"Ahh, I see. Well perhaps with Cosette and I along you will find yourself not deceived so easily?" Raqisat offers. "As for what the witch said, your pardon but I was back near the snipers and I did not hear that part. Well then, it would seem the ship is in gave danger the more it is around Amnifortis..."
Aubrey smiles as he responds to Raqisat. "Yes, I suppose we were a bit gullible when we came ashore to rescue that crying woman and her child. Still, if we didn't we might not have had the company of you and Cosette now I think. We will of course have the Empress at a safe distance, at least until we have dealt with the threat of the Burned Knights which I believe we will have to do eventually, but I would prefer it to be sooner rather than later."
Leelan spends on long moment contemplating the remains of the former bandit leader. He takes out a piece of paper and tries to quickly draw the rune he found before it fades away. Though he doesn’t understand its meaning, it could at least be used as reference if they come across something similar later.
His investigation finished, the gnome clears his throat to try and get some attention from his comrades. "Forgive my interruption of this heated debate, but I couldn’t help but notice an unseen residual source of magic on our spontaneous combustion enthusiast over here. It worries me to inform you that these Burned Knights seem to be in cahoots with friends in…ehm…low places." He gingerly picks up the arm of the burned carcass and shows the rune he drew on the page. "As we suspected, this man was sacrificed by his associates as counter-measure to prevent him from revealing sensitive information. The magic used in this spell is tainted with the stench of dark creatures from the lower planes."
He turns his attention to Aubrey. "I would advise patience, my friend. I should hate for us to go looking for trouble beyond what we can handle. These Burned Knights have powerful allies that we cannot afford to underestimate."
"Thank you Leelan. What you found would confirm what the bandit mentioned about the prophet and his witch trafficking with devils. Do not worry though my friend, we will simply gather information for now. When we know more about the Burned Knights we will decide together whether to strike at them, and if we do, we will not take a greater fight than we can handle at a time."He says, laying a comforting hand on the erudite gnome's shoulder.
While still on the discussions about dye with Grugga, Cosette would nod. “Red wine makes for an easy stain, as does tea or coffee. While wine can get us a red/mauve, an’ coffee or tea, a brown, there’s possibility for diluted ink to give off blue, minimum a black. If there’s not enough distinction between a brown and black, berries make for an alternative as well. Depending on the berry a blue or purple or brighter red than wine could be done.” She pats her nose as she thinks. “If we want more vibrant colours, or a yellow to give us our complimentary colour set for mixing, we’d have to find some flora to accommodate. I’d be happy to bounce any knowledge off Leelan if he has notes of the area.”
As for the thorough discussions on the Burned Knights and their decisions on what to do with the boat, there was plenty of great talk and suggestions. While she didn’t have any preference or specific suggestion to push a choice, she did understand the risk that came with any option. Knowing that you can’t prepare for or avoid every risk, Cosette focused on assisting Grugga with solutions while the ‘actual owners’ of the ship ‘decide it’s fate’. “While we may not be able to keep the witch from coming back, the least we could do is take advantage of it being ‘on our turf’ if it happens.” Cos shrugs. “Further prepare the crew for best success by potentially designing an alarm, or some ‘booby traps’ to at least buy some time for any response to a distress signal, once we do have that established.” For an example of an alarm, Cos imagines setting some fishing line with some cans, or even shells, for rattling.
Grugga assists Cosette in making 3 distinct dyes for the flags.
As the topic of devils comes up, Grugga sighs. "It's always more, isn't it? I agree we should be careful. It sounds like these cultists don't have boats right now, and we may have set back their plans to get one in the immediate future, so I think the Golden Empress should be safe as long as she doesn't go too close to shore in Amnifortis. Perhaps we should begin our scouting in the western suburbs and the mons basilicae - if we run into any cultists, it will give us a chance to learn more about them before we get to their main stronghold."
While Cosette and Grugga spend the next 45 minutes cutting and testing coffee and wine dyes on the bedsheets, Furvus follows Aubreys instructions to reconnoiter the river ahead. Overall the flags turn out... pretty good. Even with lots of stain the colors are faint, but it is enough to be able to tell brown from red from a distance.
As Grugga and Cosette are admiring their work, the bird? returns.
[Posting this for everyone under the assumption Aubrey shares it.]
Two small humanoids were gathering water on the western bank of the river just outside the nearest city wall.
Other than that, the river from here to the mouth of the bay is clear of boats, humanoids or other monsters. Under the hot midday sun the city is seemingly empty and deathly quiet.
The city walls are intact and sturdy. Passage into the inner city would need to be via boat on the river or through one of the gates. He could not see any of the gates from above the river so he cannot say if any of them are guarded, or by what if they are.
While he did not see anything dangerous, he notes that the urban forest of the Mastieri Gardens is particularly warped [He finds it quiet charming]and that there are audible calls suggesting large creatures lurking there.
There are/were two bridges crossing the river between here and the river mouth. The northernmost bridge is intact and sturdy. There are a couple of tent-like temporary structures on the bridge but no one is home right now. The lower bridge closer to the mouth is collapsed completely. One of the channels below is still passable but there are large pieces of the bridge sticking out from the depths.
He did not see any 'boat houses' or other structures capable of hiding the Golden Empress. He did see that near the collapsed bridge there is a very large passage draining from under the old city into the river. It might be possible to wedge the boat in there, but it also looks like it might be what you mortals call a 'sewer'.
The same collapse/settling that destroyed the lower bridge has also flooded a portion of the inner city on the east bank of the river. The tops of buildings protrude from a brackish swamp.
Captain Neck also weighs in with her thoughts. She recognizes that the ship belongs to Aubrey's family but in her role as Captain she must take what she feels are the best actions to protect and defend it. The ship should not venture out into the open sea, even for short periods. It has a very shallow keel and any rough seas would risk capsizing it. Otherwise, she will take the boat wherever and whenever you command.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Rohuzar looks at the map as Aubrey shares the report.
"If I may, Lord Goldentide? I suggest ve investigate the bridge vith the tents. Important to know who controls the crossing. The next goal should be St Christopher's Gate. It may give us insight to the disposition of monsters to the Burning Knights."
"Ve start north of bridge on Vest Bank, cross, and investigate. Best not to start in the drowned city until Ve know it can be traveled safely."
"If all goes vell, Ve set a camp near. A place to return to as needed. If it goes badly, Ve return to Empress before it gets too far north."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Aubrey does indeed gather the others in the common room of the Empress, using their map for reference laid out on the dinner table before them, and explaining what his familiar has reported from it's reconnaissance. "I agree, but let us see if we can establish peaceful contact with the small humanoids that was spotted just outside the city wall, they may have useful intelligence for us regarding the current situation inside the city, maybe even pertaining to the Burned Knights." Aubrey says, nodding at the orc mercenary. He then turns to Captain Neck. "Captain, take us south, it seems we are doing some exploring this afternoon after all, be ready to let us ashore on the western bank outside the city walls."
Aubrey would then send Furvus back to the area where it spotted the small humanoids, seeing if they are still there and trying to see if there are others hidden nearby, being a bit wary now of this being another ruse to steal the Empress.
Grugga appreciates everyone's thoughts on beginning the expedition, but he tends to agree with Aubrey. "I wonder who they could be... If they've been living here for a while, we could really use their knowledge of the area and - yes - of the cultists. Small humanoids, Furvus said? Hmmm... Could be Dwarves, maybe? I suppose we'll see soon."
"Speaking of Furvus, how is he doing these days? He's been through quite a lot but he always seems to bounce back... He's from your necklace, right? Has he been in your family for long?"
Aubrey looks a bit surprised at first when Grugga asks him about his familiar. "Yes, indeed, my talisman, I suppose Furvus is connected to it but truth be told I am still learning about it's powers. Suffice to say, Furvus is not from around, doing it's best to take a form which we can recognize and feel somewhat comfortable with. I found it to be quite curious of us and this place. It's mind is quite alien to me though so I admit I honestly couldn't say how it's doing, but it has been a loyal servant to the me and with the proper ritual I will be able to call upon it again, should it meet with another unfortunate ending." He explains calmly with a friendly smile.
The trip back to scout the humanoids on the riverbank is much quicker. Furvus is back after 10 minutes.
Aubrey:
The small figures are what you three-dimensional creatures call 'halflings'.
He can only see the two of them and circling the area did not reveal any others nearby.
They have filled two buckets with clean water.
They also have a sled full of dirty linens with them. They are currently washing those linens in the river. The linens appear stained with gore.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Raqisat has said his piece and is just sitting back and letting the Captain captain as this point. He has mostly grown disinterested in the details of the discussion on where to explore first and such, having mentally thrown in with this lot, for at least the short term, the details didn't matter to him that much. His curiosity is piqued, however, by the talk of the familiar in the captains necklace. Sorry, talisman. He doesn't raise an eyebrow or anything but he mentally checks in a bit more and files the information away. Just in case.
Grugga sits down as the boat heads toward their first goal in Amnifortis. He continues his conversation with Aubrey, but his head keeps turning toward the bank of the river, looking for signs of life.
"He's what they call a familiar, right? There are some really smart artificers who specialize in the creation of materials, but they're stumped on creating these familiars. Some of them posited that Gel-Nagev hasn't revealed the secret to it because it's not an immediate benefit to society - but looking at Furvus I have to disagree. I can only imagine how beneficial a familiar would be. In some ways, Zip is similar, but it's just an approximation of intelligence... there's only so much it can do, although I have managed to get quite creative with it."
As he speaks of Zip, he takes the little creation out of its pouch and begins to perform some routine maintenance on it with a small screwdriver. "So where's Furvus from?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"I'm not quite sure honestly Grugga, I have still a lot to learn about the talisman and Furvus, but as I mentioned, it is clearly not from around and I get the sense wherever it is from is a very different place than thia. I would argue that Zip is everything a familiar is though, you should be really proud of what you have created whereas I merely have inherited my powers."Aubrey says encouragingly.
When Furvus returns, the young noble again gathers the others. "It seems we will be dealing with halflings taking care of laundry."The young noble says with a smile, then proceeds on deck to be ready to hail the halflings as they come within sight of the Empress.
Grugga appreciates the compliment, thanks his friends, and puts Zip back away in its pouch.
He leans back on the railing of the ship. "Halflings doing laundry? Here?" The orc frowns. "I don't remember anyone in Bardstown mentioning anyone living here... the cultists I suppose make sense if they need access to some forges, but just some regular people? That seems odd... I can't imagine why it would be worth staying here... We should be careful, but I still think we should try to talk to them."
He turns to Raqisat and Cosette, "Have you heard anything about people still living in the outskirts of Amnifortis?"He looks back at the shore. "We're not too far off now. This would be an interesting entry in an anthropology book. If you can survive an aberration filled ruin, you can survive anywhere..."
"Cosette and I have been living on the outskirts for the last couple of weeks while looking for the best way in," Raqisat answers with a dash of attitude. "And I assure you, we did laundry..."
"We have met others. Not a lot but a few. But they, too, were explorers and expeditionists, not permament residents," Raq continues. "But it is said that 'Life finds a way.' Even in the harshest environments people are found. Sometimes they are outcasts from more accomodating situations, sometimes they have found unique resources they can tap. I can promise you though, I have never been anywhere people have not..."
"I am not as charming as our Cosette, of course... But if needed, I am available to help talk to them. I do know a little Halfling, if you pardon the expression..."
While finalizing the flags, Cosette would make a last minute adjustment that she believed would further increase and improve their communications. Shapes! This can help ease reliance on colour variations. Square, triangle and an 'M'. Once satisfied with the outcome of the combined efforts of her and Grugga, Cos would prop her hands up on her hips to look over everything with some pride. "Not too shabby fer a new team eh?" She smiles, winks to him and gives him a gentle bump with her hip before they part ways for the next steps and discussions.
While still being quite new to the situation, Cosette focused on listening rather than offering suggestions at this time. She was plenty content to be along for the adventurous ride, offering her assistance as the need for her skills arise. Feeling a little 'cramped' after some work, Cos couldn't sit idle during all of the conversations. She'd find a place with some space within earshot and work on some much needed stretches while she mentally audits the discussion, filing points of interest away for later. Then as if on cue, as Cosette moves into a downward dog position, Brutus decides to join her. "We won't know what type of charm we need 'til we meet them. Prepare to be flexible." Cosette winks to Raqisat before stretching into her next position.
(Earlier, when working on the flags) Grugga smiles at the flags. "Smart! shapes and colors would certainly increase recognizability." He lets them dry and begins writing down the meanings of different combinations to leave with the captain. When he's done, he delivers the 'code' to the captain and inquires after the health of Mr. Howie.
(Later, while they're on the way to the shore) Grugga responds to Raqisat with a bit of wistful wanderlust. "It must be nice to have traveled so far! Until recently, I had only been around northwestern Pentwater and Tucker Hills. My stay in Bardstown was my first time leaving Pentwater. I've read so much of the rest of the world and haven't had a chance to see it... Ah, but we'll be the first to map out the entirety of Amnifortis! We'll be the first to enter places that have been closed to all but monsters for a century! Now there's something to look forward to... Hopefully these Halflings are friendly - most that I've known have been particularly affable, but... who knows."
After a moment of contemplation, he asks Raqisat and Cosette, "what's the most interesting place you've been to? Aside from Amnifortis."
Captain Neck powers up the Golden Empress' frumpf cell and you continue downriver toward where Furvis spotted the halflings.
It isn't long before the majestic walls of the old city loom before you. Huge granite blocks are separated by stacked discs of cut marble, shaped into enormous pillars. These walls and the city within date back to the first empire, more than 1000 years ago. The last century of neglect has done little to mar their beauty and they look as they could hold strong for another 1000 years.
The small structures on either side of the river, outside of the walls, cannot say the same. Less dangerous than the area inside the walls, this area has been picked clean by scavengers. Even mundane building materials like bricks and roof tiles have some value, and most of these structures have been picked clean, some right down to the foundations. Beside a copse of scraggly beech trees, two halflings have retreated up the bank as they watch your approach. They are wrapped in simple brown cloaks and each carries a walking stick - the man a quarterstaff and the woman a shorter stick, more like a cane. When it becomes clear you are headed in their direction, they retreat a little further inland, but not out of sight, and wait to see what you do next.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
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"Ahh, I see. Well perhaps with Cosette and I along you will find yourself not deceived so easily?" Raqisat offers. "As for what the witch said, your pardon but I was back near the snipers and I did not hear that part. Well then, it would seem the ship is in gave danger the more it is around Amnifortis..."
Aubrey smiles as he responds to Raqisat. "Yes, I suppose we were a bit gullible when we came ashore to rescue that crying woman and her child. Still, if we didn't we might not have had the company of you and Cosette now I think. We will of course have the Empress at a safe distance, at least until we have dealt with the threat of the Burned Knights which I believe we will have to do eventually, but I would prefer it to be sooner rather than later."
Leelan spends on long moment contemplating the remains of the former bandit leader. He takes out a piece of paper and tries to quickly draw the rune he found before it fades away. Though he doesn’t understand its meaning, it could at least be used as reference if they come across something similar later.
His investigation finished, the gnome clears his throat to try and get some attention from his comrades. "Forgive my interruption of this heated debate, but I couldn’t help but notice an unseen residual source of magic on our spontaneous combustion enthusiast over here. It worries me to inform you that these Burned Knights seem to be in cahoots with friends in…ehm…low places." He gingerly picks up the arm of the burned carcass and shows the rune he drew on the page. "As we suspected, this man was sacrificed by his associates as counter-measure to prevent him from revealing sensitive information. The magic used in this spell is tainted with the stench of dark creatures from the lower planes."
He turns his attention to Aubrey. "I would advise patience, my friend. I should hate for us to go looking for trouble beyond what we can handle. These Burned Knights have powerful allies that we cannot afford to underestimate."
"Thank you Leelan. What you found would confirm what the bandit mentioned about the prophet and his witch trafficking with devils. Do not worry though my friend, we will simply gather information for now. When we know more about the Burned Knights we will decide together whether to strike at them, and if we do, we will not take a greater fight than we can handle at a time." He says, laying a comforting hand on the erudite gnome's shoulder.
While still on the discussions about dye with Grugga, Cosette would nod. “Red wine makes for an easy stain, as does tea or coffee. While wine can get us a red/mauve, an’ coffee or tea, a brown, there’s possibility for diluted ink to give off blue, minimum a black. If there’s not enough distinction between a brown and black, berries make for an alternative as well. Depending on the berry a blue or purple or brighter red than wine could be done.” She pats her nose as she thinks. “If we want more vibrant colours, or a yellow to give us our complimentary colour set for mixing, we’d have to find some flora to accommodate. I’d be happy to bounce any knowledge off Leelan if he has notes of the area.”
As for the thorough discussions on the Burned Knights and their decisions on what to do with the boat, there was plenty of great talk and suggestions. While she didn’t have any preference or specific suggestion to push a choice, she did understand the risk that came with any option. Knowing that you can’t prepare for or avoid every risk, Cosette focused on assisting Grugga with solutions while the ‘actual owners’ of the ship ‘decide it’s fate’. “While we may not be able to keep the witch from coming back, the least we could do is take advantage of it being ‘on our turf’ if it happens.” Cos shrugs. “Further prepare the crew for best success by potentially designing an alarm, or some ‘booby traps’ to at least buy some time for any response to a distress signal, once we do have that established.” For an example of an alarm, Cos imagines setting some fishing line with some cans, or even shells, for rattling.
just an unstable unicorn.
Grugga assists Cosette in making 3 distinct dyes for the flags.
As the topic of devils comes up, Grugga sighs. "It's always more, isn't it? I agree we should be careful. It sounds like these cultists don't have boats right now, and we may have set back their plans to get one in the immediate future, so I think the Golden Empress should be safe as long as she doesn't go too close to shore in Amnifortis. Perhaps we should begin our scouting in the western suburbs and the mons basilicae - if we run into any cultists, it will give us a chance to learn more about them before we get to their main stronghold."
While Cosette and Grugga spend the next 45 minutes cutting and testing coffee and wine dyes on the bedsheets, Furvus follows Aubreys instructions to reconnoiter the river ahead. Overall the flags turn out... pretty good. Even with lots of stain the colors are faint, but it is enough to be able to tell brown from red from a distance.
As Grugga and Cosette are admiring their work, the bird? returns.
[Posting this for everyone under the assumption Aubrey shares it.]
Captain Neck also weighs in with her thoughts. She recognizes that the ship belongs to Aubrey's family but in her role as Captain she must take what she feels are the best actions to protect and defend it. The ship should not venture out into the open sea, even for short periods. It has a very shallow keel and any rough seas would risk capsizing it. Otherwise, she will take the boat wherever and whenever you command.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Rohuzar looks at the map as Aubrey shares the report.
"If I may, Lord Goldentide? I suggest ve investigate the bridge vith the tents. Important to know who controls the crossing. The next goal should be St Christopher's Gate. It may give us insight to the disposition of monsters to the Burning Knights."
"Ve start north of bridge on Vest Bank, cross, and investigate. Best not to start in the drowned city until Ve know it can be traveled safely."
"If all goes vell, Ve set a camp near. A place to return to as needed. If it goes badly, Ve return to Empress before it gets too far north."
"Any thoughts?"
Paladin - warforged - orange
Aubrey does indeed gather the others in the common room of the Empress, using their map for reference laid out on the dinner table before them, and explaining what his familiar has reported from it's reconnaissance. "I agree, but let us see if we can establish peaceful contact with the small humanoids that was spotted just outside the city wall, they may have useful intelligence for us regarding the current situation inside the city, maybe even pertaining to the Burned Knights." Aubrey says, nodding at the orc mercenary. He then turns to Captain Neck. "Captain, take us south, it seems we are doing some exploring this afternoon after all, be ready to let us ashore on the western bank outside the city walls."
Aubrey would then send Furvus back to the area where it spotted the small humanoids, seeing if they are still there and trying to see if there are others hidden nearby, being a bit wary now of this being another ruse to steal the Empress.
Furvus perception: 13
Grugga appreciates everyone's thoughts on beginning the expedition, but he tends to agree with Aubrey. "I wonder who they could be... If they've been living here for a while, we could really use their knowledge of the area and - yes - of the cultists. Small humanoids, Furvus said? Hmmm... Could be Dwarves, maybe? I suppose we'll see soon."
"Speaking of Furvus, how is he doing these days? He's been through quite a lot but he always seems to bounce back... He's from your necklace, right? Has he been in your family for long?"
Aubrey looks a bit surprised at first when Grugga asks him about his familiar. "Yes, indeed, my talisman, I suppose Furvus is connected to it but truth be told I am still learning about it's powers. Suffice to say, Furvus is not from around, doing it's best to take a form which we can recognize and feel somewhat comfortable with. I found it to be quite curious of us and this place. It's mind is quite alien to me though so I admit I honestly couldn't say how it's doing, but it has been a loyal servant to the me and with the proper ritual I will be able to call upon it again, should it meet with another unfortunate ending." He explains calmly with a friendly smile.
The trip back to scout the humanoids on the riverbank is much quicker. Furvus is back after 10 minutes.
Aubrey:
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Raqisat has said his piece and is just sitting back and letting the Captain captain as this point. He has mostly grown disinterested in the details of the discussion on where to explore first and such, having mentally thrown in with this lot, for at least the short term, the details didn't matter to him that much. His curiosity is piqued, however, by the talk of the familiar in the captains necklace. Sorry, talisman. He doesn't raise an eyebrow or anything but he mentally checks in a bit more and files the information away. Just in case.
Grugga sits down as the boat heads toward their first goal in Amnifortis. He continues his conversation with Aubrey, but his head keeps turning toward the bank of the river, looking for signs of life.
"He's what they call a familiar, right? There are some really smart artificers who specialize in the creation of materials, but they're stumped on creating these familiars. Some of them posited that Gel-Nagev hasn't revealed the secret to it because it's not an immediate benefit to society - but looking at Furvus I have to disagree. I can only imagine how beneficial a familiar would be. In some ways, Zip is similar, but it's just an approximation of intelligence... there's only so much it can do, although I have managed to get quite creative with it."
As he speaks of Zip, he takes the little creation out of its pouch and begins to perform some routine maintenance on it with a small screwdriver. "So where's Furvus from?"
"I'm not quite sure honestly Grugga, I have still a lot to learn about the talisman and Furvus, but as I mentioned, it is clearly not from around and I get the sense wherever it is from is a very different place than thia. I would argue that Zip is everything a familiar is though, you should be really proud of what you have created whereas I merely have inherited my powers." Aubrey says encouragingly.
When Furvus returns, the young noble again gathers the others. "It seems we will be dealing with halflings taking care of laundry." The young noble says with a smile, then proceeds on deck to be ready to hail the halflings as they come within sight of the Empress.
Perception: 24
Furvus perception: 4
Grugga appreciates the compliment, thanks his friends, and puts Zip back away in its pouch.
He leans back on the railing of the ship. "Halflings doing laundry? Here?" The orc frowns. "I don't remember anyone in Bardstown mentioning anyone living here... the cultists I suppose make sense if they need access to some forges, but just some regular people? That seems odd... I can't imagine why it would be worth staying here... We should be careful, but I still think we should try to talk to them."
He turns to Raqisat and Cosette, "Have you heard anything about people still living in the outskirts of Amnifortis?" He looks back at the shore. "We're not too far off now. This would be an interesting entry in an anthropology book. If you can survive an aberration filled ruin, you can survive anywhere..."
"Cosette and I have been living on the outskirts for the last couple of weeks while looking for the best way in," Raqisat answers with a dash of attitude. "And I assure you, we did laundry..."
"We have met others. Not a lot but a few. But they, too, were explorers and expeditionists, not permament residents," Raq continues. "But it is said that 'Life finds a way.' Even in the harshest environments people are found. Sometimes they are outcasts from more accomodating situations, sometimes they have found unique resources they can tap. I can promise you though, I have never been anywhere people have not..."
"I am not as charming as our Cosette, of course... But if needed, I am available to help talk to them. I do know a little Halfling, if you pardon the expression..."
While finalizing the flags, Cosette would make a last minute adjustment that she believed would further increase and improve their communications. Shapes! This can help ease reliance on colour variations. Square, triangle and an 'M'. Once satisfied with the outcome of the combined efforts of her and Grugga, Cos would prop her hands up on her hips to look over everything with some pride. "Not too shabby fer a new team eh?" She smiles, winks to him and gives him a gentle bump with her hip before they part ways for the next steps and discussions.
While still being quite new to the situation, Cosette focused on listening rather than offering suggestions at this time. She was plenty content to be along for the adventurous ride, offering her assistance as the need for her skills arise. Feeling a little 'cramped' after some work, Cos couldn't sit idle during all of the conversations. She'd find a place with some space within earshot and work on some much needed stretches while she mentally audits the discussion, filing points of interest away for later. Then as if on cue, as Cosette moves into a downward dog position, Brutus decides to join her. "We won't know what type of charm we need 'til we meet them. Prepare to be flexible." Cosette winks to Raqisat before stretching into her next position.
just an unstable unicorn.
(Earlier, when working on the flags) Grugga smiles at the flags. "Smart! shapes and colors would certainly increase recognizability." He lets them dry and begins writing down the meanings of different combinations to leave with the captain. When he's done, he delivers the 'code' to the captain and inquires after the health of Mr. Howie.
(Later, while they're on the way to the shore) Grugga responds to Raqisat with a bit of wistful wanderlust. "It must be nice to have traveled so far! Until recently, I had only been around northwestern Pentwater and Tucker Hills. My stay in Bardstown was my first time leaving Pentwater. I've read so much of the rest of the world and haven't had a chance to see it... Ah, but we'll be the first to map out the entirety of Amnifortis! We'll be the first to enter places that have been closed to all but monsters for a century! Now there's something to look forward to... Hopefully these Halflings are friendly - most that I've known have been particularly affable, but... who knows."
After a moment of contemplation, he asks Raqisat and Cosette, "what's the most interesting place you've been to? Aside from Amnifortis."
Captain Neck powers up the Golden Empress' frumpf cell and you continue downriver toward where Furvis spotted the halflings.
It isn't long before the majestic walls of the old city loom before you. Huge granite blocks are separated by stacked discs of cut marble, shaped into enormous pillars. These walls and the city within date back to the first empire, more than 1000 years ago. The last century of neglect has done little to mar their beauty and they look as they could hold strong for another 1000 years.
The small structures on either side of the river, outside of the walls, cannot say the same. Less dangerous than the area inside the walls, this area has been picked clean by scavengers. Even mundane building materials like bricks and roof tiles have some value, and most of these structures have been picked clean, some right down to the foundations. Beside a copse of scraggly beech trees, two halflings have retreated up the bank as they watch your approach. They are wrapped in simple brown cloaks and each carries a walking stick - the man a quarterstaff and the woman a shorter stick, more like a cane. When it becomes clear you are headed in their direction, they retreat a little further inland, but not out of sight, and wait to see what you do next.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War