Thenmer offers up two more sets of rations to supplement his own food.
"There. Enough food for several hungry dwarfs should see you through"
He hopes that will be enough, being a decent cook is one thing but cooking under pressure of a hungry marauding monster that will kill him if he burns the food might be quite another.
The creature thinks for a moment. It looks at the food and smells it. "We have a deal." It takes the food with its front legs and flaps its wings a few times before eventually taking to the sky. "If we meet again, be sure to have more of the good-smelling food." It then flies off, leaving you behind.
Upon seeing the creature leaving, the woman backs away from the window from which she watched everything. She goes down and unlocks the door. "Thank you very much," she says as she gets out, "do come in please, let me reward you with something for the trouble you took." She holds the door open and gestures for the party to come in.
When the party goes inside, she closes the door behind them. "I assume you came to buy healing potions? That's why most people come here. As a token of gratitude, take this." She picks a small vial with red liquid in it and gives it to Thenmer. "If you want any more though, that will cost you 50 gold pieces. After all, I have to make a living somehow. Will you go back today? You could make it by nightfall if you leave now, but there's also a loft upstairs you can sleep in and leave tomorrow."
(For clarity: the potion of healing is common, 2d4+2 healing.)
Thenmer ponders the events. Viewed correctly everything is a tool to change the world, even a pasty intended to be eaten can be used as a more powerful tool to prevent death than the magics which push at the edge of his mind.
"Thank you kindly. We came not to seek help but to offer it. The townmaster is concerned that with a dragon being seen and the orcs all stirred up and restless you will not be safe here. We have been sent to ask you to come with us to the village for safe haven from these dangers. We have strong dwarf backs to help you carry your most necessary posessions."
He takes the potion and carefully puts it in a pouch.
"Wait, hold on," she says as she pulls Barthrum with the chair back inside. "I'm glad old Harbin thinks of me but he's overreacting, as usual. I'm fine here and will continue to be fine. Even if this Manticore attacks again, I'll be fine. As you can see, it couldn't even break the front door! Besides, I'm not as young as I used to be. Moving to another house at this age... I've gotten attached to this place. To my lovely garden. Chauntea will surely get upset if I leave it behind. I'm staying here."
He tries to calculate the possibilities, the best verbal button to press to achieve what he needs. He realises that he does not know enough of her to make the calculation.
"I think I am a reasonable judge of a door and of stonework. They might have stopped a hungry manticore but I really doubt they would stop a dragon."
He makes a show of looking at the stonework, at the mortar holding it all together. He gives that characteristic sucking air through teeth sound that all skilled workmen make when judging a difficult job.
"I really do doubt if you would last long at all if it was a dragon trying to attack you. I am sorry to say. And a white dragon would freeze your garden in a moment, best for your garden if there is nobody here to tempt it to attack"
"A dragon? Here? What would it want? I doubt it will go all the way here just to attack one old woman and her garden. They say white dragons are great hunters, why would it need to compromise for such a tasteless meal? Listen, you go and tell Harb that I'm all right. If he asks for proof..." she goes to the back of the room and opens a drawer. She takes a sheet of paper, ink and a feather and scribbles a few lines on it. "Give this to him, that should suffice."
D: And what about the orcs? They are pretty dumb, but they at least know how does the door work. If they come they will surely get inside your home and then, god help you! When they came to my home, I've managed to safe only Buzzy and Stinger. They killed everyone else. Staying here is really a bad idea.
"The orcs won't come this far. They never do. Besides, to get here, they have to pass through Phandalin first. If they get here, that would mean Phandalin had already fallen."
D: They never came close to the Forrest either, until they did. They've started to be much more aggressive and started to abandon their strongholds recently. Sooner or later, they will come here.
He thinks this one over for a time, if she will not be persuaded by the facts then there are not many options left to them. Forcing her to leave is not an option, there was little else he could think of which could persuade her that against the new threats her stone walls would be little help. Perhaps only a stark reminder of the reality of death might work.
"Well if we cannot persuade you then that must be that. It is a shame for I heard that your potions were helpful in healing me after the accident and I would mourn your passing. Perhaps if you give us that note for Harbin and also another saying what you wish to be said at your funeral we can then leave you in peace. You are a free woman and if you choose to die here then we will not defy your choice by dragging you away in chains."
Barthrum's eyes go wide as fried eggs, but he stays silent.
As they set on the road he immediately walks up to Thenmer. "That was A W E S O M E! I thought she would smack you for asking the second note about the funeral!"
"It would either shock her with the reality of the danger or it would not. If it did not shock her then there is no harm. If it did then she would come with us"
Barthrum can offer some more rations, but that's about it.
Thenmer offers up two more sets of rations to supplement his own food.
"There. Enough food for several hungry dwarfs should see you through"
He hopes that will be enough, being a decent cook is one thing but cooking under pressure of a hungry marauding monster that will kill him if he burns the food might be quite another.
The creature thinks for a moment. It looks at the food and smells it. "We have a deal." It takes the food with its front legs and flaps its wings a few times before eventually taking to the sky. "If we meet again, be sure to have more of the good-smelling food." It then flies off, leaving you behind.
Upon seeing the creature leaving, the woman backs away from the window from which she watched everything. She goes down and unlocks the door. "Thank you very much," she says as she gets out, "do come in please, let me reward you with something for the trouble you took." She holds the door open and gestures for the party to come in.
When the party goes inside, she closes the door behind them. "I assume you came to buy healing potions? That's why most people come here. As a token of gratitude, take this." She picks a small vial with red liquid in it and gives it to Thenmer. "If you want any more though, that will cost you 50 gold pieces. After all, I have to make a living somehow. Will you go back today? You could make it by nightfall if you leave now, but there's also a loft upstairs you can sleep in and leave tomorrow."
(For clarity: the potion of healing is common, 2d4+2 healing.)
Varielky | Emma
Barthrum is super excited with the success. "We did it! We saved a damsel in distress!"
Thenmer ponders the events. Viewed correctly everything is a tool to change the world, even a pasty intended to be eaten can be used as a more powerful tool to prevent death than the magics which push at the edge of his mind.
"Thank you kindly. We came not to seek help but to offer it. The townmaster is concerned that with a dragon being seen and the orcs all stirred up and restless you will not be safe here. We have been sent to ask you to come with us to the village for safe haven from these dangers. We have strong dwarf backs to help you carry your most necessary posessions."
He takes the potion and carefully puts it in a pouch.
Barthrum nods as Thenmer speaks, then picks up a chair, then another and steps outside to wait for the others.
"Wait, hold on," she says as she pulls Barthrum with the chair back inside. "I'm glad old Harbin thinks of me but he's overreacting, as usual. I'm fine here and will continue to be fine. Even if this Manticore attacks again, I'll be fine. As you can see, it couldn't even break the front door! Besides, I'm not as young as I used to be. Moving to another house at this age... I've gotten attached to this place. To my lovely garden. Chauntea will surely get upset if I leave it behind. I'm staying here."
Varielky | Emma
He tries to calculate the possibilities, the best verbal button to press to achieve what he needs. He realises that he does not know enough of her to make the calculation.
"I think I am a reasonable judge of a door and of stonework. They might have stopped a hungry manticore but I really doubt they would stop a dragon."
He makes a show of looking at the stonework, at the mortar holding it all together. He gives that characteristic sucking air through teeth sound that all skilled workmen make when judging a difficult job.
"I really do doubt if you would last long at all if it was a dragon trying to attack you. I am sorry to say. And a white dragon would freeze your garden in a moment, best for your garden if there is nobody here to tempt it to attack"
"A dragon? Here? What would it want? I doubt it will go all the way here just to attack one old woman and her garden. They say white dragons are great hunters, why would it need to compromise for such a tasteless meal? Listen, you go and tell Harb that I'm all right. If he asks for proof..." she goes to the back of the room and opens a drawer. She takes a sheet of paper, ink and a feather and scribbles a few lines on it. "Give this to him, that should suffice."
Varielky | Emma
D: And what about the orcs? They are pretty dumb, but they at least know how does the door work. If they come they will surely get inside your home and then, god help you! When they came to my home, I've managed to safe only Buzzy and Stinger. They killed everyone else. Staying here is really a bad idea.
"The orcs won't come this far. They never do. Besides, to get here, they have to pass through Phandalin first. If they get here, that would mean Phandalin had already fallen."
Varielky | Emma
D: They never came close to the Forrest either, until they did. They've started to be much more aggressive and started to abandon their strongholds recently. Sooner or later, they will come here.
"I appreciate your concern but I'm afraid I must insist."
Varielky | Emma
He thinks this one over for a time, if she will not be persuaded by the facts then there are not many options left to them. Forcing her to leave is not an option, there was little else he could think of which could persuade her that against the new threats her stone walls would be little help. Perhaps only a stark reminder of the reality of death might work.
"Well if we cannot persuade you then that must be that. It is a shame for I heard that your potions were helpful in healing me after the accident and I would mourn your passing. Perhaps if you give us that note for Harbin and also another saying what you wish to be said at your funeral we can then leave you in peace. You are a free woman and if you choose to die here then we will not defy your choice by dragging you away in chains."
The woman nods. "Good. If you leave now, you can still make it to Phandalin before dark."
Varielky | Emma
Barthrum's eyes go wide as fried eggs, but he stays silent.
As they set on the road he immediately walks up to Thenmer. "That was A W E S O M E! I thought she would smack you for asking the second note about the funeral!"
"It would either shock her with the reality of the danger or it would not. If it did not shock her then there is no harm. If it did then she would come with us"
He replies with cold logic.
You walk the way back. It takes time, but eventually, you make it just a bit after nightfall. You are now back at Phandalin.
Varielky | Emma
"We should inform the Townmaster that the midwife refused to leave her tower and pass him the note she wrote to say so."
He thinks for a moment
"The other note I think we should keep in my house, it will seem strange to him were we to show it."
D: I think we shall wait till morning. Shall we meet at the job board?