Wedge takes the paper and pencil. He begins to write in silence. He seems thoughtful... and then at the end of the minute, you see his expression shift from a fairly neutral one to one of disdain. He crumbles up the paper and throws it (and the pencil) on the ground.

The paper can be un-crumbled. It reads:

Merrick's cheerful disposition is undeterred by the downpour. He passes the time by attempting to slice raindrops in two. He also opens his mouth and tries to catch as many raindrops at once as possible. He gets into a competition with Dyoken, both of them with mouthfuls of rain water, cheeks swollen like balloons.

Quote from LaRue >>

Wedge takes the paper and pencil. He begins to write in silence. He seems thoughtful... and then at the end of the minute, you see his expression shift from a fairly neutral one to one of disdain. He crumbles up the paper and throws it (and the pencil) on the ground.

The paper can be un-crumbled. It reads:

I am Lady Bigs' personal guard. I was created explicitly to assist her in her daily duties and on her adventures. One of my features is to be reliable to her. I know goblins well enough as they are a common feature in this land. I'm quite adept at dispatching them, you could say. 

 Muireach reads the note and looks at the construct, whose disgust is evident, “Huh... you aren’t that impressed anymore are you...” Cold stare. “Right, so-“ Muireach runs. That’s the end of his day.

Dyoken goes shirtless in the rain and accomplishes at least as much flexing as hauling as he gathers Luthok's firewood. It turns out to be a cold night and the error of his showmanship is apparent by morning. DK drags behind wearing several more layers than normal, and sneaking into the wagon to rest throughout the day.

As he walks in the mud with his nose stopped he looks up at the dreadful sky and spots Merrik mimicking him playfully. Whenever the party stops DK lies like a useless lump, defeated by the might of his man-cold.

Next up is Wednesday the 22nd of Drite!  (Day 14 of 14.)

The Spidersilk Road that you've spent the last two weeks traveling begins to wind as it transitions from a fairly straight and narrow road to a curving mountain pass. The Peaks of Mullivan tower over you, though you cannot see the peaks beyond the thundering clouds that hang over you. Lightning flashes and thunder roars every hour it seems. 

Perception 20:

Bigs directs the wagon toward a place named Stole Town. She talks a bit about it in the morning stating, "It's actually pronounced Stow-Lee Town. If you say it like the past tense of steal, I heard the townspeople get really frustrated!" She claims that the ruins you'll all be investigating for the Archeological Society isn't too far off from Stole Town, and that the town will serve as a base of operations as well as a place to gather any intel you can on the ruins and what might await you there. It will still be a day to reach Stole Town despite its relative distance to the entrance of this pass due to the path you have to travel.

Vivi, noticing that DK is under the weather, plays a song for him on her Scytar. She is definitely whispering lyrics that go:

Shirtless Dyoken, rest in peace.
Strongman Dyoken, wrestling a beast.
Mister Dyoken is really, really cool.
If you try to fight him, you're a fool.

What do on this last skill challenge check?

Dyoken cheers for Vivi, between coughing fits. If not for those fits one might think he was back at his full health.

Muireach watches the heavens, Perception: 21. Oh boy!

Muireach’s eyes go big, “Huh...” That’s all.

Luthok slaps Dyoken on the back during one of his coughing fits. "You can't be serious? Little bit o' rain getting to ya? Put on some clothes and stop that slime factory in your throat." As the dwarves palm hits Dyokens back he casts Lesser Restoration, trying to cure him from his cold. 

Perception: 13

Luthoks neck hurts too much to look up at the sky.

Merrick spends hours with Muireach discussing Calibog. The kithkin tries to understand where it off and disappears to. The concept of a pocket dimension is wholly alien to him, and he keeps looking around his own pockets for a dimension. Finally, he finds something. "Is this a dimension?" he asks, taking out the blue bead that Nana gave him.

Calibog would shake her head if she had one.

He is no Magus, but Merrick slowly begins to scratch the surface of the deep field that is Arcana. Despite his repeated questions and misstatements, his knowledge is a spark that adds to the sum of magical knowledge in the multiverse. It is a tiny, tiny spark indeed, but it does give off a glimmer of light, however faint. 

Somewhere, far far above and away, Mystra smiles.

Muireach glances up to the sky every now and then while he and Merrick talk, “Yes, basically, it works like... It works like... it works... Er, apologies, I was distracted for a moment.” Something up there must be real interesting to distract him so much.

Dyoken is back in top shape. Hustling about rain or shine like he's trying to make up for lost time.

It would seem that somehow Merrick understands a little about where Calibolg goes but has no idea how to articulate his understanding. 

Around noon, Bigs takes a path off from the Spidersilk Road and you follow it as it leads you along a cliffside. Anyone with a fear of heights probably opts to walk or ride their mount alongside the wagon, as the terrifying idea that the ground could give way to the wagon occurs to you. Nothing as exciting as that happens, however, though the way to Stole Town is thankfully not muddied thanks to graveling. 

Rounding a corner, you all see signs of a small town below you partially nestled within tall trees. Stole Town appears to be the only sign of civilization in this valley hugged by the mountains. You can see this valley is split by a creek that has dedicated farmland on either side of it until it comes through and past Stole Town. If you had to hazard a guess, you can't imagine there being more than a couple thousand people living here. 

You reach the edge of Stole Town, and Bigs drives the wagon up to a building with an attached stable. She says, "Okay guys, we're here! Thankfully this little town sees some tourist action, or it would have been another night of camping in the rain. This is the inn that Wedge and I are staying at and the one that the A.S. will pay for 'cause it's cheap. You are welcome to go to a nicer place, but... I'm not really allowed to cover that expense.

I wanted to see if we could hit that area of interest, but it seems like we will have to wait until tomorrow. It's so dark right now, I hate to imagine how dark it will be later tonight. I'll be settling here. Feel free to join Wedge and me for dinner later. My treat!"

 "What's wrong with camping in the rain?" Dyoken asks, a bit confused by the statement. "I suppose it would be rude to refuse the hospitality." He says as he follows Bigs in.

In the common room he takes a seat decorated with antlers and asks the locals about this site they'll be visiting as he regales them with tales of their journey. He tells of the wicked Cockaricota, and of the valiant boar who challenged him.

The inn, named the Crowned Goat, is a single story half-timbered building, with a gray tile roof. In the common room, DK sees a few children running around. They seem to be wrapped up in bandages and wearing horned bands on their heads. They do gather around to listen to DK's bragging session with awe. A few glum looking employees of the inn have gathered around as well given that you guys seem to be the only patrons they have at the moment. 

"Oi love," a lady dwarf approaches DK, "all these tales. You're not a bard, right? These are things ya actually done?" She seems to look DK up and down, appraising him. "You're one of the fellows here with that archeologist, yeah?"

What is everyone up to? There are other sights to see, namely a tavern down the street, some shops, a town square with a statue devoted to 'Stole the Hero.' There also seem to be washed up decorations that were supposed to stream between lampposts in the town square but have since been ruined by the storm. 

The tavern, named The Flying Shepherd, seems filled with people. 

If you are shopping for something, in particular, ask and you will see if it's available at any of these shops.

The statue in question is a tiefling striking a heroic pose, pointing a curved blade toward the sky. 

Does the statue have a plaque?

 "I'm no bard, you think I should try my hand at it?" Dyoken replies. "I have and I am. What can you tell me about this Archeology business?" He asks.

Merrick, fascinated by the decorations, wanders around looking at various decorations, pocketing some, and looking for anything interesting.

Luthok will stay at the inn that A.S is paying for. As they enter town he does not put on his mask for once. He walks around town, Fungustus nesting in his beard, avoiding the others. "Great with some peace and quiet from the amateurs, innit Fungustus?" He stops and looks at the statue, making sure that no-one from his party is close, and studies it. History: 20

There is indeed a plaque on the statue, which is how you learn this town is named for the hero, Stole. The plaque doesn't say much:

Stole the Hero
Udea's Chosen
YR 396

Luthok, you recall the following:

Merrick, you pocket all sorts of abandoned-looking stuff - mostly dry pieces of streamer that glitters, a few colorful marbles (maybe they are like Nana's?), and a small, wooden toy that is shaped like that big statue in town. As you hop and skip despite all this horrible weather, you do spy what looks like a rundown shack, but through the window, you see it might be something of an oddity shop...?

"Don't know much about archeology myself," the lady dwarf shakes her head. However, she smiles at DK. Something spells trouble in this smile. She says, "Name's Rinan Thunderstout. Only thing I know is that A.S. group is pretty keen on our local history. Hope they don't go disturbing anything, which reminds me... the elder told me to keep an eye peeled for capable young people. You seem capable and young. Would you be interested in doing some heroics?" 

Luthok walks around town, looking for any temples where he can sit a while in peace and quiet and possibly talk with a non-extravagant, overly flirtatious or energetically kleptomanic priest.   On the way through town Luthok tells Fungustus about what he has discerned about the hero. "Memory ain't what it used to be. It comes and goes. Help me remember mate."