Vardi looks downward, wondering at the instrument's use in asking questions...
OOC: Vardi makes an Arcana check total of 14 on the drum.
The Lyften lass belatedly realizes she is still holding her cup, and hastily swallows its contents before putting it down and offering "I thank ye fer yer fine hospitality on a rainy morn." to the bustling woman before gathering her things. Skuggavardi sits on her shoulder, a lordly air about him, but also a driving curiosity for knowing just what may lurk unseen in the dark.
Thatch accepts the offered food and drink eagerly, eating as someone who had marched the night through without rest, pausing only to look up as Sir Almeric entered the room. Brushing the crumbs off of his leathers, he stands and joins the others as they report, offering a nod of the head and a“Mi’lord” in greeting. He whispers to Cainneach “It doesn’t make any sense, if those riders were the Winter Watch, why were they off the trail back there? How did they get so far ahead of us? If they were not the watch, did we miss sign of them leaving the trail?”He stops as Sir Almeric gives his instructions and prepares to move to the stables. He is interested in examining the horses and men more closely to confirm his thoughts, even as he fights exhaustion.
"All very good questions, Thatch. It's hard to imagine the riders we tracked aren't the same as those in the stable now or that we mistook the tracks. So the key question is why they were off the trail. I'm sure you'll get to the heart of it. With you joining, our party will outnumber the riders, so I'll stay here and see what else I can learn from the locals. Can you relay that to Almeric for me?"Cainneach waves his hand to catch the Capellar's eye and gives him a nod.
" All finished up here?", the cook said as she emerged again from the side entrance.
" Or are we still going?"
"I'll have another bowl, if there's any left. If not, don't trouble yourself."Cainneach turns to one of veterans and asks quietly, "Any idea what's got that youngin' spooked? He scuttled off like a beetle!"
Insight5 (evaluating the veteran's response) History20 (what does Cainneach recall of the Winter Watch?)
Famh frowns thoughtfully as she parts from Cainneach to each follow their own separate threads of truth. "They coud ha' come here before us, mo chridhe. Remember they took tae horse after they left the broch. The first trouble will be provin' these are the same riders that were thare at aw; after thon we can worry aboot whether they had aught tae dae wi' the girl vanishing or if their trail only crossit hers. If only I'd paid mair heed tae whit their tracks lookit like, or if thare was a patch o' clay or marl they steppit in which might yet cling tae their boots! (Survival 7 and Nature 20 from memory -{Disadvantage}- ) "Dae ye recall aught aboot their tracks or their gait whan they were afoot that might reveal their truth or falsity if they claim no tae ha' been thare?"
She turns to include those who are going along to question the riders. "I'm wonderin' if there's a way tae get them tae say a certain aye or nay tae that ere we reveal ower much aboot whit we ken or dinnae ken. As a Capellar ye'd have the best advice how particularly tae dae that, Sir Almeric; but otherwise I'll play it as I think ye're saying, as the gentle soul asking the watch for help aboot a thing that's troublit us. And wi' the sharp e'en the rest of ye all will be able tae keep upon them," she smiles to Vardi, Thatch and Ori, "I'd hope we'll be able tae find oot soon if they know aught aboot Morag or no."
As she finishes speaking, the cook's latest words catch up with her waking consciousness in her mind, and she shakes her head with a broad smile and rubs her stomach to show she is quite comfortably finished.
(WIP) ... well, I'd thought I disabled the dice code on both those rolls pending the final draft ... looks like I'll be quote-editing in the rest ...)
Vardi stares at the drum for a moment that seems like an age, it is of a like with drums used by her own people...though much finer in construction...though there is a smell to it that she finds reminds her of dead seaweed and something of the grave about it....
Thatch, Ori, Vardi and Almeric ready to depart for the old stables at the rear of the manor that now serve as barracks for the men-at-arms and huscarls. As Famh queries Cainneach he relays what he can recall of the terrain mentioning the grey mud and heather...but that could have been picked up anywhere...there were some other plants there but nothing that would not be found elsewhere....
As Famh turned to leave Cainneach found himself in conversation with a scarred man with a rather sparse grin, even as the dregs of the jugs were poured into a cup and passed to him.
" Scuttled? Aye, they do that. But its nought ever'day we get such visits."
" Haven't haird a wurd spokken bi the laddie til he was askkit. Whan I hed waukit frae sleep they was all oop still....naught fer mae. I need me kip time."
" Lang as they do as Sheriff hed bidden them, they'll be right. City folk, innit?"
Thatch, Ori, Vardi, Almeric and Famh made their way outside into the crisp morning air, noting the rain was holding off for the moment. Approaching the old stables, pressed up against the rear wall of the keep they saw light within the door opened and a solid looking man in his forties dressed in plaid and little else came out and thrust his head into a barrel set on the side, breaking the thin layer of ice on the top as he did so.
" Morning, Sirs and Ma'ams.", he dried his head with his plaid lifting it perhaps a little too high unintentionally, none the wiser he plodded off towards the manor. Past him the door to the stables was slowly closing and within they saw three younger men talking; one of whom Almeric recalled speaking with the night before.
Summoning up all the distress she has genuinely felt ever since the retinue learned of Morag's disappearance, and focusing it all into her assumed role of a kind-hearted and innocent passerby seeking help from the Watch, Famh hurries towards the departing older man with her hands outstretched appealingly.
"Oh, ser, are ye the sergeant o' the Winter Watch they telt us wis here? Thare's been a terrible thing happenit on the road south tae Hichtoun, and the folk at the manor says ye micht have been patrollin' that way yestermorn. A bouman telt us thare'd been another raid... but it wasnae the herd they took, it wis the herd thon herdit thaim! Please help us, ser. If they spoke us true and ye were thareabouts that day." She gazes at her companions as she says this last, as if she were looking to them to bolster her confidence that she's remembering correctly; but she is desperately hoping the others will realize from her look that she has deliberately omitted certain details about the herd and would prefer they not be blurted out until the opportune moment. Then she gazes back at the plaid-draped man with all the kitten-and-puppyish appeal she can summon up shining from her e'en.
=========
Deception (to take on the role) 18
Persuasion (to win over the presumed Watch sergeant) 4
Summoning up all the distress she has genuinely felt ever since the retinue learned of Morag's disappearance, and focusing it all into her assumed role of a kind-hearted and innocent passerby seeking help from the Watch, Famh hurries towards the departing older man with her hands outstretched appealingly.
"Oh, ser, are ye the sergeant o' the Winter Watch they telt us wis here? Thare's been a terrible thing happenit on the road south tae Hichtoun, and the folk at the manor says ye micht have been patrollin' that way yestermorn. A bouman telt us thare'd been another raid... but it wasnae the herd they took, it wis the herd thon herdit thaim! Please help us, ser. If they spoke us true and ye were thareabouts that day." She gazes at her companions as she says this last, as if she were looking to them to bolster her confidence that she's remembering correctly; but she is desperately hoping the others will realize from her look that she has deliberately omitted certain details about the herd and would prefer they not be blurted out until the opportune moment. Then she gazes back at the plaid-draped man with all the kitten-and-puppyish appeal she can summon up shining from her e'en.
=========
Deception (to take on the role) 13
Persuasion (to win over the presumed Watch sergeant) 20
" Nae, thats ol' Fionlagh. Patrol? Nae, we dinnae patrol as far as Hichtoun.......we ha' four new jobs come up fran Beltayne yestereve but."
" I've n'er heard of raiders a s far so' as Hichtoun....we would of heard."
He regarded the group as a whole once more, his face took on a wistful, thoughtful look....
"Ha, old mate, we may have travelled from Beltayne of late, but we aren't all exactly city folk. I hail from the western Pagans, near to Ereworn, although I was run out of there and have spent far too much time in Albion for my liking. Happy to be back in Thuland, I find the winters invigorating! My hound as well, I think he's much better suited to the clime and company here."Cainneach tries his best to ingratiate himself with the veteran. "So just a little starstruck with the exotic city folk, that's all? Glad to hear it, we don't want to cause you good folk any trouble. Rather the opposite, looking to help."Cainneach chuckles, then leans in and lowers his voice, although his tone is more intrigued than conspiratorial. "So I've heard there are some riders of the Winter Watch lately arrived in town. We'd seen some tracks along our way, I suppose it was them ... As a child I heard tales of those folks, found it fascinating. How are the new recruits heading up? Any fascinating stories, a valiant lot, or are they of the slightly less reputable variety?"
With her eyes widened to just the proper degree, Famh smiles gratefully at the man. "Oh, thank ye ser, ye're very kynd. Aye, we thoucht it wis odd too, that's why we wantit tae follow it up... e'en apart from the poor bouman thon's lost his herd. Did ye say the sergeant wis callit Fionnlach? Maybe we oucht talk tae him too, after we've learnit if the new lads saw aucht on their way here. I'm sure he'd want tae know o' this. I'd pray double blessings on yer heid before I let ye gae if ye'd tell us how we can know him." She closes with the most winning courtesy her supple limbs can tender; and waits for the man's reply before (presumably) turning to follow up on his pointing out of 'the new lads'.
===
As soon as the retinue has gotten out of the earshot of her helpful informant and fashion model for the all-season versatility of Thulish great plaids, however, Famh turns to Sir Almeric. As if her tongue were one of the strange color-changing chameleon lizards he remembers from Outremeer, her style of speech seems to flow and adapt to the person whom she is addressing; in her words to him she has (mostly) reverted to the more-or-less plain Elleslandic she spoke in when we first met. "I only thought of this on the way over, Sir, so I didna have time to check with you. It might help if I tell the story but keep back some things apurpose ... like that the herd was a girl and the man's daughter. Then if the man blurts out aught that shows he knows it ... " She grins and leaves the sentence unfinished a moment, then concludes, " ... and if he's innocent it does nae harm."
"Aside from that though, was that more or less the sort of thing ye wanted in a first questioning?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As Famh talks to Sir Almeric to determine their line of questioning, Thatch pushes through the stable door stamping his boots to warm his feet and ward off the cold of the morning.”A cold one, and rain coming later today I expect.” He will let Famh or Almeric take the lead with any questions when they arrive, but he takes in those that are in the stables, looking quickly for any details that would indicate they rode hard or ran into any trouble along the way. Perception: 20.
(just to confirm - are these old stables and now just barracks, or are the mounts present here as well? If the horses are here, Thatch will move up next to one, acting like a stable boy that belongs here.)
Almeric is stoic in his response to Famh. His law locked in the speechless rigors and his expression grim, as if he were one of the Draugr himself, rather rhan just holding their motif. His head snaps an accepting nod. The eyes of the Capellar remain unaffected, bright and sparkling with intellect, indicating the captain fully controlled the ship, even if mast and colours were changed. Famh is reassured that the Draugr remain the servant in this dynamic.
Anyone rkse who knows Almeric, even Vardi from her militia experience, can also tell the unerring military discipline of the man, with an enhanced air of intimidation about him.
"Ha, old mate, we may have travelled from Beltayne of late, but we aren't all exactly city folk. I hail from the western Pagans, near to Ereworn, although I was run out of there and have spent far too much time in Albion for my liking. Happy to be back in Thuland, I find the winters invigorating! My hound as well, I think he's much better suited to the clime and company here."Cainneach tries his best to ingratiate himself with the veteran. "So just a little starstruck with the exotic city folk, that's all? Glad to hear it, we don't want to cause you good folk any trouble. Rather the opposite, looking to help."Cainneach chuckles, then leans in and lowers his voice, although his tone is more intrigued than conspiratorial. "So I've heard there are some riders of the Winter Watch lately arrived in town. We'd seen some tracks along our way, I suppose it was them ... As a child I heard tales of those folks, found it fascinating. How are the new recruits heading up? Any fascinating stories, a valiant lot, or are they of the slightly less reputable variety?"
" Aye, that's them. Four lads out o' Beltayne....likely a bit o' mischief go'them o' bad side of sommun. And so oop ta Marrowglen they come, eh, keeps em out o' mischief and means I dinnae need freeze me parts off on the wall at night."
" We'll see how they go.....some find their way....others...nae so'mae."
With her eyes widened to just the proper degree, Famh smiles gratefully at the man. "Oh, thank ye ser, ye're very kynd. Aye, we thoucht it wis odd too, that's why we wantit tae follow it up... e'en apart from the poor bouman thon's lost his herd. Did ye say the sergeant wis callit Fionnlach? Maybe we oucht talk tae him too, after we've learnit if the new lads saw aucht on their way here. I'm sure he'd want tae know o' this. I'd pray double blessings on yer heid before I let ye gae if ye'd tell us how we can know him." She closes with the most winning courtesy her supple limbs can tender; and waits for the man's reply before (presumably) turning to follow up on his pointing out of 'the new lads'.
===
As soon as the retinue has gotten out of the earshot of her helpful informant and fashion model for the all-season versatility of Thulish great plaids, however, Famh turns to Sir Almeric. As if her tongue were one of the strange color-changing chameleon lizards he remembers from Outremeer, her style of speech seems to flow and adapt to the person whom she is addressing; in her words to him she has (mostly) reverted to the more-or-less plain Elleslandic she spoke in when we first met. "I only thought of this on the way over, Sir, so I didna have time to check with you. It might help if I tell the story but keep back some things apurpose ... like that the herd was a girl and the man's daughter. Then if the man blurts out aught that shows he knows it ... " She grins and leaves the sentence unfinished a moment, then concludes, " ... and if he's innocent it does nae harm."
"Aside from that though, was that more or less the sort of thing ye wanted in a first questioning?"
Fionnlach is described as a tall man with a grey beard and a scar on his forehead, she doesn't recall having seen him as yet.
As Famh talks to Sir Almeric to determine their line of questioning, Thatch pushes through the stable door stamping his boots to warm his feet and ward off the cold of the morning.”A cold one, and rain coming later today I expect.” He will let Famh or Almeric take the lead with any questions when they arrive, but he takes in those that are in the stables, looking quickly for any details that would indicate they rode hard or ran into any trouble along the way. Perception: 12.
(just to confirm - are these old stables and now just barracks, or are the mounts present here as well? If the horses are here, Thatch will move up next to one, acting like a stable boy that belongs here.)
( Old stables converted to barracks, they still smell strongly of horse though.)
The three young men ceased their conversation and looked up as Thatch entered, there are a few other men against the back wall repairing some clothing with needle and thread and chatting about the weather.
After regarding Thatch for a few seconds they all went back to what they were doing....
Almeric is stoic in his response to Famh. His law locked in the speechless rigors and his expression grim, as if he were one of the Draugr himself, rather rhan just holding their motif. His head snaps an accepting nod. The eyes of the Capellar remain unaffected, bright and sparkling with intellect, indicating the captain fully controlled the ship, even if mast and colours were changed. Famh is reassured that the Draugr remain the servant in this dynamic.
Anyone rkse who knows Almeric, even Vardi from her militia experience, can also tell the unerring military discipline of the man, with an enhanced air of intimidation about him.
Almeric seemed pleased with Famhs questioning, though his mind seemed partially elsewhere as his hand grasped the drum....
DM: Vardi stares at the drum for a moment that seems like an age, it is of a like with drums used by her own people...though much finer in construction...though there is a smell to it that she finds reminds her of dead seaweed and something of the grave about it....
The Lyften lass is glad of the cup to cover her pensive expression as she thinks over the implications of age, power and death in the drum's form, and the further implications of it being in Almeric's hands.
...War trophy or heirloom? she wonders to herself ...That has the look of a lost thing, and maybe even an ancient thing, but lost by whom and when? but puts aside such questions for now, and gathers her things as she gathers her thoughts, silent in caution, wary of giving away secrets not hers to tell of in a war of words, but listening to that which her ears can hear around her.
Later, when the gentleman in charge of the new lads of the Winter Watch is about his morning ablutions, her expression does not change, but her eyes do wander downwards briefly, then back up without comment. Any smile that may have thought about crossing her face is frozen in its tracks by the knowledge that a woman is missing, and that those within may have some notion of what happened to her.
She is grateful that others like Famh have the knack of talking to folk without looming over them or being so tongue-tied in discretion and so desperate not to cause offense that nothing is said at all.
Almeric: ...Anyone rkse who knows Almeric, even Vardi from her militia experience, can also tell the unerring military discipline of the man, with an enhanced air of intimidation about him.
There is steel in that man after all, nay just madness and a noble air...Vardi thinks, both relieved and perhaps a little fearful given what she has heard. ...If there are strange things afoot, then it may not be the lads who are to blame for it, and if so, then what they know must be drawn from them like wire from a block, with cunning lest the thread of it be broken before the full length is done...
The warrior woman keeps her eyes and ears about her, and like the cat on her shoulder, keeps her strength hidden yet ready to spring forth swiftly if required.
"Ha, old mate, we may have travelled from Beltayne of late, but we aren't all exactly city folk. I hail from the western Pagans, near to Ereworn, although I was run out of there and have spent far too much time in Albion for my liking. Happy to be back in Thuland, I find the winters invigorating! My hound as well, I think he's much better suited to the clime and company here."Cainneach tries his best to ingratiate himself with the veteran. "So just a little starstruck with the exotic city folk, that's all? Glad to hear it, we don't want to cause you good folk any trouble. Rather the opposite, looking to help."Cainneach chuckles, then leans in and lowers his voice, although his tone is more intrigued than conspiratorial. "So I've heard there are some riders of the Winter Watch lately arrived in town. We'd seen some tracks along our way, I suppose it was them ... As a child I heard tales of those folks, found it fascinating. How are the new recruits heading up? Any fascinating stories, a valiant lot, or are they of the slightly less reputable variety?"
" Aye, that's them. Four lads out o' Beltayne....likely a bit o' mischief go'them o' bad side of sommun. And so oop ta Marrowglen they come, eh, keeps em out o' mischief and means I dinnae need freeze me parts off on the wall at night."
" We'll see how they go.....some find their way....others...nae so'mae."
"Huh, sorry to hear they've likely drawn the rotten apple this time around. We'll help keep an eye on them while we're around town. It sounds like you've had some other problems keeping your hands full. Any information you want to pass along, things maybe only the front liners like you would understand?"
" Aye, that's them. Four lads out o' Beltayne....likely a bit o' mischief go'them o' bad side of sommun. And so oop ta Marrowglen they come, eh, keeps em out o' mischief and means I dinnae need freeze me parts off on the wall at night."
" We'll see how they go.....some find their way....others...nae so'mae."
"Huh, sorry to hear they've likely drawn the rotten apple this time around. We'll help keep an eye on them while we're around town. It sounds like you've had some other problems keeping your hands full. Any information you want to pass along, things maybe only the front liners like you would understand?"
" Hmm? Oh, aye. Some trouble oop norr, Reavers or some such....though who knows...back in my grandfathers grandfathers day they reckoned they saw all sorts of things. Nae noo though, nary a Cold Wyrm or Famhairean in sight.....thank the Saints."
" Tips yer wanting........hmmm....if ye dra the short straw and must needs sit watch on the walls dinnae follow the lights....sounds daft but sometimes ye'll see wee little lamps out on the moorland along the ridgeline. Dinnae head after em."
" And don't get too close to the outside of the wall dead nor'east of the manor.....thats where they empty the pots."
As Famh talks to Sir Almeric to determine their line of questioning, Thatch pushes through the stable door stamping his boots to warm his feet and ward off the cold of the morning.”A cold one, and rain coming later today I expect.” He will let Famh or Almeric take the lead with any questions when they arrive, but he takes in those that are in the stables, looking quickly for any details that would indicate they rode hard or ran into any trouble along the way. Perception: 12.
(just to confirm - are these old stables and now just barracks, or are the mounts present here as well? If the horses are here, Thatch will move up next to one, acting like a stable boy that belongs here.)
( Old stables converted to barracks, they still smell strongly of horse though.)
The three young men ceased their conversation and looked up as Thatch entered, there are a few other men against the back wall repairing some clothing with needle and thread and chatting about the weather.
After regarding Thatch for a few seconds they all went back to what they were doing....
Almeric is stoic in his response to Famh. His law locked in the speechless rigors and his expression grim, as if he were one of the Draugr himself, rather rhan just holding their motif. His head snaps an accepting nod. The eyes of the Capellar remain unaffected, bright and sparkling with intellect, indicating the captain fully controlled the ship, even if mast and colours were changed. Famh is reassured that the Draugr remain the servant in this dynamic.
Anyone rkse who knows Almeric, even Vardi from her militia experience, can also tell the unerring military discipline of the man, with an enhanced air of intimidation about him.
Almeric seemed pleased with Famhs questioning, though his mind seemed partially elsewhere as his hand grasped the drum....
The genuine gratitude Famh feels to be inside the comparatively cozy stables lends a note of realistic warmth to the eagerness with which she approaches the men inside 'for help'. First she glances about her like an eager sparrow, pretending not to know straight off which are the men she's seeking. If she sees Fionnlach among those present she will wait until he is as far from the young men from Beltayn as may be; otherwise she hurries forward to speak to them. Keeping her demeanour as similar as possible to the way she spoke to the man outside, she again stretches forth her hands in an unspoken plea to accompany her words.
"Oh sers, are ye the new watch that juist arrivit from Beltayn? Thare's a herd gone missin' betwixt here an Hichtoun on the road tae Beltayn; an they says i' the hall ye micht have been marchin' past the place nigh the time it happenit. The bouman whose herd it wis says the last place they were seen wis nigh an auld ruin that stands i' the townlands o' his village, ower twa ridges."
=========
Persuasion (get the men to talk) 4
Insight (to pick up reactions to her questioning in the men's answers) 17
Thatch speaks up from where he is leaning in the corner, hoping to help reinforce Famh’s line of questioning. “Tis true. I heard the same story in the hall. Were you lot riding through that way? I passed through the area myself, but too late to make sense of anything.”
As Famh talks to Sir Almeric to determine their line of questioning, Thatch pushes through the stable door stamping his boots to warm his feet and ward off the cold of the morning.”A cold one, and rain coming later today I expect.” He will let Famh or Almeric take the lead with any questions when they arrive, but he takes in those that are in the stables, looking quickly for any details that would indicate they rode hard or ran into any trouble along the way. Perception: 12.
(just to confirm - are these old stables and now just barracks, or are the mounts present here as well? If the horses are here, Thatch will move up next to one, acting like a stable boy that belongs here.)
( Old stables converted to barracks, they still smell strongly of horse though.)
The three young men ceased their conversation and looked up as Thatch entered, there are a few other men against the back wall repairing some clothing with needle and thread and chatting about the weather.
After regarding Thatch for a few seconds they all went back to what they were doing....
Almeric is stoic in his response to Famh. His law locked in the speechless rigors and his expression grim, as if he were one of the Draugr himself, rather rhan just holding their motif. His head snaps an accepting nod. The eyes of the Capellar remain unaffected, bright and sparkling with intellect, indicating the captain fully controlled the ship, even if mast and colours were changed. Famh is reassured that the Draugr remain the servant in this dynamic.
Anyone rkse who knows Almeric, even Vardi from her militia experience, can also tell the unerring military discipline of the man, with an enhanced air of intimidation about him.
Almeric seemed pleased with Famhs questioning, though his mind seemed partially elsewhere as his hand grasped the drum....
The genuine gratitude Famh feels to be inside the comparatively cozy stables lends a note of realistic warmth to the eagerness with which she approaches the men inside 'for help'. First she glances about her like an eager sparrow, pretending not to know straight off which are the men she's seeking. If she sees Fionnlach among those present she will wait until he is as far from the young men from Beltayn as may be; otherwise she hurries forward to speak to them. Keeping her demeanour as similar as possible to the way she spoke to the man outside, she again stretches forth her hands in an unspoken plea to accompany her words.
"Oh sers, are ye the new watch that juist arrivit from Beltayn? Thare's a herd gone missin' betwixt here an Hichtoun on the road tae Beltayn; an they says i' the hall ye micht have been marchin' past the place nigh the time it happenit. The bouman whose herd it wis says the last place they were seen wis nigh an auld ruin that stands i' the townlands o' his village, ower twa ridges."
=========
Persuasion (get the men to talk) 4
Insight (to pick up reactions to her questioning in the men's answers) 17
Thatch speaks up from where he is leaning in the corner, hoping to help reinforce Famh’s line of questioning. “Tis true. I heard the same story in the hall. Were you lot riding through that way? I passed through the area myself, but too late to make sense of anything.”
( 13)
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Vardi looks downward, wondering at the instrument's use in asking questions...
OOC: Vardi makes an Arcana check total of 14 on the drum.
The Lyften lass belatedly realizes she is still holding her cup, and hastily swallows its contents before putting it down and offering "I thank ye fer yer fine hospitality on a rainy morn." to the bustling woman before gathering her things. Skuggavardi sits on her shoulder, a lordly air about him, but also a driving curiosity for knowing just what may lurk unseen in the dark.
"All very good questions, Thatch. It's hard to imagine the riders we tracked aren't the same as those in the stable now or that we mistook the tracks. So the key question is why they were off the trail. I'm sure you'll get to the heart of it. With you joining, our party will outnumber the riders, so I'll stay here and see what else I can learn from the locals. Can you relay that to Almeric for me?" Cainneach waves his hand to catch the Capellar's eye and gives him a nod.
"I'll have another bowl, if there's any left. If not, don't trouble yourself." Cainneach turns to one of veterans and asks quietly, "Any idea what's got that youngin' spooked? He scuttled off like a beetle!"
Insight 5 (evaluating the veteran's response)
History 20 (what does Cainneach recall of the Winter Watch?)
Active - Player: Sleeping Gods ---- Complete - Player: Masquerade, Teleportation Machine ---- Complete - DM: Extradimensional Spaces
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(WIP) ... well, I'd thought I disabled the dice code on both those rolls pending the final draft ... looks like I'll be quote-editing in the rest ...)
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
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Vardi stares at the drum for a moment that seems like an age, it is of a like with drums used by her own people...though much finer in construction...though there is a smell to it that she finds reminds her of dead seaweed and something of the grave about it....
Thatch, Ori, Vardi and Almeric ready to depart for the old stables at the rear of the manor that now serve as barracks for the men-at-arms and huscarls. As Famh queries Cainneach he relays what he can recall of the terrain mentioning the grey mud and heather...but that could have been picked up anywhere...there were some other plants there but nothing that would not be found elsewhere....
As Famh turned to leave Cainneach found himself in conversation with a scarred man with a rather sparse grin, even as the dregs of the jugs were poured into a cup and passed to him.
" Scuttled? Aye, they do that. But its nought ever'day we get such visits."
" Haven't haird a wurd spokken bi the laddie til he was askkit. Whan I hed waukit frae sleep they was all oop still....naught fer mae. I need me kip time."
" Lang as they do as Sheriff hed bidden them, they'll be right. City folk, innit?"
Thatch, Ori, Vardi, Almeric and Famh made their way outside into the crisp morning air, noting the rain was holding off for the moment. Approaching the old stables, pressed up against the rear wall of the keep they saw light within the door opened and a solid looking man in his forties dressed in plaid and little else came out and thrust his head into a barrel set on the side, breaking the thin layer of ice on the top as he did so.
" Morning, Sirs and Ma'ams.", he dried his head with his plaid lifting it perhaps a little too high unintentionally, none the wiser he plodded off towards the manor. Past him the door to the stables was slowly closing and within they saw three younger men talking; one of whom Almeric recalled speaking with the night before.
Summoning up all the distress she has genuinely felt ever since the retinue learned of Morag's disappearance, and focusing it all into her assumed role of a kind-hearted and innocent passerby seeking help from the Watch, Famh hurries towards the departing older man with her hands outstretched appealingly.
"Oh, ser, are ye the sergeant o' the Winter Watch they telt us wis here? Thare's been a terrible thing happenit on the road south tae Hichtoun, and the folk at the manor says ye micht have been patrollin' that way yestermorn. A bouman telt us thare'd been another raid... but it wasnae the herd they took, it wis the herd thon herdit thaim! Please help us, ser. If they spoke us true and ye were thareabouts that day." She gazes at her companions as she says this last, as if she were looking to them to bolster her confidence that she's remembering correctly; but she is desperately hoping the others will realize from her look that she has deliberately omitted certain details about the herd and would prefer they not be blurted out until the opportune moment. Then she gazes back at the plaid-draped man with all the kitten-and-puppyish appeal she can summon up shining from her e'en.
=========
Deception (to take on the role) 18
Persuasion (to win over the presumed Watch sergeant) 4
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
" Nae, thats ol' Fionlagh. Patrol? Nae, we dinnae patrol as far as Hichtoun.......we ha' four new jobs come up fran Beltayne yestereve but."
" I've n'er heard of raiders a s far so' as Hichtoun....we would of heard."
He regarded the group as a whole once more, his face took on a wistful, thoughtful look....
" New lads are inside."
"Ha, old mate, we may have travelled from Beltayne of late, but we aren't all exactly city folk. I hail from the western Pagans, near to Ereworn, although I was run out of there and have spent far too much time in Albion for my liking. Happy to be back in Thuland, I find the winters invigorating! My hound as well, I think he's much better suited to the clime and company here." Cainneach tries his best to ingratiate himself with the veteran. "So just a little starstruck with the exotic city folk, that's all? Glad to hear it, we don't want to cause you good folk any trouble. Rather the opposite, looking to help." Cainneach chuckles, then leans in and lowers his voice, although his tone is more intrigued than conspiratorial. "So I've heard there are some riders of the Winter Watch lately arrived in town. We'd seen some tracks along our way, I suppose it was them ... As a child I heard tales of those folks, found it fascinating. How are the new recruits heading up? Any fascinating stories, a valiant lot, or are they of the slightly less reputable variety?"
Active - Player: Sleeping Gods ---- Complete - Player: Masquerade, Teleportation Machine ---- Complete - DM: Extradimensional Spaces
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With her eyes widened to just the proper degree, Famh smiles gratefully at the man. "Oh, thank ye ser, ye're very kynd. Aye, we thoucht it wis odd too, that's why we wantit tae follow it up... e'en apart from the poor bouman thon's lost his herd. Did ye say the sergeant wis callit Fionnlach? Maybe we oucht talk tae him too, after we've learnit if the new lads saw aucht on their way here. I'm sure he'd want tae know o' this. I'd pray double blessings on yer heid before I let ye gae if ye'd tell us how we can know him." She closes with the most winning courtesy her supple limbs can tender; and waits for the man's reply before (presumably) turning to follow up on his pointing out of 'the new lads'.
===
As soon as the retinue has gotten out of the earshot of her helpful informant and fashion model for the all-season versatility of Thulish great plaids, however, Famh turns to Sir Almeric. As if her tongue were one of the strange color-changing chameleon lizards he remembers from Outremeer, her style of speech seems to flow and adapt to the person whom she is addressing; in her words to him she has (mostly) reverted to the more-or-less plain Elleslandic she spoke in when we first met. "I only thought of this on the way over, Sir, so I didna have time to check with you. It might help if I tell the story but keep back some things apurpose ... like that the herd was a girl and the man's daughter. Then if the man blurts out aught that shows he knows it ... " She grins and leaves the sentence unfinished a moment, then concludes, " ... and if he's innocent it does nae harm."
"Aside from that though, was that more or less the sort of thing ye wanted in a first questioning?"
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
As Famh talks to Sir Almeric to determine their line of questioning, Thatch pushes through the stable door stamping his boots to warm his feet and ward off the cold of the morning.”A cold one, and rain coming later today I expect.” He will let Famh or Almeric take the lead with any questions when they arrive, but he takes in those that are in the stables, looking quickly for any details that would indicate they rode hard or ran into any trouble along the way. Perception: 20.
(just to confirm - are these old stables and now just barracks, or are the mounts present here as well? If the horses are here, Thatch will move up next to one, acting like a stable boy that belongs here.)
Almeric is stoic in his response to Famh. His law locked in the speechless rigors and his expression grim, as if he were one of the Draugr himself, rather rhan just holding their motif. His head snaps an accepting nod. The eyes of the Capellar remain unaffected, bright and sparkling with intellect, indicating the captain fully controlled the ship, even if mast and colours were changed. Famh is reassured that the Draugr remain the servant in this dynamic.
Anyone rkse who knows Almeric, even Vardi from her militia experience, can also tell the unerring military discipline of the man, with an enhanced air of intimidation about him.
" Aye, that's them. Four lads out o' Beltayne....likely a bit o' mischief go'them o' bad side of sommun. And so oop ta Marrowglen they come, eh, keeps em out o' mischief and means I dinnae need freeze me parts off on the wall at night."
" We'll see how they go.....some find their way....others...nae so'mae."
Fionnlach is described as a tall man with a grey beard and a scar on his forehead, she doesn't recall having seen him as yet.
( Old stables converted to barracks, they still smell strongly of horse though.)
The three young men ceased their conversation and looked up as Thatch entered, there are a few other men against the back wall repairing some clothing with needle and thread and chatting about the weather.
After regarding Thatch for a few seconds they all went back to what they were doing....
Almeric seemed pleased with Famhs questioning, though his mind seemed partially elsewhere as his hand grasped the drum....
DM: Vardi stares at the drum for a moment that seems like an age, it is of a like with drums used by her own people...though much finer in construction...though there is a smell to it that she finds reminds her of dead seaweed and something of the grave about it....
The Lyften lass is glad of the cup to cover her pensive expression as she thinks over the implications of age, power and death in the drum's form, and the further implications of it being in Almeric's hands.
...War trophy or heirloom? she wonders to herself ...That has the look of a lost thing, and maybe even an ancient thing, but lost by whom and when? but puts aside such questions for now, and gathers her things as she gathers her thoughts, silent in caution, wary of giving away secrets not hers to tell of in a war of words, but listening to that which her ears can hear around her.
Later, when the gentleman in charge of the new lads of the Winter Watch is about his morning ablutions, her expression does not change, but her eyes do wander downwards briefly, then back up without comment. Any smile that may have thought about crossing her face is frozen in its tracks by the knowledge that a woman is missing, and that those within may have some notion of what happened to her.
She is grateful that others like Famh have the knack of talking to folk without looming over them or being so tongue-tied in discretion and so desperate not to cause offense that nothing is said at all.
Almeric: ...Anyone rkse who knows Almeric, even Vardi from her militia experience, can also tell the unerring military discipline of the man, with an enhanced air of intimidation about him.
There is steel in that man after all, nay just madness and a noble air... Vardi thinks, both relieved and perhaps a little fearful given what she has heard. ...If there are strange things afoot, then it may not be the lads who are to blame for it, and if so, then what they know must be drawn from them like wire from a block, with cunning lest the thread of it be broken before the full length is done...
The warrior woman keeps her eyes and ears about her, and like the cat on her shoulder, keeps her strength hidden yet ready to spring forth swiftly if required.
"Huh, sorry to hear they've likely drawn the rotten apple this time around. We'll help keep an eye on them while we're around town. It sounds like you've had some other problems keeping your hands full. Any information you want to pass along, things maybe only the front liners like you would understand?"
Active - Player: Sleeping Gods ---- Complete - Player: Masquerade, Teleportation Machine ---- Complete - DM: Extradimensional Spaces
Come join the Worlds of Pphost, a new and growing PbP community! Adventures are currently running in the world of Haven or do some role-playing!
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" Hmm? Oh, aye. Some trouble oop norr, Reavers or some such....though who knows...back in my grandfathers grandfathers day they reckoned they saw all sorts of things. Nae noo though, nary a Cold Wyrm or Famhairean in sight.....thank the Saints."
" Tips yer wanting........hmmm....if ye dra the short straw and must needs sit watch on the walls dinnae follow the lights....sounds daft but sometimes ye'll see wee little lamps out on the moorland along the ridgeline. Dinnae head after em."
" And don't get too close to the outside of the wall dead nor'east of the manor.....thats where they empty the pots."
The genuine gratitude Famh feels to be inside the comparatively cozy stables lends a note of realistic warmth to the eagerness with which she approaches the men inside 'for help'. First she glances about her like an eager sparrow, pretending not to know straight off which are the men she's seeking. If she sees Fionnlach among those present she will wait until he is as far from the young men from Beltayn as may be; otherwise she hurries forward to speak to them. Keeping her demeanour as similar as possible to the way she spoke to the man outside, she again stretches forth her hands in an unspoken plea to accompany her words.
"Oh sers, are ye the new watch that juist arrivit from Beltayn? Thare's a herd gone missin' betwixt here an Hichtoun on the road tae Beltayn; an they says i' the hall ye micht have been marchin' past the place nigh the time it happenit. The bouman whose herd it wis says the last place they were seen wis nigh an auld ruin that stands i' the townlands o' his village, ower twa ridges."
=========
Persuasion (get the men to talk) 4
Insight (to pick up reactions to her questioning in the men's answers) 17
Investigation (likewise, for nonverbal clues) 9
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
(ok, so maybe the Insight roll was to pick up clues from how they didn't say their LACK of response to her less than Persuasive blarney ... )
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Thatch speaks up from where he is leaning in the corner, hoping to help reinforce Famh’s line of questioning. “Tis true. I heard the same story in the hall. Were you lot riding through that way? I passed through the area myself, but too late to make sense of anything.”
( 13)