Erudisia watches as Bell slides her coin across the table and then wanders from the room. For a few moments longer she keeps her eyes on where the oddly dressed woman and Blueschist have left, looking but not seeing, lost in thought.
"Is it not one gold piece, and five silver?" she asks Circe, looking at Bell's singular gold piece. She places a handful of coppers and a dozen silver pieces on the table. If the custom before a shared venture is to give your due to the first who offers to pay for all, then it makes a strange sort of polite sense, and Erudisia will do her best to fit in.
"I'll place this extra half-gold in case my additions are not too generous, and she falls a little short. I hope she won't mind paying almost all her way. Please don't mention it, it's no issue." One foot jiggles. "Mother always said economy is next to ignominy. Though, I've never really understood her meaning of either word."
Erudisia looks to Rogi.
"Is the way to Candlekeep so dangerous, when the drawings of it and its hinterlands are so serene?"
"I confess ... I have not well prepared for danger. I thought it a long trodden path. I am not a wizard, not a warrior, only a dancer with an interest in becoming more than just that."
Bell slides over a gold coin across the table. "I always pay my way, no offense to Circe. Consider it offered for allowing us to ride your fine conveyance, Master Blueschist."
"The pleasure will be mine with so many interesting persons to speak with along the way," Blueschist replies, "but...
“I leave at dawn, and we may complete the transaction in the morning. Until then, good night,” and with a nod to each of you and to Quigosh, he retires to his room.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries //Dev Horndin Curious Critters
Erudisia ... "Is it not one gold piece, and five silver?" she asks, looking at Bell's singular gold piece. She places a handful of coppers and a dozen silver pieces on the table.
"I'll place this extra half-gold in case my additions are not too generous, and she falls a little short. I hope she won't mind paying almost all her way. Please don't mention it, it's no issue." One foot jiggles. "Mother always said economy is next to ignominy. Though, I've never really understood her meaning of either word."
"A generous gesture, to be sure, but I take no coin tonight..."
“I leave at dawn, and we may complete the transaction in the morning. Until then, good night,” and with a nod to each of you and to Quigosh, he retires to his room.
Erudisia ... "Is it not one gold piece, and five silver?" she asks, looking at Bell's singular gold piece. She places a handful of coppers and a dozen silver pieces on the table.
"I'll place this extra half-gold in case my additions are not too generous, and she falls a little short. I hope she won't mind paying almost all her way. Please don't mention it, it's no issue." One foot jiggles. "Mother always said economy is next to ignominy. Though, I've never really understood her meaning of either word."
"A generous gesture, to be sure, but I take no coin tonight..."
“I leave at dawn, and we may complete the transaction in the morning. Until then, good night,” and with a nod to each of you and to Quigosh, he retires to his room.
(This was after Blueschist had left. Mostly it was to make Circe unasked for treasurer, following Bell's lead because I misread their post as Bell giving the coin to Circe, not Blueschist. Made further edits for clarity.)
Responding to Erudisia, Rogi shrugged. "It's not as dangerous as some places, my home city of Baldur's Gate could be more dangerous if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it's still wilderness. There may be wolves or even bears. A pack of hungry wolves is something to avoid. Gibberlings have been seen hereabouts, too. Outlaws will sometimes band together to ambush travelers to Baldur's Gate or to Candlekeep. The Flaming Fist can't keep the roads completely safe. But if we keep our wits about us, and our weapons or spells ready, we should be fine."
Erudisia’s brows furrow. Her father’s guardsman had accompanied her from Caer Callidyrr to Beregost, but she had prevailed on him to return home and watch over her brother, assuming the final stretch was as safe as the countryside she had grown up in. She had wanted to arrive as humble seeker of knowledge, by herself.
Was she so naive, to not have considered dangers on the road?
She thanks Rogi.
”I shall be remaining at the table for a while longer, before retiring. I will take my breakfast in my room, Quigosh, and shall see the rest of you at sunrise. Sleep well.”
Erudisia remains in the common room a little longer, writing letters to be sent via the inn in the morning to her acquaintances and her family, foot tapping in the air the whole while. Her pen strokes are frenetic, her cursive less refined than might be expected of many young ladies of her means and education.
She frets about the dangers of the road. In her room, she enters the hidden space within her dragonchess piece talisman. Within is a modest library and comfortable furnishings. Though she had little use before, she turns to one slender grimoire left on the reading table by her Patron since she was commissioned for this journey to Candlekeep.
By the time Erudisia emerges to sleep, she has learned a strange and Eldritch Blast that channels the wrath of tempestuous elementals. Perhaps this will be enough.
Bell tossed and turned in her bed; her mind going over everything she had said and done that evening. She thought she was being politic and polite but she felt like she had messed it all up. As the hours crept by, she worried what the morning would bring and if she would even be admitted to Candlekeep.
When you arrive to the stables the following morning, after paying your bill for room and board, Blueschist is already prepping his team with the help of the stable staff, to whom he tosses a small sack filled with clinking silver, much to their delight, and before the sun has cleared the horizon, you are off.
The carriage is a well-fashioned affair with dwarven steel axles and wheels, the coach pulled, true to Blueschist’s word, by a team of six beautiful gray percherons with white markings.
As daylight comes, you note that the dwarf is accoutered in leather armor with metal bracers, a helm at his side on the driver’s bench, and a shield, loaded crossbow, and fine-looking gladius also within reach. Yet despite of — or perhaps buoyed by — these preparations, he seems unworried, though vigilant, and keeps up conversation even early in the morning as he drives, speaking with the same sturdy energy as he had the prior evening.
The carriage makes good time, the team maintaining a steady trot, only stopping twice to water the horses, and those with an affinity for natural things find the percherons to be excellent animals. Farms and hamlets pass with ever greater distance between them as the environs of Bergerost dwindle behind you.
Onto the Way of the Lion the carriage turns, and one mile later, beside the well-kept road, you spot a pride of the cats which give the road its name, the huge felines sunning themselves on a broad flat rock overlooking a wide meadow where hundreds of sables and zebras graze in the distance. Through a wood you pass, startling a pack of wolves which break and melt away from the thundering hooves.
Finally, as you leave the wood behind, cresting a rise, the horizon breaks blue as the Sea of Swords opens up before you. The brisk smell of salt water and seaweed fills your nostrils, and you notice a chill in the air that buffets you under dramatic, cloudy skies. The cries of gulls coasting on the breeze compete with the clattering of the percherons’ hooves and the cartwheels trundling powerfully onward.
(OOC: How have you passed the time, some 5 hours since your departure from Bergerost?)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries //Dev Horndin Curious Critters
The tiefling's face scrunched slightly at the proposed bet from Bell, lips set into a light, disgruntled frown. "I'd be sure to, if I knew the rules in their full." Maybe. Possibly. Her nose twitched in momentary self doubt. Well, if there were rules that were unnecessary- or even worse, impedimentary to much needed information?!- there'd certainly be grounds in breaching them, surely...? Even so, she eyed the gold coin and the puzzle it presented, an idea taking to seed in Circe's mind.
"... Very well,"She stated to the departing Bell, before scooping up her gold for tomorrow's exchange and offering a curt nod to Erudisia."And indeed, it would seem to be. My previous offer still stands, if any of our company find themselves short in payment. With your contribution," The frown lessened with the acknowledgement of the woman's generosity, "I've little doubt that any of us shall be found wanting. Until the morning, then." Possessions collected, Circe found her way to her room. Staving off the mounting anticipation of the imminent journey, it took her nearly an hour before sleep was finally found.
-------
The morning came to Circe with haste, and within ten minutes of waking the tiefling washed, dressed, and double checked that her pack was well situated. She loitered with a collection of freshly made hand pies at the stables- courtesy of the innkeeper's cook- and offered one with little fanfare to each of her travelling companions as they found their way from room to carriage.
"Good morning," Coin and an extra pastry were offered to the dwarf in passing, all one and a half gold, before she clambered up onto the seat furthest to the back. Her breakfast was studiously nibbled in an orderly, slow fashion throughout the morning, bites taken in equal measure to her study of the land rolling past, the road, the horses, and her companions.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Juniper Summers in Drakkenheim - Mind and Matter Delphine Bennett in TheDark Below Ilmrae Zolier in Dragon Heist - One Hell of a Summer Loralai Darkleaf in The Storm King's Thunder Eris Tourmaline in An Adventure in the Mountains Circe Somerset in Candlekeep Mysteries
Up with the first rays of the sun peeking over the horizon, Bell groaned and crammed her pillow over her head - wishing she had slept through the night instead of tossing and turning with her thoughts. Now, her brain kicked in and she scrambled to prepare herself for the day ahead. Grabbing the water pitcher and pouring the accompanying pan full of water, she bent and submerged her face until she could no longer hold herself in place. With a gasp, she flung herself back out of the bowl and grab a cloth to blot her face dry. Running her fingers through her hair, she turned to look at her clothes. "This will have to do," she told the empty room as she made a gesture and spoke a word of arcane power Prestidigitation as she cleaned her clothing as best as the magic allowed.
Shoving all her possessions into her pack with a bit of frantic energy, she quickly made her way out to the stables. She spent a few moments admiring the team of horses... much finer than any she had seen in her village and ran a hand along the molding of the carriage frame; noting it's craftsmanship. Master Blueschist was true to his words from the night before. This was a fine carriage and team. Well worth the price.
PRICE!Bell ran back inside to settle her bill before running out as Circe handed out breakfast pasties to the travellers; the smell made Bell's tummy growl in anticipation - which made her blush as pink as a rose - as she accepted the offering with a bow of thanks.
Finally settling in for the journey, Bell slowly nibbled at the pastie which she had wrapped with a cloth from her pack so as to not smudge the pages of the book she soon had her nose in. Time passed and the book lost the battle for attention as Bell stared at the land, the sky, the animals and everything along their path. She sniffed the air and took several long, slow breaths -- savoring this new land and it's hints of exotic 'otherness' compared to her home. The sun rose higher and passed it's zenith and still they rode on.
Bell, never good at small talk, simpley stared out the windows and listened to the others as they passed the time chatting.
The first portion passes perhaps like a toddler’s maiden carriage trip. ‘What’s that?!’, ‘How far from here?’ ‘Is it named for true lions?’ Erudisia thrills to see the answer to that question and the wolves too.
She asks her companions and Master Blueschist about themselves for the main portion of the trip, however, her excitability settling for the largest share of the five hours, until the ocean and the destination come into view. Seeing the sea seems to settle Erudisia further. She is quick to offer that it reminds of her home. Almost never is any person beyond sight of the sea on the islands of Moonshae.
She makes a little prayer, and if they stop for a moment, pours a little water on bread beside the road for the nameless little gods of this coast.
She asks Blueschist if he draws. If he does, thinking little about the need for his eyes to be on the road, she tries to sketch the most interesting features of the landscape as they go, and asks for his critique and input on her pencilled panoramas.
Some hours after all the others have eaten their pasties and long forgotten, Erudisiaunwraps hers from a napkin. She splits it into sixteen pieces and eats one before wrapping it up once more.
“That is delicious,” she says, almost immediately. “Thank you for this experience, freely given without expectation, Bell.” There is something almost ritualistic and rote about the fashion in which she says it, though her smile does reach her eyes and her compliment seems sincere.
Meredith was running slightly late and her personage was more than a little disordered as she hurried down to the carriage, settling in quickly and making her good mornings to the rest of the travellers.
As they set off she introduced herself again in case any of them had forgotten who she was...as tended to happen sometimes...
Much of the journey was spent in gazing out the window and in idle chatter.....at least until the pride was spotted. This was the first time she had seen northern lions and her quill quickly described the variant features distinguishing them from their southern cousins and there was an hour or two after passing them where she filled 12 pages of a notebook with observations.
Malaka was less impressed with her larger relatives and instead made a slow patrol of the carriage interior inspecting each passenger carefully before giving them a headbutt of approval.
" Ms Bell? Where do you hail from? Not as far south as Calimport I believe but...somewhere between here and there?"
Bell jerked upright and froze for a second; finally realizing someone had spoken to her. Blinking behind her large glass lenses, she looked down at Malaka with a smile. "Definitely between."
She twisted more to face Meredith and began a handwaving description of her trek 'in reverse'. "If you go more than 500 miles south from Candlekeep and pass through The Small Teeth range you will get to a crossroad that runs east west. West is Murann which is practically on the coastline. East, the road splits the line between the southern side of Amn and the northern edge of The Forest of Tethir."
She smiled as she recalled her long trek. "The eastward leg was maybe a hundred miles more that the north-south trek to Candlekeep. Past the Tejarn Hills and out of Amn. Past the town of Riatavin and the Shilmista Forest. Then more miles beyond the southern tip of the Snowflake Mountains. There is this beautiful wedge of the greenest nature. Nestled between the southeastern side of the Snowflakes and a mountain fed lake. The lake separated us from The Shining Plains."
She comes out of her memories and looks intently at Meredith and gives a shy grin, "So, you are correct. Not so far south as Calimport nor as far East as the Vilhon Reach and Turmish but, it was quite the trip."
She asks Blueschist if he draws. If he does, thinking little about the need for his eyes to be on the road, she tries to sketch the most interesting features of the landscape as they go, and asks for his critique and input on her pencilled panoramas.
"Haha, well. I am an admirer of the arts, but no. These hands," Blueschist lifts one hand, holding the reins firmly in the other, and rotates the raised palm one way then the other, slowly furling and unfurling his fingers, pondering for a moment -- long enough for Erudisia to notice the heavy calluses of a swordsman, though also, on his middle finger, a callus from long hours holding a pen, "...these hands have little art in them. My training is with this," he says, patting his gladius almost reluctantly, "and in an effort to avoid its use, this mightier weapon, as I have learned over the years." He pulls a fine dwarven quill from a pocket, the kind that is a mere handslength long and holds its ink within it instead of having to be dipped. "But even my writing, though artful in its way -- if one can call clarity in one's correspondence that -- lacks art in the true sense of the word, my lady. I'm sure I could add nothing to your sketches," he says, with a wry though appreciative smile.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries //Dev Horndin Curious Critters
" You are well travelled indeed. And a lovely part of the world I have read.", Meredith smiled slightly.
" The Forest of Tethir? I believe it has a population of Manticores....have you ever seen one?"
Bellsighs, "Sadly, no. I travelled the entire stretch of Tethir part on foot and part riding in a wagon and not a single magical being or creature was sighted.. at least that I could tell."
((Rogi would be spamming Guidance on perception checks but I'm flavoring it as him wearing enhanced goggles.))
Having packed most things the night before, it was simple matter for Rogi to gather the rest of his things and head out. After paying for his stay, his coin purse all the lighter, he had to draw upon it again to pay Blueschist the fifteen silver. If the librarians turn me away again, I'll be in dire circumstances... His skills and talents were not in much demand here but he had armor and weapons, so he could at least earn some gold that way, worst come to worst.
He spent the trip with his crossbow cocked and in hands, peering into the distance with his special goggles aiding in the effort, to catch any attackers or hopefully foil and ambush, but nothing came of it. This had the immense advantage of letting him avoid idle chatter and small talk. Maybe I can craft an item which randomly plays one liners, or something, to obviate the need to participate in this small talk. Then again, maybe not.
Onward you continue. The road, now just above sea level, arcs along a raised causeway between windswept farmlands dotted with gray wooden structures on the right, and tan, pebbly beaches on the left. Hundreds of sandpipers zip away across the wet sand, pursuing each retreating ocean wave to plunder the bounty thus revealed and then scurrying back again to safety as the foamy waters roar forward, in a choreography that bridges long ages.
It is perhaps an hour after noon when Blueschist cries a command and the carriage shudders to a halt. The percherons blow and nicker impatiently, so close to their goal. For they see it ahead, as do you, if you step out of the carriage momentarily to take in the expanse.
There, filling your view above frothing breakers exploding upon the aged rocks beneath it, the great bastion of knowledge you have all traveled so far to reach. Candlekeep. And in person, compared to the tales and illustrations and histories you have studied, it exceeds your wildest dreams.
(OOC: Candlekeep is a formidable fortress that comprises scores of towers of varying heights and styles.The keep's skyline rises high above the huge crag upon which it is perched, with formidable, 50 ft (15 m) tall walls of stone and iron rising indominatably upwards. Its numerous tall towers create a unique silhouette like candles on a cake. A banner bearing the sigil of Candlekeep — a castle with flames — snaps to and fro briskly atop each of them.)
Erudisia watches as Bell slides her coin across the table and then wanders from the room. For a few moments longer she keeps her eyes on where the oddly dressed woman and Blueschist have left, looking but not seeing, lost in thought.
"Is it not one gold piece, and five silver?" she asks Circe, looking at Bell's singular gold piece. She places a handful of coppers and a dozen silver pieces on the table. If the custom before a shared venture is to give your due to the first who offers to pay for all, then it makes a strange sort of polite sense, and Erudisia will do her best to fit in.
"I'll place this extra half-gold in case my additions are not too generous, and she falls a little short. I hope she won't mind paying almost all her way. Please don't mention it, it's no issue." One foot jiggles. "Mother always said economy is next to ignominy. Though, I've never really understood her meaning of either word."
Erudisia looks to Rogi.
"Is the way to Candlekeep so dangerous, when the drawings of it and its hinterlands are so serene?"
"I confess ... I have not well prepared for danger. I thought it a long trodden path. I am not a wizard, not a warrior, only a dancer with an interest in becoming more than just that."
"The pleasure will be mine with so many interesting persons to speak with along the way," Blueschist replies, "but...
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
"A generous gesture, to be sure, but I take no coin tonight..."
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
(This was after Blueschist had left. Mostly it was to make Circe unasked for treasurer, following Bell's lead because I misread their post as Bell giving the coin to Circe, not Blueschist. Made further edits for clarity.)
Things seemingly settled Meredith retired to her room thinking on the eclectic company she was now keeping...
Responding to Erudisia, Rogi shrugged. "It's not as dangerous as some places, my home city of Baldur's Gate could be more dangerous if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it's still wilderness. There may be wolves or even bears. A pack of hungry wolves is something to avoid. Gibberlings have been seen hereabouts, too. Outlaws will sometimes band together to ambush travelers to Baldur's Gate or to Candlekeep. The Flaming Fist can't keep the roads completely safe. But if we keep our wits about us, and our weapons or spells ready, we should be fine."
Erudisia’s brows furrow. Her father’s guardsman had accompanied her from Caer Callidyrr to Beregost, but she had prevailed on him to return home and watch over her brother, assuming the final stretch was as safe as the countryside she had grown up in. She had wanted to arrive as humble seeker of knowledge, by herself.
Was she so naive, to not have considered dangers on the road?
She thanks Rogi.
”I shall be remaining at the table for a while longer, before retiring. I will take my breakfast in my room, Quigosh, and shall see the rest of you at sunrise. Sleep well.”
Erudisia remains in the common room a little longer, writing letters to be sent via the inn in the morning to her acquaintances and her family, foot tapping in the air the whole while. Her pen strokes are frenetic, her cursive less refined than might be expected of many young ladies of her means and education.
She frets about the dangers of the road. In her room, she enters the hidden space within her dragonchess piece talisman. Within is a modest library and comfortable furnishings. Though she had little use before, she turns to one slender grimoire left on the reading table by her Patron since she was commissioned for this journey to Candlekeep.
By the time Erudisia emerges to sleep, she has learned a strange and Eldritch Blast that channels the wrath of tempestuous elementals. Perhaps this will be enough.
Bell tossed and turned in her bed; her mind going over everything she had said and done that evening. She thought she was being politic and polite but she felt like she had messed it all up. As the hours crept by, she worried what the morning would bring and if she would even be admitted to Candlekeep.
When you arrive to the stables the following morning, after paying your bill for room and board, Blueschist is already prepping his team with the help of the stable staff, to whom he tosses a small sack filled with clinking silver, much to their delight, and before the sun has cleared the horizon, you are off.
The carriage is a well-fashioned affair with dwarven steel axles and wheels, the coach pulled, true to Blueschist’s word, by a team of six beautiful gray percherons with white markings.
As daylight comes, you note that the dwarf is accoutered in leather armor with metal bracers, a helm at his side on the driver’s bench, and a shield, loaded crossbow, and fine-looking gladius also within reach. Yet despite of — or perhaps buoyed by — these preparations, he seems unworried, though vigilant, and keeps up conversation even early in the morning as he drives, speaking with the same sturdy energy as he had the prior evening.
The carriage makes good time, the team maintaining a steady trot, only stopping twice to water the horses, and those with an affinity for natural things find the percherons to be excellent animals. Farms and hamlets pass with ever greater distance between them as the environs of Bergerost dwindle behind you.
Onto the Way of the Lion the carriage turns, and one mile later, beside the well-kept road, you spot a pride of the cats which give the road its name, the huge felines sunning themselves on a broad flat rock overlooking a wide meadow where hundreds of sables and zebras graze in the distance. Through a wood you pass, startling a pack of wolves which break and melt away from the thundering hooves.
Finally, as you leave the wood behind, cresting a rise, the horizon breaks blue as the Sea of Swords opens up before you. The brisk smell of salt water and seaweed fills your nostrils, and you notice a chill in the air that buffets you under dramatic, cloudy skies. The cries of gulls coasting on the breeze compete with the clattering of the percherons’ hooves and the cartwheels trundling powerfully onward.
(OOC: How have you passed the time, some 5 hours since your departure from Bergerost?)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
The tiefling's face scrunched slightly at the proposed bet from Bell, lips set into a light, disgruntled frown. "I'd be sure to, if I knew the rules in their full." Maybe. Possibly. Her nose twitched in momentary self doubt. Well, if there were rules that were unnecessary- or even worse, impedimentary to much needed information?!- there'd certainly be grounds in breaching them, surely...? Even so, she eyed the gold coin and the puzzle it presented, an idea taking to seed in Circe's mind.
"... Very well," She stated to the departing Bell, before scooping up her gold for tomorrow's exchange and offering a curt nod to Erudisia. "And indeed, it would seem to be. My previous offer still stands, if any of our company find themselves short in payment. With your contribution," The frown lessened with the acknowledgement of the woman's generosity, "I've little doubt that any of us shall be found wanting. Until the morning, then." Possessions collected, Circe found her way to her room. Staving off the mounting anticipation of the imminent journey, it took her nearly an hour before sleep was finally found.
-------
The morning came to Circe with haste, and within ten minutes of waking the tiefling washed, dressed, and double checked that her pack was well situated. She loitered with a collection of freshly made hand pies at the stables- courtesy of the innkeeper's cook- and offered one with little fanfare to each of her travelling companions as they found their way from room to carriage.
"Good morning," Coin and an extra pastry were offered to the dwarf in passing, all one and a half gold, before she clambered up onto the seat furthest to the back. Her breakfast was studiously nibbled in an orderly, slow fashion throughout the morning, bites taken in equal measure to her study of the land rolling past, the road, the horses, and her companions.
Juniper Summers in Drakkenheim - Mind and Matter
Delphine Bennett in The Dark Below
Ilmrae Zolier in Dragon Heist - One Hell of a Summer
Loralai Darkleaf in The Storm King's Thunder
Eris Tourmaline in An Adventure in the Mountains
Circe Somerset in Candlekeep Mysteries
Up with the first rays of the sun peeking over the horizon, Bell groaned and crammed her pillow over her head - wishing she had slept through the night instead of tossing and turning with her thoughts. Now, her brain kicked in and she scrambled to prepare herself for the day ahead. Grabbing the water pitcher and pouring the accompanying pan full of water, she bent and submerged her face until she could no longer hold herself in place. With a gasp, she flung herself back out of the bowl and grab a cloth to blot her face dry. Running her fingers through her hair, she turned to look at her clothes. "This will have to do," she told the empty room as she made a gesture and spoke a word of arcane power Prestidigitation as she cleaned her clothing as best as the magic allowed.
Shoving all her possessions into her pack with a bit of frantic energy, she quickly made her way out to the stables. She spent a few moments admiring the team of horses... much finer than any she had seen in her village and ran a hand along the molding of the carriage frame; noting it's craftsmanship. Master Blueschist was true to his words from the night before. This was a fine carriage and team. Well worth the price.
PRICE! Bell ran back inside to settle her bill before running out as Circe handed out breakfast pasties to the travellers; the smell made Bell's tummy growl in anticipation - which made her blush as pink as a rose - as she accepted the offering with a bow of thanks.
Finally settling in for the journey, Bell slowly nibbled at the pastie which she had wrapped with a cloth from her pack so as to not smudge the pages of the book she soon had her nose in. Time passed and the book lost the battle for attention as Bell stared at the land, the sky, the animals and everything along their path. She sniffed the air and took several long, slow breaths -- savoring this new land and it's hints of exotic 'otherness' compared to her home. The sun rose higher and passed it's zenith and still they rode on.
Bell, never good at small talk, simpley stared out the windows and listened to the others as they passed the time chatting.
The first portion passes perhaps like a toddler’s maiden carriage trip. ‘What’s that?!’, ‘How far from here?’ ‘Is it named for true lions?’ Erudisia thrills to see the answer to that question and the wolves too.
She asks her companions and Master Blueschist about themselves for the main portion of the trip, however, her excitability settling for the largest share of the five hours, until the ocean and the destination come into view. Seeing the sea seems to settle Erudisia further. She is quick to offer that it reminds of her home. Almost never is any person beyond sight of the sea on the islands of Moonshae.
She makes a little prayer, and if they stop for a moment, pours a little water on bread beside the road for the nameless little gods of this coast.
She asks Blueschist if he draws. If he does, thinking little about the need for his eyes to be on the road, she tries to sketch the most interesting features of the landscape as they go, and asks for his critique and input on her pencilled panoramas.
Some hours after all the others have eaten their pasties and long forgotten, Erudisia unwraps hers from a napkin. She splits it into sixteen pieces and eats one before wrapping it up once more.
“That is delicious,” she says, almost immediately. “Thank you for this experience, freely given without expectation, Bell.” There is something almost ritualistic and rote about the fashion in which she says it, though her smile does reach her eyes and her compliment seems sincere.
Meredith was running slightly late and her personage was more than a little disordered as she hurried down to the carriage, settling in quickly and making her good mornings to the rest of the travellers.
As they set off she introduced herself again in case any of them had forgotten who she was...as tended to happen sometimes...
Much of the journey was spent in gazing out the window and in idle chatter.....at least until the pride was spotted. This was the first time she had seen northern lions and her quill quickly described the variant features distinguishing them from their southern cousins and there was an hour or two after passing them where she filled 12 pages of a notebook with observations.
Malaka was less impressed with her larger relatives and instead made a slow patrol of the carriage interior inspecting each passenger carefully before giving them a headbutt of approval.
" Ms Bell? Where do you hail from? Not as far south as Calimport I believe but...somewhere between here and there?"
Bell jerked upright and froze for a second; finally realizing someone had spoken to her. Blinking behind her large glass lenses, she looked down at Malaka with a smile. "Definitely between."
She twisted more to face Meredith and began a handwaving description of her trek 'in reverse'. "If you go more than 500 miles south from Candlekeep and pass through The Small Teeth range you will get to a crossroad that runs east west. West is Murann which is practically on the coastline. East, the road splits the line between the southern side of Amn and the northern edge of The Forest of Tethir."
She smiled as she recalled her long trek. "The eastward leg was maybe a hundred miles more that the north-south trek to Candlekeep. Past the Tejarn Hills and out of Amn. Past the town of Riatavin and the Shilmista Forest. Then more miles beyond the southern tip of the Snowflake Mountains. There is this beautiful wedge of the greenest nature. Nestled between the southeastern side of the Snowflakes and a mountain fed lake. The lake separated us from The Shining Plains."
She comes out of her memories and looks intently at Meredith and gives a shy grin, "So, you are correct. Not so far south as Calimport nor as far East as the Vilhon Reach and Turmish but, it was quite the trip."
" You are well travelled indeed. And a lovely part of the world I have read.", Meredith smiled slightly.
" The Forest of Tethir? I believe it has a population of Manticores....have you ever seen one?"
"Haha, well. I am an admirer of the arts, but no. These hands," Blueschist lifts one hand, holding the reins firmly in the other, and rotates the raised palm one way then the other, slowly furling and unfurling his fingers, pondering for a moment -- long enough for Erudisia to notice the heavy calluses of a swordsman, though also, on his middle finger, a callus from long hours holding a pen, "...these hands have little art in them. My training is with this," he says, patting his gladius almost reluctantly, "and in an effort to avoid its use, this mightier weapon, as I have learned over the years." He pulls a fine dwarven quill from a pocket, the kind that is a mere handslength long and holds its ink within it instead of having to be dipped. "But even my writing, though artful in its way -- if one can call clarity in one's correspondence that -- lacks art in the true sense of the word, my lady. I'm sure I could add nothing to your sketches," he says, with a wry though appreciative smile.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
Bell sighs, "Sadly, no. I travelled the entire stretch of Tethir part on foot and part riding in a wagon and not a single magical being or creature was sighted.. at least that I could tell."
((Rogi would be spamming Guidance on perception checks but I'm flavoring it as him wearing enhanced goggles.))
Having packed most things the night before, it was simple matter for Rogi to gather the rest of his things and head out. After paying for his stay, his coin purse all the lighter, he had to draw upon it again to pay Blueschist the fifteen silver. If the librarians turn me away again, I'll be in dire circumstances... His skills and talents were not in much demand here but he had armor and weapons, so he could at least earn some gold that way, worst come to worst.
He spent the trip with his crossbow cocked and in hands, peering into the distance with his special goggles aiding in the effort, to catch any attackers or hopefully foil and ambush, but nothing came of it. This had the immense advantage of letting him avoid idle chatter and small talk. Maybe I can craft an item which randomly plays one liners, or something, to obviate the need to participate in this small talk. Then again, maybe not.
Onward you continue. The road, now just above sea level, arcs along a raised causeway between windswept farmlands dotted with gray wooden structures on the right, and tan, pebbly beaches on the left. Hundreds of sandpipers zip away across the wet sand, pursuing each retreating ocean wave to plunder the bounty thus revealed and then scurrying back again to safety as the foamy waters roar forward, in a choreography that bridges long ages.
It is perhaps an hour after noon when Blueschist cries a command and the carriage shudders to a halt. The percherons blow and nicker impatiently, so close to their goal. For they see it ahead, as do you, if you step out of the carriage momentarily to take in the expanse.
There, filling your view above frothing breakers exploding upon the aged rocks beneath it, the great bastion of knowledge you have all traveled so far to reach. Candlekeep. And in person, compared to the tales and illustrations and histories you have studied, it exceeds your wildest dreams.
(OOC: Candlekeep is a formidable fortress that comprises scores of towers of varying heights and styles.The keep's skyline rises high above the huge crag upon which it is perched, with formidable, 50 ft (15 m) tall walls of stone and iron rising indominatably upwards. Its numerous tall towers create a unique silhouette like candles on a cake. A banner bearing the sigil of Candlekeep — a castle with flames — snaps to and fro briskly atop each of them.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
Meredith craned her head to see the entire edifice, " Its larger than the Pashas Palace back home.......how many books are in there?"