Dues for the Dead (DM Lerus)

 Doozey may have felt a tad guilty for volunteering Sagin, but only just. Despite having stayed quiet and calm about the lack of a reply from Derranos, the news still held sway in stoutling's subconscious, spurring him on to maintain the training regiment. For Sagin's sake however, the lessons had been kept fairly simple in the begining. Starting with armor training, Sagin is given the run down on how to not only don the armor without assistance, but even how to do so quickly in a pinch. Though knowing comfort with simply wearing any armor would play a major itself, he eventually moved on to having Sagin practice wielding weapons in it; such as the Sling and Shortsword. Like how to better read the wind and predicting the movement of others in the distance where it came to the sling, bettering his odds of success!

And when it came to shortswords, knowing that melee would be where Sagin would be the weakest, seeing as he was but a simple digger, he kept to three simple defensive formations. Each one designed to moreso to help deflect and open up opportunities for the kobold to escape in a pinch. By the end, seeing Sagin at least a little pleased with himself almost brought out a smile from the the stoutling. And yet with that unshakable feeling of being still seen as captives on at least some level with the Kobold, the urge quickly fades away. He went to bed eventually, trying to take solace in at least having already long since offered Sagin a chance to depart the groups company yesterday morning. Yet, it in many ways remained a cold comfort even for the callused heart of the Ranger. And just before sleep fully took the stoutling, the mind had just wandered back to some of the early days of training to be a Grey Hunter....

Doozey twitched the moment the mental alarm went off. But while his first instincts were to spring up, snatching up Apostle, and face the "threat", the ranger stayed stock still to try and assess the situation. For without the tall tale signs of snarls,  growls, or possibly even the sounds of flesh being rendered, self-discipline and training quickly asserted itself. He would 'try' to keep quiet, to listen, and avoid notice until the stranger tipped more of their hand. In the meantime,  he'd ponder over the 'Red Plume' business.

Stealth: 13.  

History: 16 (If Hunter's Bane would apply: 19)

Troubled by the response to his questions Utar ends his watch and spends a little while longer awake than usual following the change over to Neya and Biscuit.

Still, if harm has come to Derannos and likely Elisande too, Utar reasons that the best he can for them is to ensure that whatever befell them doesn't spread and that whoever brought harm to them is stopped. He can assign guilt to himself afterwards.

Eventually, Utar's soldiering past reminds him of the importance to sleep when you can and he drifts into unconsciousness.

Graxx is beyond pleased and thankful for his new weapon.

Upon seeing the replica blades swirl upon his strike he does indeed think that Tempus was waiting for him to let go of his grudges.

He says aloud... "If I was blinded in battle by hatred then I could have ended up killing my friends.  I thank you Tempus for trusting me with this blessing."

Graxx imagines himself in battle wielding the axe and consciously making the effort to stay away from his friends while fighting.  Practicing again and again in his mind until he drifts off to sleep after watch.

History: 20

Knowing that her friends are just a shout away from ready, Neya feels comfortable with inviting the dwarf to sit with her, "Not at all, have a seat. We're actually freelancers on a personal errand up the coast."

BY THE END OF THE FIRST WATCH

Utar's face shows concern, Graxx's gratitude.

DURING THE THIRD FINAL WATCH

DM's Screen:

@Neya & @Doozey: The Red Plumes is a group of mercenaries who have just recently settled in Phlan by opening a local branch. You have heard the name over the past couple of tendays (downtime) but have not yet visited their HQ in the city. They are originally from elsewhere in the Moonsea Region, so it is not necessarily surprising that they made their way into Phlan if they are expanding. Some have equaled them to the Black Fist in that they seem to act like the city guard in their respective cities, enjoy their power within their walls, and may not shy away from dishonorable acts or immoral behavior should a opportunistic situation arise. They despise thievery and seem to have a stereotypical dislike for halflings. In Phlan, they are acting like a mercenary guild, as opposed to a part of the city guard.

The dwarf nods at Neya as to thank her and then glances in Doozey's direction. Turning her face to look at Neya once more, she speaks: "I am glad to hear that. These Red Plumes have ideas of their own, sister. You'd best stay away from them." She then grabs a piece of parchment from her pack and a piece of charcoal from the campfire. She rights a note on it, folds it, and gives it to Neya.

@Neya:

@Doozey: You do not see the message itself. However, you can tell that the dwarf lady is writing a note, despite her attempt to shield her efforts from your eyes. This also confirms to you that she knows that you are awake.

"Well," she tells Neya, "I must be off. Thank you for sharing your fire and letting me warm myself for a moment. Enjoy the rest of your night, before the sun makes itself known." She winks with that last sentence. With that, she leaves.

(OOC: Barring anything Neya or Doozey want to do in response to this post, we can complete the long rest and move on to the morning.)

Graxx awakes in the morning.

"Morning all hope you slept well."

Graxx brings Tempus's Dogma to his hands once more.

"I'm glad it was a quiet evening.  It gave me time to get to know the axe a bit more.  I know I said this once before but I want to bring it up again.  The next time we face battle be sure to keep a few steps between us.  I'll do my best to be watching out for you."

Graxx smiles.

"So, how did you all sleep?"

(Almost forgot Biscuit was up during Neya's watch)

Though a touch wary, Biscuit had remained dutifully quiet during the conversation, and poorly pretended to be more interested in keeping watch for more surprises. When at last the dwarfess left, the beast padded over to Neya, intending to put a paw on her lap and studying her face for a moment or two, if allowed the time. After which, he hops to try and lick her face before settling down beside her for the rest of the watch. As for Doozey, he still kept up the ruse despite knowing the futility of it up until he could no long hear the dwarf's footsteps. Even then, it took him a couple of minutes to fall asleep again, as his mind had been gently enkindle with questions. 

Perhaps.... Perhaps in the morning there would be answers....

Awakening later that morning, Doozey just kind of sits up in his pallet for a while there just letting the body casually boot itself up. It's not until Graxx poses the question that the mental fog dissipated enough to regard Graxx with a sleepy but weak smile. Though that proves fleeting as the day and night's events catch up. He glances first to Neya with a raised brow, hoping she might confirm some suspicions. But regardless of whether she does so or not, the stoutling wouldn't force her hand. Just simply nod curtly, before turning his attention back to Graxx.

"Eh... Not very restfully, but I'll manage, Mr. Graxx. Mr. Sagin? You aight?" He asked, rising up and looking about for the Kobold. Once he see that he is, Doozey stepped off a ways with Biscuit to perform a less intense version of the bonding ritual. One in which as Doozey gently played his favorite song on his lute and walked a circle with Biscuit until the fey touched mastiff grew transparent and faded into a green mist. But as the mist dissapated, hoping along was none other than Winged Taters, seeming to almost dance to the song for a while, before then eventually fluttering up to Doozey's shoulder.

"There ya are, ya little miscreant. Heh... Ready for Breakfast?" He asked as he wandered back to the others getting ready for the day.

The news Neya received weighed on her mind as the sun rose. This isn't the first time there had been a schism among the Silent Wood, nor will it be the last.

But, with a large amount of them going to Phlan and with the Red Plumes as a front? That is less than a concern and more of a threat.

Feeling Doozey's eyes on her, she looks to the group and gives her report, "We did have a brief visitor last night. They brought some news that I'm still processing, myself. Some very strange movements going on back in town."

When morning arrives, Neya shares some news with the group, although she opts not to delve into much detail at this time. Doozey was partly aware of the visitor's words, and Biscuit could very well confirm her presence, but it seems this conversation is being postponed for now. Utar, Graxx, and Sagin are hearing of this for the first time. The kobold seems unbothered by it.

Sagin shares a few words when addressed directly: "Slept well, yes. Armor kept Sagin warm." With a nod, Doozey then steps away and dedicates some time to summoning Taters to relive Biscuit.

Before the group can depart, Graxx reminds them to try and stay more than just a few feet away from him in battle from now on.

@Neya/@Drache:

Quietly breaking camp, Utar steels himself to share the information granted him by Torm last night.  While he felt correct in not disturbing their preparations for today, he cannot remain silent on what they might be walking into.  CRAP needs to be prepared for the worst. Deciding that for better or worse, this information should be shared with Sagin too, he waits until the party are ready to being travelling before speaking up.

"I need to pass on a warning to you all.  Last night I spoke with Torm, seeking information about Derannos and Elisande.  The response was not...as positive as I would have liked.  I worry that we tarried too long in Phlan and now something awful has befallen them both.  I have no further information than that, but I cannot withhold even this from any of you.  We need to be prepared for the worst and potentially for the fact that whatever has harmed them is still there." 

Doozey stood in silencefor just a few moments, staring at the ground. Then following a sigh, he looks back up to Utar with gaze yet filled with determination. "We've come this far, and I see no reason not to see this through. We... I owe him that much after promising to aid him. And if things are as bad as hinted, we know where we'll need to go next, now don't we?" He asked, hinting at the island.

Then, the stoutling turned to Sagin, grimacing at first, before shaking his head. "Sounds like things are gonna get rough ahead. Unfortunately, the only advice I have for ya is to be prepared to hide in a pinch. I won't ask ya to fight if there's any fighting to be had. But, it'd be appreciated, and... something our dragon we mentioned before might as well, if.. if still alive at least."

Graxx smile turns to a frown.

"That is not good news at all.  Let us continue on as quick as we can.  If something bad has happened... Perhaps we can find signs for who did it.  Although we are talking about Dragons I'm guessing the cult is involved."

@ Lerus

Putting her concerns in the back of her mind until they return to Phlan, she turns her attention to the fate of Derannos.

 "Let's make as few assumptions as possible until we see for ourselves. Otherwise it would be easy to mentally stray." Neya says, "We have a list of malefactors and it could be any of them."

(OOC: I have some internet outages in my area so today’s post will have to be brief/simple - I’m on mobile without access to my desktop tools.)

@Drache: Got it.

The group catches up on some Ill news shared by Utar, which spurs them to leave camp sooner rather than later. The hint of extra freedom included in Doozey’s comments is not lost on Sagin, who nods in agreement. Whether he fully understands the potential danger is unclear. Looking a bit concerned themselves, Graxx and Neya tell the rest of the group it’s is time to go.

The morning “stroll” is a quiet one and the Iron Road proves to be quite empty on this day. Yesterday’s cloudy skies have become denser and darker. The sea breeze is a bit colder as well. 

Soon enough, the sun reaches its apex for the day, albeit behind the cover of clouds. A couple more hours should be enough to reach their destination, so this might be a good time to stop and enjoy a midday meal. 

Once the break is concluded, CRAP continues on. As they approach a bend on the path, they spot in the distance the tiny private pier they once used to board on the ferryman’s raft. Looking into the sea, they also spot the unnamed islet they helped save in the past. This is also the signal post CRAP knows to mark Derannos’ lair, albeit inland instead of toward the sea. 

(OOC: Where to next? Any preparations?)

Utar spends a moment glancing between the two directions the party might head in.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but that island, or rather, its inhabitants, still gives me the creeps. I'd rather poke around Derannos' lair first, although I'm sure it will be our next stop."

"It certainly depends on what we find in Derannos' lair. Either way, by what you reported, we will like not like what we discover." Neya agrees with a nod.

Earlier, Doozey had leveled an incredulous look Neya's way at the mentioning of a 'list'. Yet with little more than a sigh and soft shake of the head, the matter was dropped in favor of progress. Some hours later, the stoutling seemed at least somewhat distracted by the worsening weather, murmuring even at one point, "Ill Omen."

An avenue he might've explored, only to be instead drawn back to the more present conversation.   "It doesn't matter whether we'll like it or not. It has to be done. And if it comes to it, we'll see to those islanders next. Now c'mon. I believe I still know the way." With that, Doozey immediately began trekking towards the lair last he remembered the way without waiting on a response for the others. 

(If a roll is necessary for getting there: 8. Adding the appropriate mods)

Graxx will follow immediately behind Doozey.

Graxx will have his axe in hand in front of him he grips it and thinks of the battle to come.

"Right behind you Doozey." says Graxx.

Graxx will look directly behind them to see if they are being followed.

Perception:  26

(@Ori: No roll needed. You have been there before and you are a ranger.)

Utar shows a preference for heading toward Derannos' lair first and the rest of CRAP agrees. Neya continues to make peace with the likelihood of encountering bad news as Doozey begins to lead the group inland. Graxx keeps an eye behind the group, but only spots Sagin following a few paces back. The kobold seems a bit relieved now that Biscuit is nowhere to be seen.

Before too long, the party arrives at the small lock that marks the dragon's lair. In their first and only previous visit, they had to swim underwater briefly in order to reach the hidden cave in the neighboring hill. There is no reason to expect anything different this time, and the swim will likely be a less pleasant one. The water used to be crystal clear and fish would jump out of it and plop back down. Now, however, the water is opaque and greenish in color. It looks stale and foamy at the edges of the lock.

(OOC: Holding your breath should not be a problem, at least not while you are within the minutes afforded to you by your CON modifiers. However, navigating underwater in the murky water may be tricky. A survival check is needed but may not suffice. A swimming speed will grant you advantage. What are you doing to find your way underwater?)

Taking a closer look at the water, Utar elects not to take a sniff. That seems like a good way to see his breakfast again. 

Turning away from the water, he looks to the others, and then begins to rummage through his pack.

"I think we're going swimming. I don't think it's going to be pleasant. I suspect we could employ a similar strategy to the one we used when we entered the underwater caves being used by the Kuo-toa."

(OOC Utar has two ropes in his pack. I can't remember picking then up but assume it's kosher.)