, and falls asleep.###The party takes some time to consider their next move.  Now that the business with the ogre and Lord Agasha has been resolved, they are once again free to resume their primary mission of seeking out the archmage of the Kuio valley.Lord Agasha has provided them with a map and although there is no valley so named in the Sovereignty, he suspects they may be looking for a place name known as "The Valley at the Center of the Storm."  On their map it is still called, "The Valley of Untamed Fury.""Those don't sound like the same place," Thatch points out when Lord Agasha explains."What changed?" Lira asks."The valley, apparently," replies Lord Agasha dryly, and that is the only illumination on the matter he provides.The party resolves that they will ride to Seaward, the port through which they lately arrived in the sovereignty, and from there take a ship a small way along the coast to Port at the Mouth of the River of Great Descent (or Descentport), where they can take a barge up the River of Great Descent to the Lake of Exalted Heights.  This plan has two advantages over overland travel.  First, from the Lake it appears that the party will be able to follow another river down to the valley in question.  And second, the Lake is also not far from the Ironroot mines, where the party will be able to redeem the promissory notes issued to them by Gurn Stoneshaper in the mines near Dar Und. Just in case it becomes necessary later, the party also locates the Sharpstone Pass on the map, where Komatsu's monastery is located.  Although they have no plans to pay a visit to the odd missionary, they figure it is good to know where they can find a place to seek shelter in case of emergency. Lord Agasha's son, Lord Hiru agrees to accompany the party to the mouth of the river and help facilitate arrangements for their travel.And so, after resting another day at Lord Fau Meen's estate, they prepare to depart.</blockquote>

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