The Undying Dragons - Campaign Thread

Avaria looks between Vonth and Jan and back again.  A chuckle bursts forth, unbidden.  Then she cracks a smile and continues to chuckle.  It leads to more laughter bubbling out, and before she knows it, she is bent over laughing with tears streaming down her face.

She isn't sure if it is just the stress of the day finally leaving her body and she doesn't care.  This felt good.  A bit crazy, but good.

"It's merely illusion.", Jan says, waving a hand in front of her face and as it passes, Sol's countenance takes her place. She waves back and returns to her normal appearance.

Insight: 13

((How earnest is Vonth, and how pissed is Marrin?))

((Vonth's not trying to be deceptive or such so he should be an easy read.  Vonth isn’t posturing or threatening he’s merely using dark humor to point out a tactical risk in a blunt, soldier-brain kind of way of someone who’s seen friendly fire happen for avoidable reasons.  Jan could safely assume Vonth understands the advantages or such tactics but that he sees them as risky in confused, battlefield type situations.))

Jan would note Marrin's already bad mood was enhanced by Jan's outing of her ability and looks to have found a local target in the bounty hunter. Ava's breakdown (crackup?) does pull her away from Jan and Von to watch her shifter friend with half a smile.

Needless to say, she doesn't put on a show for the new pair.

Solomona's face breaks into a wide smile at Jan's explanation and demonstration. Aue! I knew there was something funny going on back there. He looks around at everyone afresh with a chuckle. Hard to keep track of who was who, eh! Guards what aren't really guards. People changing faces. People swapping sides. I thought maybe I'm dreaming, or I'd eaten some really ripe fia-fia fruit... Sol pauses before unabashedly asking the group: Ah... How come you didn't want Korda to leave? And who's Ethel then?

Marrin:

 Soren joins the group by the fire and settles down by Geffroi.

Avaria:

As the night deepens and the group continues to talk, the temperature drops a few degrees more. Sounds echo across the steppe. Large cracks and crashes erupt from time to time. They seem to come from the direction of Icelace Lake, the noises rising up and over the cliff face.

A lone, mournful howl splits the dark - a wolf, a large one by the sounds of it, somewhere in the distance. Avaria, Jan, and Marrin are reminded of a very large direwolf they met days earlier.

Marrin looks in the direction of the howl and comments,

"I can take first watch with Hammerdasher, the rest of you get what sleep you can. I will wake up Jan for second watch."

"Yeah, I can take second with Geffroi and Sol, and fourth with Soren? Ava, you and Ula on third with Vonth?", Jan replies, suggesting watches that ensure that the two recent prisoners are not awake on watch with only one other person up.

She'll have K stay alert while she is trancing, but let him rest in his pocket plane while she is on watches.

Wiping the tears from her eyes and getting herself back under control, the shifter walks over to Geffroi and sits next to him.  "What, pray tell, was that?" she asks, thoroughly interested.  Happy to have a distraction as well.

Ava nods to Jan's suggestion of watch order.

((If Ava is wanting to have a watch to chat with Geff, she can swap him and Ula?))

Geffroi looks up from his hands to Avaria and smiles sheepishly.

"I've been practicing what Ethel showed me," Geffroi says. "And using that to apply things I've read over the years. And taking notes the whole time. Ethel left me with the ink and quills."

He shakes his head. "I never thought I'd be able to but she told me to practice and I'd get there."

With all they have been through, the others sometimes forgot that Geffroi went through it all too and has somehow survived. There may be the start of power in him as well.

The noises of the night don't die down, but none come any closer to the camp.

There's time in the night for those on watch to chat with each other if they like. Otherwise, the night passes without incident and everyone gets a long rest in (as well as any leveling up that hasn't been done yet).

Pending night time discussions, where is the party thinking of heading?

At the switch of watches, Marrin would speak with Jan,

 The next morning Marrin suggests,

"I presume we just need to head south as quickly as we can to beat them to the clanhold? I'm honestly getting tried of...all of this."

Solomona doesn't mind who he is on watch with. They are all still strange and unknown to him, and although he makes friendly conversation, his questions are not probing. Mostly his watch-partner just has to keep reminding him that whistling a happy tune is not an appropriate activity while everyone is trying to sleep. However he is happy to talk about himself if asked.

Marrin:

 After Marrin wakes her, Jan takes it on herself to rouse Geffroi and Sol. She'll get K's assistance in locating three roughly apple sized rocks, warming each of them and handing them to her two watch partners to tuck into a pocket or wrap their hands around. She'll draw Geff into a quiet discussion of his burgeoning magic, if he's willing. 

"Really, that whistling is going to draw in predators... or wake Vonth."

"Sol, you're doing it again."

"Ahem."

After a few times of having to admonish Sol, she'll engage him in quiet small talk... less distracting than whistling, at least.

Avaria smiles at Geffroi, realizing her earlier assessment might have been a bit hasty.  "What did you just do?  By your expression, it was successful?"

Once that conversation is over, she takes her rest, sleeping fitfully as she says goodbye to Ethel over and over in different ways.  When she wakes and has her watch with Vonth, she watches him for awhile, and then asks, "Are you from around here?  You sure seem to know how to survive in this tundra."

Jan and Avaria discover that Geoffroi has cobbled together what amounts to a spell book. He has no innate magical ability. His skills in research, writing, and observation, combined with what he learned from Ethel has given him a path into the world of being a wizard. What he was practicing was the beginning of Fire Bolt. 

The morning is clear, with everyone, despite the fire, being covered in a thin layer of frost. Thankfully everyone grabbed cold weather gear on their way out of the prison or it could be a very tough day.

Soren suggest "If we want to get to the Xanthe's Wish before the Hargroves can hope to get to a ship, I'd say we head straight south, risk the riders and make for the Rawlinswood and hope for quick passage from Ironroot."

Soren clearly knows Sol and Vonth have no idea what the Xanthe's Wish is or who Ironroot is but will leave it to others to answer any questions, as he quickly gathers his gear and gets settled in the saddle of the horse he's riding.

Vonth...

     Vonth listens to the proposed watch schedule and considers it in silence. He notes that the one called Jan has placed Solomona and Vonth on different shifts. Sensible, from their point of view—keep the newcomers outnumbered at all times. He does not object.

     It does place Solomona and Soren on the same watch, which he would have preferred to avoid. Still, it is not worth pressing. The truth is simple: these people could have turned on the former prisoners back at the prison. With guards to help them, they might have overwhelmed Vonth and Solomona easily.

     They did not.

     That buys some trust. Not much—but some.

     Even so, Vonth resolves to sleep lightly. Or rather, to pretend to sleep. Just in case.

     When the time comes, he lies down and takes what warmth and comfort he can find. He closes his eyes, but he does not seek dreams. Instead, he listens—to the quiet conversation of those on watch, to the wind, to the distant noises that do not belong to night. He measures time by sound.

     When he is woken for his watch, Vonth rises perhaps too easily. He is not skilled at performance. But it hardly matters. Who could sleep deeply after a day like this?

     On watch with Avaria and Ula, he is still and quiet. He spends most of the time staring into the darkness beyond the firelight, occasionally performing small, habitual motions—fingers touching a tattoo, a murmured word offered to Morc. Part ceremony. Part habit.

     He does not seek conversation, but he is not surprised when Avaria speaks.

     “Our land is the mountains,” Vonth says when asked, nodding vaguely in their direction. “Or wherever we go. The Ogelellum move as need demands. But we return to the mountains.  Eventually.  Always.”

     He answers her other questions the same way—briefly, plainly, giving no more than what is asked for. When her questions finally run out, Vonth offers one of his own.

     “What next?” he asks.

     When his watch ends, he wakes the next shift without comment and returns to his place. He lies down again, closes his eyes, and resumes the careful art of appearing asleep.

_____

Con check to stay up through the night -  22
Performance check to fake sleeping -  4
(those seem appropriate rolls...)

Vonth will take a level of exhaustion for lack of sleep...  I had did long rest before deciding to stay up through the night though so he recovered his HP already.  But I could put him back down to about 20 if you want, or spend his spell slots?  

I'm NOT having Vonth have heard Marrin's comment about the option of killing them.  Specially with that performance roll.  I assume they would have spoken particularly quietly or moved away from the Goliath before saying that.  Mainly just keeping Vonth awake through the night for flavor anyway, not actual espionage or intrigue...

Avaria could have gotten everything I put in the OOC pm thread and more by questioning Vonth so if you want more feel free to ask.  Vonth in return is looking for Avaria to talk about the party's plans.  Immediate and long term.  He may prod with small questions like "Why?" or "What then?" but for now he's thrown his lot in with them so he will see where it goes.

((Given Vonth has had plenty of rest in the days prior, not having much to do in prison, he's earned a free sleepless night - no exhaustion and okay to get the long rest - his staying up was 'flavour' and won't affect the next day of activity - though if he does it the next night, he'll need a new CON Save))

Unlike Vonth, Solomona doesn't ask any questions. He doesn't really need to, as Vonth is doing that for the both of them. But he only half-listens to the answers, seemingly happy to drift along with whatever is happening. There isn't much camp to break, but he helps as much as anyone, humming a happy tune. The warm thing that Jan gave him last night certainly helped him to rest soundly despite the cold, although a few may have noticed that he shunned any offer of Vonth's rabbits. Perhaps a few may also have noticed that some of the dry rations they packed are a little depleted...

Jan will be able to rotate the three warm rocks among the party, or if everyone has one, be able to rotate heating three of them as requested.