"Uh...quite the mount you have there." Dabbert says in regards to Old Ironsides. "You can see the armorers if you would like help with your sword. We have excellent metalsmiths. I'm certain you'll get it back better than it is now."
When Shavaris asks her question, Dabbert shrugs.
"Don't know yet. Uh...initial reports are that there is some sort of construction going on. Looks organized. Hard to know if its from Nockmaar or the Black Crag Mountains or, well uh....I dunno. That's what they're paying us to find out. Barrack should be able to help you with your survival skills. He does much of our training here in the Skullsplitters. Grew up Living off the land in the Soul Wood. He knows alot."
____________
The next morning, Dabbert listened to Aoe's questions and rubbed his chin.
"I uh...I'm not a morning person." He says, looking bleary eyed and bedraggled. "You folk keep asking about it. I don't know what we're getting in to yet. It uh...when our spies were taken prisoner by those goblins, it kinda broke our chain of intelligence. I'll just have to see what's what when we get there now, I imagine.
As for who to help you with your spellcasting...well, that would be A******. He don't look like much but uh...he's quite good with arcane warfare. You should see if he can help you. But now if it's sword play, I'd say Ecks."
He points to the huge Goliath towering over everyone near the mess tent.
"He's uh...a kitten. I promise."
Dabbert's eyes betray what he just said. Ecks is clearly a force of nature with one purpose; to rend bodies asunder.
__________
There is a night on the third day where Dabbert, Ecks, Dabsin, and a few other observers, including the freed spies, are rehashing, once again, the events that took place in the Bossack Hole. The story has been told the same way twice now, but Dabbert is really having a hard time wrapping his head around the report while he discusses with his closest council what all of it means.
"Uh...Holy Tetrea." He says, massaging his temples with his fingers. "So we've established that they clearly said Blix. And that they were wanting to go home. And that Blix was home. But Blix's home should be with the Lord of Darkness at the Deku Tree. I...don't understand...then...uh...what Blix is doing in the Labyrinth if he isn't trying to muster Jareth to the cause. That doesn't make sense."
One of the spies, a man who has become known to the Dawn Guard as Duncan, shrugs.
"It's like I said." Duncan starts, "That Bugbear kept talking about going home. I'm confident he meant back to the Labyrinth. I think they had been robbing in order to get the supplies they needed to get to the port. But they never spoke of fighting for Blix, or against him. It was all about going home, and something about Blix being home. And something I couldn't understand about Jareth."
"Sir, I feel like my goblin is pretty good, and even I couldn't understand what was happening." The other spy, Riordan, chimed in. "Their dialect was off. It's not like the goblin folk of Fantasia. They were quite hard to understand. Still, I really think Atreyu needs to know about this."
“I keep being told you are the one to speak to in the endeavor or discussing war casting… I can practiced some arcane traditions, but this is my first time in life in need of formal training in the mixing of the two.”
Aoe pulls out his quarterstaff and his stage shield, “perhaps you should show me some pointers? I wish to perform a green flame blade cantrip while my hands are full, as well as learn how to perform this magic reactively”…
“Come on A, do what you can for auryn… help me learn this vital talent… I am sure to put it to good use in defense of the realm.” (Persuasion)
Johnathan is reluctant to go hunting with Shavaris and Ralik. It wasn’t something he liked showing off in front of other people. It just reminded them what he truly was. But he sees how eager they are to get away from the platoon so he agrees. On the hunt they manage to catch a boar. As he finishes his meal he turns to see Shavaris looking spooked and defensive. He notices the weapons in her hands and looks to see what she has spotted. He sees nothing. Shavaris, what is it? I don’t see anything. What’s going on?
After this is resolved they return to camp and continue on there journey. For the next day of travel Johnathan has grown inpatient with the platoon.These soldiers are up to something and I ain’t gonna find out by sticking my noise in a ritual book. It’s time I got some answers. Johnathan splits from the group and calls upon his shadow powers to disguise himself. He gives himself the face of a commoner he saw in the ivory tower but with the platoon uniform. For the rest of the day he uses this disguise to walk among the soldiers, listening in to conversations and trying to fish for more sensitive information.
Deception (for disguise). 22
When the sun sets on the third day Johnathan notices the spies having a conversation and listens in closely to see what they were plotting. As he hears the name lord of darkness Johnathan freezes in disbelief. The lord of darkness! HOW DO THEY KNOW WHERE HE IS? He approaches the soldiers and immediately drops the disguise. He didn’t care if they saw this, he wasn’t thinking straight. You have been lying to us!!! For days we travel with you and you didn’t think to tell us this! He is in such a rage he doesn’t realise he is shouting to these soldiers. I knew you were holding out on us. A labyrinth? Jareth? The Deku Tree? THE LORD OF DARKNESS!!! What else are you hiding. Johnathan is clenching his fists in rage and his face has gone red with all the shouting. He can’t believe that they would deceive the band like this.
While they are out hunting, Johnathan notices Shavaris as she sees the woman, "There, don't you see her?" she points to the woman with her rapier and looks to Johnathan when she asks. When she looks back, the woman is gone. "I...I thought I saw someone, I guess I was wrong. Sorry, sorry for troubling you."and she walks back to the party with her head down.
During the time they are camped, Shavaris finds Barrack within the midst of the company. "Hi, the name is Shavaris, Cap over there pointed me in your direction, I was hoping you could help train me in survival? I hear you know a lot" and she gives him a wink, hoping it'll help win him over.
On the evening of the third day while Cap and his crew start deliberating about the goblins they had found, she thinks hmmm... apparently they had stumbled on more then they had thought. Well, they aren't getting the treasur.....what the hells?? Shavaris's mouth drops open and the water skin she was drinking from falls on the ground, spilling everywhere as Johnathan comes out of nowhere and screams at their hosts. She is utterly dumbfounded.
There is a moment where at least six or seven soldiers from the Skullsplitters either laugh or look confused, pointing at Johnathan as he comes out of his disguise after having spent the better part of the day wondering where this newcomer came from.
"I knew there was something weird about that guy!"
Suddenly there were at least twenty sets of eyes on Johnathan as he had his outburst. There were confused looks. There were angry looks. Two soldiers stood up and just left, not wanting any part of this spectacle of drama.
"Who has been feeding that guy?" Dabsin says, her smart alec remark eliciting a chuckle from Ecks, who then starts to stand up and disperse whatever issue is brewing. Dabbert reaches out, laying his hand on Ecks arm before the Sergeant can stand.
"I uh...What?" Dabbert says, confused. He looks around, his eyes locking with Dabsin's for a moment, and then Ecks's, and then, of all peopel, A******, who, it turns out, actually has a real name; Daxter Arcfare. "What uh...what did we lie about, Jernagin?"
Dabbert stands, not even realizing he has butchered Johnathan's name.
"We uh...haven't exactly been hiding this conversation." Dabbert continues. He holds his hands out, like he's presenting something to Johnathan. "Maybe you've been in the forest in the evenings when we've talked about this but uh...we haven't hidden anything from...any of you."
He motions around the fire circle, making sure to make eye contact with all of the Dawn Guard.
"To be frank, there isn't some scheme amongst us to hide anything from your band." Dabbert says. His eyes shift from Johnathan, to Kerwyn, to Ralik. "I don't know exactly what your mission is, though if it was given to you by the Childlike Empress I can only imagine it is of extreme importance. Why then, uh...why would we hide anything from you? Your success is directly in line with our own, as is the will of the Empress. To think otherwise is uh...well, it's ridiculous."
Dabbert shrugs, then sits back down, his eyes resting on Johnathan's again. One of the spies has tried to speak up, but Ecks has one of his giant fingers pointed at him, a silent command to keep his mouth shut. The Captain's demeanor changes some. He still looks sincere, and keeps his tone respectful, but what he says next is blunt and direct.
"I have accepted that your ways are different. We will not be rehashing the tensions we've already seen because of the execution of the Bugbear, but we do not condone unnecessary killing. Regardless of that, we have accepted you and brought you into our Platoon to travel with us. We have provided fellowship and offered protection. We've given you travel guidance and have helped you hone weapons and skills. We want you to succeed, to be safe, and find your happiness and purpose in life. I won't say I'm offended by your allegation, Jernagin, but I uh...I guess I'm disappointed. Please, let's be done with this conspiracy theory before you get embarrassed."
Nearby, A****** is nodding his head. Dabbert looks at him, points at him, and makes a final comment.
"Never thought that'd happen but for the first time every A****** agrees with me."
The Dwarf started cursing, stood up, and walked away.
Dabbert tossed his hands up in mock exasperation and then shook his head.
Kerwyn asks Dabbert to lead him to the metal smiths about his great sword. “Thank you, I appreciate the help.”
Kerwyn is riding along on Old Ironsides, tapping out a little tune on his shell when Johnathan rolls up screaming at their hosts and allies. He looks over at Shavaris and Aoe, points at Johnathan, makes a silent pantomime of rolling up wacky weed and smoking it, points back at Johnathan and gives a questioning look to them.
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A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Aoe and Daxter get along like good pals. Aoe is uncomfortable with sparring, but training with someone who is both skilled as well as willing to play down to his skill level, or just above it slightly in fact, speeds up his improvement. Over the 4 days together they get 2 hours of training in each day, and Aoe shares some some stories and song with Daxter and anyone else who is listening.
Ralik properly introduces himself with the usual verbal regalia standing a top the massive Dire Ostrich Running Bird who also caws out when Ralik gives out his "OAH OAH". He leaps off the back of the avian with a spinning summer-sault assisted by his magically enchanted boots. He more glides down and lands, seeming light as a feather. He touches down gently in a pose, on the balls of he feet which where in line, his left arm across his torso, his right elbow resting on the left hand and right hand cradling his chin in a soft fist. In a flash his swords are in his hands and out wide to either side. He opens his hands, but instead of dropping, the swords magically shunt away from sight in a twinkling moonlit blip. He bows. "At your service."
Ralik welcomes any response he gets warmly, weather it is cheers, laughter, or indifference. Later he notes Shavaris' discussion, a silent bystander until she introduced herself, to which he added "And I and Ralik Two Knives, I too, would like to learn more from you Brother Barrack, if you'll have me." He liked this group of ruffians despite his initial encounter. In moments alone or when not engaged with those around, he saw Ghomkk's face. Defenseless, pitiful, and surrounded by his dead friends. Ralik snapped out of it when he noticed the more important of the platoon gathering. He joined, going where he pleased and never seeking any permission until told to halt. Of course re respected obvious personal accommodations.
They were having a meeting. Apparently the goblins had good information. It pained Ralik, who's brow furrowed and face winced at the memory. He was wrong. His choice was wrong. He pushed through it and let out a breath of forced acceptance. He would have to deal with it later he decided. What was done is done. As if on cue, Johnathan burst out. Ralik felt some what familiar with what he was feeling. Maybe they did not lie, but they made no effort to fully come forth with information they thought would be helpful. Ralik's doubt were put to rest when the commanding officer then addressed Johnathan with a genuine retort.
Ralik steps forward to address the lot "Listen as I speak brothers. On the subject of Ghomkk the Bugbear of Bosak Cave. I was wrong. The land where I am from, the goblin kind are feral and rarely show anything other than ill intent. What I saw in that cave was nothing like I have seen. I could not reconcile it, and I made the wrong decision. I harbor no ill will to the scouts or your soldiers, and I accept judgement by you, and by my goddess.I see honor in you and yours." He looks to Johnathan. "I see honor in many strange places." He stand with arms out in acceptance of judgement.
Johnathan calms down as he closely observes the body language of the soldiers that are seeming confused at his sudden outburst. He is checking for signs of deceit or dishonesty. As the captain finishes his speech Johnathan is about to have at them again when Ralik appears, looking quite guilty and shameful. Johnathan listens to Ralik side of the story. You did the right thing. Why are you trying to defend these lies? Johnathan has heard these parties speak and considers the facts. Well, they may not be telling me everything. But they weren’t exactly hiding this conversation either. I DID separate from them during the evenings. Johnathan returns to the conversation at hand, still looking quite cross at the captain. Ralik, please put your arms down. You have nothing to be sorry for. I don’t know what tale your soldiers told you so I’ll clarify. This “good” bugbear tried to kill us. It captured you men, stole from the people and would have continued if we didn’t stop it. The only reason that thing was begging for mercy was so it could continue to hurt innocent people and serve Blix. He pauses for a moment as the others sink in this information.
Johnathan continues speaking with the captain. Well, I hope that is the end of this matter. Secondly you can’t be surprised that I am shocked that you had this information. We saw the herald of the Childlike Empress about a week ago and we were told NONE of this intel. So do you have information that the Childlike Empress doesn’t? I trust the Empress a lot more than I trust you.
And to be quite direct, I never heard of your platoon. The others may blindly accept your word but I will not. A platoon doesn’t just appear out of no where with all the information and training we could possibly want. It’s too good to be true, so hey I don’t trust the skullsplitters. Also as another point I don’t care if you are disappointed in me, it’s not my job to gain your approval. I’m here to stop real evil and if you are gonna whine over ever goblin death then you are just gonna hold us back.
With that Johnathan turns around, without even giving the soldiers any time to respond, and head over to the rest of the band. Johnathan looks over Kerwyn doing some weird motion with his hand. He gives him an inquisitive look but brushes it off. He leans in close to the rest of the band and whispers, Listen, I heard some interesting facts while “scouting” today. Apparently there are goblins and orcs west of the keep that the platoon are heading towards. They might be heading over to Eternia, but I can’t know for certain. Once more these monsters are working for queen Bavmorda, an enemy of the Empress. The platoon is gonna head east to the keep afterwards, but they seem kinda scared of that place. I know some of you trust them but be warned, they are holding stuff back. With that Johnathan heads straight to his tent away from the platoon where he waits until morining.
Once the show is over Shavaris sits in stunned silence for a few minutes, trying to let it all sink in. Unless something of note happens at the camp afterwards, she is oblivious to the commotion that happens afterwards. She gets up and follows Johnathan to his tent. She opens the flap without a word and gets in without invitation. "So. You're correct in the fact we have been blindly believing them in their claim to be with the Emperess. You're correct in the fact we should be more careful. You're correct in being guarded and trying to understand them before joining them as we did. I would say you're not correct in how you found the information, disguising yourself as the lie you did, but eh, it got results. I have no issue with that."
She is sitting on her haunches looking at Johnathan as she tries to think outloud with what is going on. She continues, "You say they are heading West for the goblins and orcs that may be heading to Eternia? Well, I was originally thinking we should join them a bit to honestly help them after their help with training, but now, shit that's all by the wayside. West is the direction we want to go, so join them in that fight? Then continue on our way? Maybe gleam more information from them as we go? Especially now that they know they should be sharing more than they have been."
she fully sits now, and wraps her arms around her knees. She blows out a long breath and looks up at him. "What do you think?"
Dabbert nods and opens his hands, a gesture of 'what do you do', in its way. He listens to Ralik, then contemplates for a moment.
"Being a soldier is all I've known my adult life." Dabbert said, looking down at the ground while he spoke in reply to Ralik. "It's easy to be caught up in the moment, to uh...allow yourself to be overwhelmed with fury, or blood lust, or uh...whatever you want to call it. What's the uh...the phrase?"
"Shit happens." Ecks chimed in.
"Shit happens." Dabbert nodded, confirming. "We aren't here to judge. We are here to carry out our mission."
Dabbert listens to Johnathan and sighs, and then wipes a hand down his face before looking down again, not meeting the other man's accusatory gaze. His voice, though, was stern.
"I uh...I'll make this clear for you. We learned this from our reconnaissance team." Dabbert motioned to the two spies that had been freed from the captivity of the goblins, even as Johnathan walks away. "We've talked about what they learned, and...well uh...this where we are. Or not. Nevermind."
Dabbert pauses and takes a deep breath. It's obvious now that he is annoyed. He stands and runs his fingers through his hair then addresses the rest of the Dawn Guard.
"I'm uh...I uh...huh." Dabbert says, taking another deep breath. "If he doesn't want to be here, he doesn't have to be. I'll make this easy for him. I'm sorry, but I think it's best if our teams part ways at first light. Please, gather your friend and go."
He starts to step away, then stops, resting a hand on Ralik's shoulder.
"Making mistakes is what makes us mortal." He says in his best attempt to be warm and comforting. "Learning from them is what makes us wise. Growing into wisdom makes us worthy."
Dabbert said nothing else. He simply walked off to his tent.
Before the meltdowns and accusations occur, Kerwyn takes advantage of the opportunity to work with the metal smiths of the crew to sharpen his great sword further, work on the handle and grips, hone the blade. He feels that he may be better on the front lines of future combat with the group and he wants to make sure that he is battle ready. The rest of the time as they travel over the next couple of days, he continues to work with Old Ironsides.
An additional 16 hours of training on top of what we have done, all put into increasing his animal handling skill, for use with Old Ironsides.
Kerwyn is sitting atop Old Ironsides as he hears the meltdown occur. He’s busy polishing his shell and scratching him in all the places that he likes. His first thought is Whoa, what kind of berries has Johnathan gotten into? Wait, he doesn’t eat berries, he eats things with blood, that’s right. Where is this paranoia coming from? Something is amiss. He watches as he has his say, then storms off to his tent. That reminds me of a hero that I read about before….
Kerwyn stands up and walks over to Dabbert and Ralik before Dabbert leaves and says “I am sorry, I have to apologize for my traveling companion. I sense no evil or prevarication from you or your company. Perhaps that means that you are really good and I’m just a fool, but I doubt it. We have similar paths and goals, but it appears that we must part ways, our destiny lies on a different path. I would like to alert the other Auryn bearers of any other knowledge that you might have that will help us ALL on our quest. Is there anything else that you would share?” (After he has heard him speak, Kerwyn nods and thanks him). You see Kerwyn kneel on the ground, hold his hand on the Auryn medallion and concentrate, reach out in his mind, focus and relate all of the events that have happened this far and knowledge that he has, trying to reach the other medallion bearers to let them know. The last feeling that he has to impart with his communion with the medallion is one of unity, peace with others, and healing.
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A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Morning came, and the sun rose again..****y...this time...there were two of them. The first sun came up over the horizon like normal and its golden light began to heat the world and burn away the dew that had fallen on the Skullsplitters's encampment. Dabbert and his men were saddled and had the majority of their equipment packed and in wagons or on mules before the second sun crawled into view. This one, a burned rose color, followed behind its brother as they slowly traveled up the sky toward their apex some hours away.
The Skullsplitters all gawked at this, unsure of what to make of the spectacle. There was a lot being discussed amongst their ranks, but they'd made sure to separate themselves from the Dawn Guard before having these conversations. They were still making uneasy eyes at Johnathan as they discussed.
Dabbert finally gave the order to go, giving the Dawn Guard one final wave, before trotting his horse to the head of the column and mowing up the road toward the north west.
For the Dawn Guard's part, nothing much happened that day. Things were quiet and the road was safe, all would-be ne'er-do-wells having been dispersed by the recent passing of the Skullsplitters. A full day's travel brought them to the intersection of the west bound road to Timber Place.
Aoe watches the dual suns rise, watching the second chase the first… worried, he allows the moment to wash over him, not denying the sensations it arose in him.
”the mare is now staring it’s death in the face
Dawn and Eternia forward we race
guarding the light from the cover of night
Shinning the love of heavenly sight.”
….
Aoe leaves his tent and joins the others, placing his gloved hand on john’s shoulder…
”see the suns? We should hurry fellow dawn guard”
whej the opportunity presents itself, Aoe takes Johnathan to the side, “
“and Johnathan dear, I love the passion, really do, but we always have a possible choice to keep our thought to ourselves, and talk it over when there aren’t strangers around..
. I’m sorry for whatever makes you get so heated about the topic, but not everyone has to be on our side to be of help to us in this journey… in fact, most people are just living their simple lives, with simple goals and simple fears… do not put hope on anyone understanding the test we have been given the burden of, or that anyone would think we are deserving of trust or honor. We walk alone, into the mysterious dawn we presume to be guarding”
…Aoe gives his a warm smile, Hoping he would share his plights and frustrations, if only to get it off his chest, a release valve of sorts.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Johnathan sits in silence in his tent as Shavaris talks about future plans. He watches her speak about the platoon and how they should act next, but Johnathan wasn’t think straight. He remains quite for an unnatural amount of time.
It was until his eyes looked with Shavaris did he break the tension. I’m… sorry you lot got involved. I didn’t mean for my emotions to get the better of me. He sighs as he looks around in his tent, desperately trying to break the eye contact. I lost control. After all my discipline and values I still lost myself to my rage. He looks back at Shavaris. I…. he stops midway through the sentence. He waits a few more moments before continuing. As you can tell the lord of darkness is not a topic I talk about likely. You see, he’s servants played a part in forcing this condition on me, so I generally don’t trust those that have any connection to him. I don’t know what we are gonna do next. He stops talking. Shavaris can see that he looked tired, more than usual. It’s seems that this whole argument with the platoon took alot out of him Anyway, thanks for the talk, but I think I am gonna go sleep now, we can discuss this more in the morning. With that Johnathan gestures Shavaris to leave and he sleeps for the night.
Johnathan struggles to sleep this night. The memories of his decisions weighed heavy on him. He wakes up early in the morning, before sunrise, and decides to walk around the camp. That was when he found Aoe preparing for the days journey. Aoe came up to Johnathan to have a talk.
Last night was anything but passion. But thank you for your concern. I’m sorry if I acted… rash but they were hiding information from us. Information on the lord of darkness, our greatest enemy. I’m glad you understand that we must follow our own path and do what must be done to protect our world. He looks at Aoe with a serious look. I’ll try to keep my temper under wraps, I don’t want to lose control again.
As the sunrise strikes the sky Johnathan immediately pulls up his hood, a force of habit at this point. It takes him a second to realise that there were two suns. Johnathan looks up in horror. What can this mean? Is the alicorn recovered? Are we too late? He looks to the rest of the band. What do we do? He is in such shock that he doesn’t notice the platoon leave. For the rest of the day Johnathan spends most of his travels looking at the second sun in disbelieve, desperately trying to remember if he heard any old prophecies that could explain this.
Nothing solidifies for Johnathan as he tries to dredge up a memory, tries to recall something about what he is seeing overhead in the sky.
__________
The road between Nockmaar Way and Timber Place was quiet, long and lonely; they didn't pass a single cart on their journey, though, according to the wheel marks along the way and decaying horse droppings it seemed like the path had been used in the last week or two. There is smoke in the distance, back to the north east, on the third day, but otherwise there is nothing of excitement except for the arrival of the second sun.
It's pouring rain when Dawn Guard arrives in Timber Place. The streets are busy and, of course, they smell like fish and the drying trunks of imported Hylian Oak and Mushroom trees. There are people cursing up and down the street, yelling obscenities about the wretched weather, the absolutely deplorable conditions of the muddy roads, about leaking ceilings and, of course, the smell. While there is something distinct about the smell of the oak in the air, the scent of the mushrooms is pungent and awful.
Something gets Old Ironsides really riled up. The Flail Snail seems...what? Excited? Yes, excited about something, in a good way.
"Port is full, Bof." Someone is saying out of their field of vision. It's accompanied by a knock on a door, loud and heavy. "Can you hear me in there dammit?"
"The nightshift is gonna have to pull its weight tonight!" Someone else is calling down the street. They can see a big, burly, bearded man shaking a fist toward the north eastern side of town. "Bunch of f****** Kobolds! You hear that! Gotta work for once!"
Movement down the street from the outer reaches of town, the section they'd later come to know as the Trade District where a few dozen offices and stalls and lumber yards were located, took them into the appropriately named Docks Ward and down something that was little more than a big alleyway with it's own sign; Inn Street.
Appropriate. There were half a dozen inns along the road; the Mean Whip Inn, the Smiling Orc Inn, the Magic Badger Boudoir, Molten Chainmail, Skippy's, and the Misty Mandolin.
"Friggin great. That's what we need. More outsiders." Someone said, sounding like she didn't want to be heard but being too loud not to be.
There are bells down toward the docks as ships rolling in and out port, and the salty smell of the sea wafts by them over the smell of wood and fish and gross. Some sections of the street have been crapped so full by donkeys and mules and banthas pulling carts that they have to be mucked through to proceed onward. A glance to the west, toward the docks themselves, reveal many masts as they sway in the wind and on the rocking sea.
Shavaris breathes in the sea air and enjoys the view of the open water beyond the port town as they arrive. She starts getting a bit homesick as the water reminds her of the trip she took to get to the ivory tower and wishes for the thousandth time that Eloise was with her. She looks to her party and smiles, at least she has found some friends. She hopes they will find passage to their destination easy enough, knowing they have interesting mounts with them.
As they enter the town, ol' ironsides really starts acting up, "Kerwyn, what's going on with your ol' boy there? Careful he might scare the locals." they go a bit farther, she sees the two suns getting ready to set, "Did we want to try and check out the port or find a place for the night? Looks like there are many to choose from at least."
Kerwyn has a realization. "Blast it! The salt! This is no good for Old Ironsides! We need to limit how much he moves around, if he absorbs too much, it might kill him!" Kerwyn hops down and walks around him with a worried look on his face, pacing. "Let's find a place for the night. One without salty ground, please."
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A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Johnathan remains very quite as they approach the port. He listens to all the locals shouting towards each other. Kobalds? They must be living nearby. Better be careful, I don’t think this port likes outsiders that much. It was at this moment the party realises Ironsides was acting up. We should find a place for the night. We don’t want Ironside to lose control. He looks towards the locals and back to the band. I don’t think this place is very welcoming so we shouldn’t linger for too long. With that he continues to a tavern that the group wish to sleep for the night.
Aoe watches the mounts and their unease at being in a city after the wilderness for so long… “stabling the mounts must be first… and to be honest, I don’t necessarily trust them not to be stolen in the night… let us be careful, unless kerwyn tells us otherwise, he is the only one who has traveled through this smaller port. I defer to you sir.”
Aoe bows toward kerwyn… “but just so you know my sort of indulgence, I do love a rowdy tavern as any adventurer worth their salt surely would, but I do seek a comfortable and soothing, I dare say decadent, bath before our travels…” Aoe daydreams of the possibility… “if we can find it.”
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"Uh...quite the mount you have there." Dabbert says in regards to Old Ironsides. "You can see the armorers if you would like help with your sword. We have excellent metalsmiths. I'm certain you'll get it back better than it is now."
When Shavaris asks her question, Dabbert shrugs.
"Don't know yet. Uh...initial reports are that there is some sort of construction going on. Looks organized. Hard to know if its from Nockmaar or the Black Crag Mountains or, well uh....I dunno. That's what they're paying us to find out. Barrack should be able to help you with your survival skills. He does much of our training here in the Skullsplitters. Grew up Living off the land in the Soul Wood. He knows a lot."
____________
The next morning, Dabbert listened to Aoe's questions and rubbed his chin.
"I uh...I'm not a morning person." He says, looking bleary eyed and bedraggled. "You folk keep asking about it. I don't know what we're getting in to yet. It uh...when our spies were taken prisoner by those goblins, it kinda broke our chain of intelligence. I'll just have to see what's what when we get there now, I imagine.
As for who to help you with your spellcasting...well, that would be A******. He don't look like much but uh...he's quite good with arcane warfare. You should see if he can help you. But now if it's sword play, I'd say Ecks."
He points to the huge Goliath towering over everyone near the mess tent.
"He's uh...a kitten. I promise."
Dabbert's eyes betray what he just said. Ecks is clearly a force of nature with one purpose; to rend bodies asunder.
__________
There is a night on the third day where Dabbert, Ecks, Dabsin, and a few other observers, including the freed spies, are rehashing, once again, the events that took place in the Bossack Hole. The story has been told the same way twice now, but Dabbert is really having a hard time wrapping his head around the report while he discusses with his closest council what all of it means.
"Uh...Holy Tetrea." He says, massaging his temples with his fingers. "So we've established that they clearly said Blix. And that they were wanting to go home. And that Blix was home. But Blix's home should be with the Lord of Darkness at the Deku Tree. I...don't understand...then...uh...what Blix is doing in the Labyrinth if he isn't trying to muster Jareth to the cause. That doesn't make sense."
One of the spies, a man who has become known to the Dawn Guard as Duncan, shrugs.
"It's like I said." Duncan starts, "That Bugbear kept talking about going home. I'm confident he meant back to the Labyrinth. I think they had been robbing in order to get the supplies they needed to get to the port. But they never spoke of fighting for Blix, or against him. It was all about going home, and something about Blix being home. And something I couldn't understand about Jareth."
"Sir, I feel like my goblin is pretty good, and even I couldn't understand what was happening." The other spy, Riordan, chimed in. "Their dialect was off. It's not like the goblin folk of Fantasia. They were quite hard to understand. Still, I really think Atreyu needs to know about this."
___________
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
A-oe looks for A-ole.
“I keep being told you are the one to speak to in the endeavor or discussing war casting… I can practiced some arcane traditions, but this is my first time in life in need of formal training in the mixing of the two.”
Aoe pulls out his quarterstaff and his stage shield, “perhaps you should show me some pointers? I wish to perform a green flame blade cantrip while my hands are full, as well as learn how to perform this magic reactively”…
“Come on A, do what you can for auryn… help me learn this vital talent… I am sure to put it to good use in defense of the realm.” (Persuasion)
Johnathan is reluctant to go hunting with Shavaris and Ralik. It wasn’t something he liked showing off in front of other people. It just reminded them what he truly was. But he sees how eager they are to get away from the platoon so he agrees. On the hunt they manage to catch a boar. As he finishes his meal he turns to see Shavaris looking spooked and defensive. He notices the weapons in her hands and looks to see what she has spotted. He sees nothing. Shavaris, what is it? I don’t see anything. What’s going on?
After this is resolved they return to camp and continue on there journey. For the next day of travel Johnathan has grown inpatient with the platoon.These soldiers are up to something and I ain’t gonna find out by sticking my noise in a ritual book. It’s time I got some answers. Johnathan splits from the group and calls upon his shadow powers to disguise himself. He gives himself the face of a commoner he saw in the ivory tower but with the platoon uniform. For the rest of the day he uses this disguise to walk among the soldiers, listening in to conversations and trying to fish for more sensitive information.
Deception (for disguise). 22
When the sun sets on the third day Johnathan notices the spies having a conversation and listens in closely to see what they were plotting. As he hears the name lord of darkness Johnathan freezes in disbelief. The lord of darkness! HOW DO THEY KNOW WHERE HE IS? He approaches the soldiers and immediately drops the disguise. He didn’t care if they saw this, he wasn’t thinking straight. You have been lying to us!!! For days we travel with you and you didn’t think to tell us this! He is in such a rage he doesn’t realise he is shouting to these soldiers. I knew you were holding out on us. A labyrinth? Jareth? The Deku Tree? THE LORD OF DARKNESS!!! What else are you hiding. Johnathan is clenching his fists in rage and his face has gone red with all the shouting. He can’t believe that they would deceive the band like this.
While they are out hunting, Johnathan notices Shavaris as she sees the woman, "There, don't you see her?" she points to the woman with her rapier and looks to Johnathan when she asks. When she looks back, the woman is gone. "I...I thought I saw someone, I guess I was wrong. Sorry, sorry for troubling you." and she walks back to the party with her head down.
During the time they are camped, Shavaris finds Barrack within the midst of the company. "Hi, the name is Shavaris, Cap over there pointed me in your direction, I was hoping you could help train me in survival? I hear you know a lot" and she gives him a wink, hoping it'll help win him over.
On the evening of the third day while Cap and his crew start deliberating about the goblins they had found, she thinks hmmm... apparently they had stumbled on more then they had thought. Well, they aren't getting the treasur.....what the hells?? Shavaris's mouth drops open and the water skin she was drinking from falls on the ground, spilling everywhere as Johnathan comes out of nowhere and screams at their hosts. She is utterly dumbfounded.
Daxter agrees to train Aoe.
__________
Barrack agrees to train Shavaris.
__________
There is a moment where at least six or seven soldiers from the Skullsplitters either laugh or look confused, pointing at Johnathan as he comes out of his disguise after having spent the better part of the day wondering where this newcomer came from.
"I knew there was something weird about that guy!"
Suddenly there were at least twenty sets of eyes on Johnathan as he had his outburst. There were confused looks. There were angry looks. Two soldiers stood up and just left, not wanting any part of this spectacle of drama.
"Who has been feeding that guy?" Dabsin says, her smart alec remark eliciting a chuckle from Ecks, who then starts to stand up and disperse whatever issue is brewing. Dabbert reaches out, laying his hand on Ecks arm before the Sergeant can stand.
"I uh...What?" Dabbert says, confused. He looks around, his eyes locking with Dabsin's for a moment, and then Ecks's, and then, of all peopel, A******, who, it turns out, actually has a real name; Daxter Arcfare. "What uh...what did we lie about, Jernagin?"
Dabbert stands, not even realizing he has butchered Johnathan's name.
"We uh...haven't exactly been hiding this conversation." Dabbert continues. He holds his hands out, like he's presenting something to Johnathan. "Maybe you've been in the forest in the evenings when we've talked about this but uh...we haven't hidden anything from...any of you."
He motions around the fire circle, making sure to make eye contact with all of the Dawn Guard.
"To be frank, there isn't some scheme amongst us to hide anything from your band." Dabbert says. His eyes shift from Johnathan, to Kerwyn, to Ralik. "I don't know exactly what your mission is, though if it was given to you by the Childlike Empress I can only imagine it is of extreme importance. Why then, uh...why would we hide anything from you? Your success is directly in line with our own, as is the will of the Empress. To think otherwise is uh...well, it's ridiculous."
Dabbert shrugs, then sits back down, his eyes resting on Johnathan's again. One of the spies has tried to speak up, but Ecks has one of his giant fingers pointed at him, a silent command to keep his mouth shut. The Captain's demeanor changes some. He still looks sincere, and keeps his tone respectful, but what he says next is blunt and direct.
"I have accepted that your ways are different. We will not be rehashing the tensions we've already seen because of the execution of the Bugbear, but we do not condone unnecessary killing. Regardless of that, we have accepted you and brought you into our Platoon to travel with us. We have provided fellowship and offered protection. We've given you travel guidance and have helped you hone weapons and skills. We want you to succeed, to be safe, and find your happiness and purpose in life. I won't say I'm offended by your allegation, Jernagin, but I uh...I guess I'm disappointed. Please, let's be done with this conspiracy theory before you get embarrassed."
Nearby, A****** is nodding his head. Dabbert looks at him, points at him, and makes a final comment.
"Never thought that'd happen but for the first time every A****** agrees with me."
The Dwarf started cursing, stood up, and walked away.
Dabbert tossed his hands up in mock exasperation and then shook his head.
__________
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Kerwyn asks Dabbert to lead him to the metal smiths about his great sword. “Thank you, I appreciate the help.”
Kerwyn is riding along on Old Ironsides, tapping out a little tune on his shell when Johnathan rolls up screaming at their hosts and allies. He looks over at Shavaris and Aoe, points at Johnathan, makes a silent pantomime of rolling up wacky weed and smoking it, points back at Johnathan and gives a questioning look to them.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Aoe and Daxter get along like good pals. Aoe is uncomfortable with sparring, but training with someone who is both skilled as well as willing to play down to his skill level, or just above it slightly in fact, speeds up his improvement. Over the 4 days together they get 2 hours of training in each day, and Aoe shares some some stories and song with Daxter and anyone else who is listening.
“there once was a band who rode cross the land
For peak and valley and man did they stand
but for their prowess on battlefield kulled
crusher of evils and enemy skulls”
Training montage:
(2 hours / 4 days of training*2 = 16 hrs)
(14 hrs + 16hrs = 30 hrs warcaster feat training)
Ralik properly introduces himself with the usual verbal regalia standing a top the massive Dire Ostrich Running Bird who also caws out when Ralik gives out his "OAH OAH". He leaps off the back of the avian with a spinning summer-sault assisted by his magically enchanted boots. He more glides down and lands, seeming light as a feather. He touches down gently in a pose, on the balls of he feet which where in line, his left arm across his torso, his right elbow resting on the left hand and right hand cradling his chin in a soft fist. In a flash his swords are in his hands and out wide to either side. He opens his hands, but instead of dropping, the swords magically shunt away from sight in a twinkling moonlit blip. He bows. "At your service."
Ralik welcomes any response he gets warmly, weather it is cheers, laughter, or indifference. Later he notes Shavaris' discussion, a silent bystander until she introduced herself, to which he added "And I and Ralik Two Knives, I too, would like to learn more from you Brother Barrack, if you'll have me." He liked this group of ruffians despite his initial encounter. In moments alone or when not engaged with those around, he saw Ghomkk's face. Defenseless, pitiful, and surrounded by his dead friends. Ralik snapped out of it when he noticed the more important of the platoon gathering. He joined, going where he pleased and never seeking any permission until told to halt. Of course re respected obvious personal accommodations.
They were having a meeting. Apparently the goblins had good information. It pained Ralik, who's brow furrowed and face winced at the memory. He was wrong. His choice was wrong. He pushed through it and let out a breath of forced acceptance. He would have to deal with it later he decided. What was done is done. As if on cue, Johnathan burst out. Ralik felt some what familiar with what he was feeling. Maybe they did not lie, but they made no effort to fully come forth with information they thought would be helpful. Ralik's doubt were put to rest when the commanding officer then addressed Johnathan with a genuine retort.
Ralik steps forward to address the lot "Listen as I speak brothers. On the subject of Ghomkk the Bugbear of Bosak Cave. I was wrong. The land where I am from, the goblin kind are feral and rarely show anything other than ill intent. What I saw in that cave was nothing like I have seen. I could not reconcile it, and I made the wrong decision. I harbor no ill will to the scouts or your soldiers, and I accept judgement by you, and by my goddess.I see honor in you and yours." He looks to Johnathan. "I see honor in many strange places." He stand with arms out in acceptance of judgement.
Drow enthusiast
Lover of lore and magic.
-The White Crow-
Johnathan calms down as he closely observes the body language of the soldiers that are seeming confused at his sudden outburst. He is checking for signs of deceit or dishonesty. As the captain finishes his speech Johnathan is about to have at them again when Ralik appears, looking quite guilty and shameful. Johnathan listens to Ralik side of the story. You did the right thing. Why are you trying to defend these lies? Johnathan has heard these parties speak and considers the facts. Well, they may not be telling me everything. But they weren’t exactly hiding this conversation either. I DID separate from them during the evenings. Johnathan returns to the conversation at hand, still looking quite cross at the captain. Ralik, please put your arms down. You have nothing to be sorry for. I don’t know what tale your soldiers told you so I’ll clarify. This “good” bugbear tried to kill us. It captured you men, stole from the people and would have continued if we didn’t stop it. The only reason that thing was begging for mercy was so it could continue to hurt innocent people and serve Blix. He pauses for a moment as the others sink in this information.
Johnathan continues speaking with the captain. Well, I hope that is the end of this matter. Secondly you can’t be surprised that I am shocked that you had this information. We saw the herald of the Childlike Empress about a week ago and we were told NONE of this intel. So do you have information that the Childlike Empress doesn’t? I trust the Empress a lot more than I trust you.
And to be quite direct, I never heard of your platoon. The others may blindly accept your word but I will not. A platoon doesn’t just appear out of no where with all the information and training we could possibly want. It’s too good to be true, so hey I don’t trust the skullsplitters. Also as another point I don’t care if you are disappointed in me, it’s not my job to gain your approval. I’m here to stop real evil and if you are gonna whine over ever goblin death then you are just gonna hold us back.
With that Johnathan turns around, without even giving the soldiers any time to respond, and head over to the rest of the band. Johnathan looks over Kerwyn doing some weird motion with his hand. He gives him an inquisitive look but brushes it off. He leans in close to the rest of the band and whispers, Listen, I heard some interesting facts while “scouting” today. Apparently there are goblins and orcs west of the keep that the platoon are heading towards. They might be heading over to Eternia, but I can’t know for certain. Once more these monsters are working for queen Bavmorda, an enemy of the Empress. The platoon is gonna head east to the keep afterwards, but they seem kinda scared of that place. I know some of you trust them but be warned, they are holding stuff back. With that Johnathan heads straight to his tent away from the platoon where he waits until morining.
Insight on captain: 18
Once the show is over Shavaris sits in stunned silence for a few minutes, trying to let it all sink in. Unless something of note happens at the camp afterwards, she is oblivious to the commotion that happens afterwards. She gets up and follows Johnathan to his tent. She opens the flap without a word and gets in without invitation. "So. You're correct in the fact we have been blindly believing them in their claim to be with the Emperess. You're correct in the fact we should be more careful. You're correct in being guarded and trying to understand them before joining them as we did. I would say you're not correct in how you found the information, disguising yourself as the lie you did, but eh, it got results. I have no issue with that."
She is sitting on her haunches looking at Johnathan as she tries to think outloud with what is going on. She continues, "You say they are heading West for the goblins and orcs that may be heading to Eternia? Well, I was originally thinking we should join them a bit to honestly help them after their help with training, but now, shit that's all by the wayside. West is the direction we want to go, so join them in that fight? Then continue on our way? Maybe gleam more information from them as we go? Especially now that they know they should be sharing more than they have been."
she fully sits now, and wraps her arms around her knees. She blows out a long breath and looks up at him. "What do you think?"
Dabbert nods and opens his hands, a gesture of 'what do you do', in its way. He listens to Ralik, then contemplates for a moment.
"Being a soldier is all I've known my adult life." Dabbert said, looking down at the ground while he spoke in reply to Ralik. "It's easy to be caught up in the moment, to uh...allow yourself to be overwhelmed with fury, or blood lust, or uh...whatever you want to call it. What's the uh...the phrase?"
"Shit happens." Ecks chimed in.
"Shit happens." Dabbert nodded, confirming. "We aren't here to judge. We are here to carry out our mission."
Dabbert listens to Johnathan and sighs, and then wipes a hand down his face before looking down again, not meeting the other man's accusatory gaze. His voice, though, was stern.
"I uh...I'll make this clear for you. We learned this from our reconnaissance team." Dabbert motioned to the two spies that had been freed from the captivity of the goblins, even as Johnathan walks away. "We've talked about what they learned, and...well uh...this where we are. Or not. Nevermind."
Dabbert pauses and takes a deep breath. It's obvious now that he is annoyed. He stands and runs his fingers through his hair then addresses the rest of the Dawn Guard.
"I'm uh...I uh...huh." Dabbert says, taking another deep breath. "If he doesn't want to be here, he doesn't have to be. I'll make this easy for him. I'm sorry, but I think it's best if our teams part ways at first light. Please, gather your friend and go."
He starts to step away, then stops, resting a hand on Ralik's shoulder.
"Making mistakes is what makes us mortal." He says in his best attempt to be warm and comforting. "Learning from them is what makes us wise. Growing into wisdom makes us worthy."
Dabbert said nothing else. He simply walked off to his tent.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Before the meltdowns and accusations occur, Kerwyn takes advantage of the opportunity to work with the metal smiths of the crew to sharpen his great sword further, work on the handle and grips, hone the blade. He feels that he may be better on the front lines of future combat with the group and he wants to make sure that he is battle ready. The rest of the time as they travel over the next couple of days, he continues to work with Old Ironsides.
An additional 16 hours of training on top of what we have done, all put into increasing his animal handling skill, for use with Old Ironsides.
Kerwyn is sitting atop Old Ironsides as he hears the meltdown occur. He’s busy polishing his shell and scratching him in all the places that he likes. His first thought is Whoa, what kind of berries has Johnathan gotten into? Wait, he doesn’t eat berries, he eats things with blood, that’s right. Where is this paranoia coming from? Something is amiss. He watches as he has his say, then storms off to his tent. That reminds me of a hero that I read about before….
Kerwyn stands up and walks over to Dabbert and Ralik before Dabbert leaves and says “I am sorry, I have to apologize for my traveling companion. I sense no evil or prevarication from you or your company. Perhaps that means that you are really good and I’m just a fool, but I doubt it. We have similar paths and goals, but it appears that we must part ways, our destiny lies on a different path. I would like to alert the other Auryn bearers of any other knowledge that you might have that will help us ALL on our quest. Is there anything else that you would share?” (After he has heard him speak, Kerwyn nods and thanks him). You see Kerwyn kneel on the ground, hold his hand on the Auryn medallion and concentrate, reach out in his mind, focus and relate all of the events that have happened this far and knowledge that he has, trying to reach the other medallion bearers to let them know. The last feeling that he has to impart with his communion with the medallion is one of unity, peace with others, and healing.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Morning came, and the sun rose again..****y...this time...there were two of them. The first sun came up over the horizon like normal and its golden light began to heat the world and burn away the dew that had fallen on the Skullsplitters's encampment. Dabbert and his men were saddled and had the majority of their equipment packed and in wagons or on mules before the second sun crawled into view. This one, a burned rose color, followed behind its brother as they slowly traveled up the sky toward their apex some hours away.
The Skullsplitters all gawked at this, unsure of what to make of the spectacle. There was a lot being discussed amongst their ranks, but they'd made sure to separate themselves from the Dawn Guard before having these conversations. They were still making uneasy eyes at Johnathan as they discussed.
Dabbert finally gave the order to go, giving the Dawn Guard one final wave, before trotting his horse to the head of the column and mowing up the road toward the north west.
For the Dawn Guard's part, nothing much happened that day. Things were quiet and the road was safe, all would-be ne'er-do-wells having been dispersed by the recent passing of the Skullsplitters. A full day's travel brought them to the intersection of the west bound road to Timber Place.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Aoe watches the dual suns rise, watching the second chase the first… worried, he allows the moment to wash over him, not denying the sensations it arose in him.
”the mare is now staring it’s death in the face
Dawn and Eternia forward we race
guarding the light from the cover of night
Shinning the love of heavenly sight.”
….
Aoe leaves his tent and joins the others, placing his gloved hand on john’s shoulder…
”see the suns? We should hurry fellow dawn guard”
whej the opportunity presents itself, Aoe takes Johnathan to the side, “
“and Johnathan dear, I love the passion, really do, but we always have a possible choice to keep our thought to ourselves, and talk it over when there aren’t strangers around..
. I’m sorry for whatever makes you get so heated about the topic, but not everyone has to be on our side to be of help to us in this journey… in fact, most people are just living their simple lives, with simple goals and simple fears… do not put hope on anyone understanding the test we have been given the burden of, or that anyone would think we are deserving of trust or honor. We walk alone, into the mysterious dawn we presume to be guarding”
…Aoe gives his a warm smile, Hoping he would share his plights and frustrations, if only to get it off his chest, a release valve of sorts.
Johnathan sits in silence in his tent as Shavaris talks about future plans. He watches her speak about the platoon and how they should act next, but Johnathan wasn’t think straight. He remains quite for an unnatural amount of time.
It was until his eyes looked with Shavaris did he break the tension. I’m… sorry you lot got involved. I didn’t mean for my emotions to get the better of me. He sighs as he looks around in his tent, desperately trying to break the eye contact. I lost control. After all my discipline and values I still lost myself to my rage. He looks back at Shavaris. I…. he stops midway through the sentence. He waits a few more moments before continuing. As you can tell the lord of darkness is not a topic I talk about likely. You see, he’s servants played a part in forcing this condition on me, so I generally don’t trust those that have any connection to him. I don’t know what we are gonna do next. He stops talking. Shavaris can see that he looked tired, more than usual. It’s seems that this whole argument with the platoon took alot out of him Anyway, thanks for the talk, but I think I am gonna go sleep now, we can discuss this more in the morning. With that Johnathan gestures Shavaris to leave and he sleeps for the night.
Johnathan struggles to sleep this night. The memories of his decisions weighed heavy on him. He wakes up early in the morning, before sunrise, and decides to walk around the camp. That was when he found Aoe preparing for the days journey. Aoe came up to Johnathan to have a talk.
Last night was anything but passion. But thank you for your concern. I’m sorry if I acted… rash but they were hiding information from us. Information on the lord of darkness, our greatest enemy. I’m glad you understand that we must follow our own path and do what must be done to protect our world. He looks at Aoe with a serious look. I’ll try to keep my temper under wraps, I don’t want to lose control again.
As the sunrise strikes the sky Johnathan immediately pulls up his hood, a force of habit at this point. It takes him a second to realise that there were two suns. Johnathan looks up in horror. What can this mean? Is the alicorn recovered? Are we too late? He looks to the rest of the band. What do we do? He is in such shock that he doesn’t notice the platoon leave. For the rest of the day Johnathan spends most of his travels looking at the second sun in disbelieve, desperately trying to remember if he heard any old prophecies that could explain this.
History: 6
Nothing solidifies for Johnathan as he tries to dredge up a memory, tries to recall something about what he is seeing overhead in the sky.
__________
The road between Nockmaar Way and Timber Place was quiet, long and lonely; they didn't pass a single cart on their journey, though, according to the wheel marks along the way and decaying horse droppings it seemed like the path had been used in the last week or two. There is smoke in the distance, back to the north east, on the third day, but otherwise there is nothing of excitement except for the arrival of the second sun.
It's pouring rain when Dawn Guard arrives in Timber Place. The streets are busy and, of course, they smell like fish and the drying trunks of imported Hylian Oak and Mushroom trees. There are people cursing up and down the street, yelling obscenities about the wretched weather, the absolutely deplorable conditions of the muddy roads, about leaking ceilings and, of course, the smell. While there is something distinct about the smell of the oak in the air, the scent of the mushrooms is pungent and awful.
Something gets Old Ironsides really riled up. The Flail Snail seems...what? Excited? Yes, excited about something, in a good way.
"Port is full, Bof." Someone is saying out of their field of vision. It's accompanied by a knock on a door, loud and heavy. "Can you hear me in there dammit?"
"The nightshift is gonna have to pull its weight tonight!" Someone else is calling down the street. They can see a big, burly, bearded man shaking a fist toward the north eastern side of town. "Bunch of f****** Kobolds! You hear that! Gotta work for once!"
Movement down the street from the outer reaches of town, the section they'd later come to know as the Trade District where a few dozen offices and stalls and lumber yards were located, took them into the appropriately named Docks Ward and down something that was little more than a big alleyway with it's own sign; Inn Street.
Appropriate. There were half a dozen inns along the road; the Mean Whip Inn, the Smiling Orc Inn, the Magic Badger Boudoir, Molten Chainmail, Skippy's, and the Misty Mandolin.
"Friggin great. That's what we need. More outsiders." Someone said, sounding like she didn't want to be heard but being too loud not to be.
There are bells down toward the docks as ships rolling in and out port, and the salty smell of the sea wafts by them over the smell of wood and fish and gross. Some sections of the street have been crapped so full by donkeys and mules and banthas pulling carts that they have to be mucked through to proceed onward. A glance to the west, toward the docks themselves, reveal many masts as they sway in the wind and on the rocking sea.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Shavaris breathes in the sea air and enjoys the view of the open water beyond the port town as they arrive. She starts getting a bit homesick as the water reminds her of the trip she took to get to the ivory tower and wishes for the thousandth time that Eloise was with her. She looks to her party and smiles, at least she has found some friends. She hopes they will find passage to their destination easy enough, knowing they have interesting mounts with them.
As they enter the town, ol' ironsides really starts acting up, "Kerwyn, what's going on with your ol' boy there? Careful he might scare the locals." they go a bit farther, she sees the two suns getting ready to set, "Did we want to try and check out the port or find a place for the night? Looks like there are many to choose from at least."
Kerwyn has a realization. "Blast it! The salt! This is no good for Old Ironsides! We need to limit how much he moves around, if he absorbs too much, it might kill him!" Kerwyn hops down and walks around him with a worried look on his face, pacing. "Let's find a place for the night. One without salty ground, please."
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Johnathan remains very quite as they approach the port. He listens to all the locals shouting towards each other. Kobalds? They must be living nearby. Better be careful, I don’t think this port likes outsiders that much. It was at this moment the party realises Ironsides was acting up. We should find a place for the night. We don’t want Ironside to lose control. He looks towards the locals and back to the band. I don’t think this place is very welcoming so we shouldn’t linger for too long. With that he continues to a tavern that the group wish to sleep for the night.
Aoe watches the mounts and their unease at being in a city after the wilderness for so long… “stabling the mounts must be first… and to be honest, I don’t necessarily trust them not to be stolen in the night… let us be careful, unless kerwyn tells us otherwise, he is the only one who has traveled through this smaller port. I defer to you sir.”
Aoe bows toward kerwyn… “but just so you know my sort of indulgence, I do love a rowdy tavern as any adventurer worth their salt surely would, but I do seek a comfortable and soothing, I dare say decadent, bath before our travels…” Aoe daydreams of the possibility… “if we can find it.”