Amdaeng deflated as Vydar turned away....so much for making friends.....
Then she was back on alert as the newcomer arrived....but glad to note he didn't seem to be an enemy.....Ms. Storm seemed to have had a lot of friends for someone who was traipsing round the wilds most of the time.
" Hello Zarbyn!! I'm Amdaeng. Nice to meet you......wish the circumstances were better. So....we gonna go beat the crap out of the ones who murdered her or what?"
Iólinder's face was grim. 'Not for vengeance but justice must be served.'
After giving the metal box to Paevira to examine he takes her offered hand and allows himself to be led over and meet with the others. "I have my waterskin, thank you. I'll refill it here before leaving." He says and makes a small nod toward the river.
"Hi, it is nice to meet you too Amdaeng. How do you know that professor Storm was murdered? I thought that... well... I wasn't here but guessed maybe she perished from the obvious accident with the wagon." Zarbyn notices Vydar approaching Paevira to also examine the metal box.
'A dagger in the back is a pretty good indication.'There was no irony or sarcasm in Iólinder's voice. He was merely stating a fact.
His attention was next drawn by the commotion surrounding a metal box and Professor Storm's hat. It seemed that the monocle from the hat fitted into a slot on the side of the box, like some sort of puzzle right out of a choose-your-own adventure book. Iólinder leaned in closer to watch Paevira open the box.
She hears a click sound as the two personal items of Natalie Storm unlock the locking mechanism. As you carefully open the lid, you see a piece of rolled parchment inside. The outside of the paper has the green embossed initials.
Long ago, the great sovereign ruler of ancient Djarat, the Sultan Akharis, had a summer palace in the Icefinger mountains. Akharis had two wives and a harem to satisfy his every desire. But, he decided to take a third wife, a slave and concubine named Nemset. The great sultan could choose anyone he wanted, anytime. But he forbade Nemset, the youngest and most attractive of his wives, from being with anyone but him. He had his wives escorted by his trusted guards everywhere they went.
One day, Akharis hosted an enormous celebration for all in the land in honor of his royal guards service. Great merriment and celebration commenced for several days. Then, the sultan invited the captain of the guard to a special chamber to award him for his service. Akharis had a suspicion that the captain was having intimate relations with his wife Nemset. The man was beheaded. He then invited the next of the guards into the chamber and likewise ended his life. He continued to do so until twenty men lay dead, their heads scattered around the room. He did this to ensure that if his precious wife had any other lovers, they were all dead. He opened the doors and showed all his guests the gruesome display. The message was clear: no one would touch his wife. It is said that the floor tiles were stained red as a river of blood flowed out of the room.
But the sultan had killed the wrong person. Indeed, Nemset did have a lover but it was one of her servants, a woman named Shareella. Unfortunately, that very night, Nemset tried to make arrangements to help Shareella and the woman’s young daughter leave the palace, but the sultan's clever spies overheard the two women talking.
The sultan brought Nemset before him. When she arrived she was bound with rope and escorted to the room with the dead guards. An open coffin rested in the chamber. Inside was the dead Shareella, Nemset’s lover, her throat sliced open. Then in another stroke of cruelty, Shareella’s daughter was dragged in. The Sultan walked out, leaving the two inside. The doorways were shut and sealed, entombing the broken-hearted Nemset and the young girl to die with the freshly dead bodies.
But Shareella had unknown vampiric origins. Possessing supernatural powers, her body slowly healed over several years. Eventually, she rose from her resting place and learned of the cruel fate of her daughter and Nemset. She made a dark pact with a powerful Ice demon from the Circle of Primus and broke out of the tomb. Seeking revenge for the cruelty she endured, she used her demon-enriched powers to encase the sultan's palace in ice, freezing all of its inhabitants. Exhausted from her spent rage, she fell into a deep frozen sleep, deep beneath the Icefinger mountains. However, the ice demon had larger plans and covered all of Titan in an Age of Ice before the gods confined him in the Plane of Obsidian, one of the seven wretched planes charted in the Pit.
It has been countless centuries since this sad tale occurred and much of this story was lost to time.
Vydar looks up at Zarbyn when the man asks if the hat belonged to Storm, then he nods.
He scowls slightly when Iolinder says something about justice and not vengeance...like the two can't go together...but he nods to the half-elf's second statement. Yeah, the dagger and all the arrows. Not to mentioned this trashed wagon. He nods to Paevira when she points out the small slot and holds up the monocle. He holds the box out so she can slide it inside, then he once again presses the gem into the round indent.
When the box pops open, he pulls the letter out and unfolds it. If first instinct is to hold it in a way so that he'd be the only one able to read it, but with everyone gathered around him that's not possible. So, he holds it flat so all can read it.
He frowns after reading the story. It was a tragedy, one that shows that anyone can become a villain under the right circumstances. Though, despite being a wizard the only part of this document he really cares about is the last section. Apparently this witch lady is back, and even with her tragic past she may take out her wrath on people who had absolutely nothing to do with the death of her loved ones.
He looks up at Zarbyn, "What does it mean by say you are "one of us"? You part of some guild or something?"He asks bluntly.
Having stood back a respectful distance and letting Vydar either read the missive aloud or pass it among everyone after, Zarbyn isn't aware of what it mentions about him.
"My father's a Cobbler and I followed in his footsteps for a while but... wait, does it mention that in there?" Zarbyn now tries to glance at the bottom of the note to see what you're referring to.
"Oh, the Twice Shy bit," Zarbyn will reveal a necklace he's wearing that has the symbol of a six-sided star, "that refers to those in service to Logaan."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
While participating in a Muay Thai tournament, you remember seeing that double arrow tattoo on one of the combatants arms that you sparred. He was from Temple of Balance and he wore a brilliant sash that was the colors of the rainbow.
Paevira
You know of the Twice Shy. It is a magnificent boat that travels from top to bottom of the coast and has done so since before you were born. It occasionally does business with your union. No ship that has attacked the Shy has survived. The famous captain of this ship is known as "The Riddling Reaver." He is even more famous than Captain Azzur of Port Blacksand.
Vydar
You also look over the various belongings of Natalie Storm. When you traveled with her, she used that big copper pot to make food. It just occurred to you that she did not use a campfire when she cooked, yet the food and tea she made were hot. You also suspect that her hat could be magical. It is in pristine condition as if it were purchased yesterday.
(OOC: Sorry for all the lore and info. In having you join a new world that you may not be familiar with, I felt it would be helpful to give you a flavor of some of the things going on, including some places, people, dieties, etc. When your PC's are ready, you can begin your journey)
The wagon is packed and secured and with the help of Zarbyn, you have a better way for Charlie to pull it. When you are ready, you can begin. It also occurs to you that the large group that killed Natalie Storm has a map and has a large head start in getting to the caches. You have about 8 hours until sunset. Best guess is arrive at (the first cache (1) by noon tomorrow if you rest at night.
(ooc: we have a map with the true locations of the 5 artifacts, correct?... and if so, do we also have a copy of the map they have?... could we compare them to see if we can reach a location before them?)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
First map is the one likely torn out of the wet tomb. Map 2 has 5 marked locations, greater details on her personal map. Next post has a close-up of map 2
"So the bauble from the hat and the monocle were the items needed to unlock the box, I guess we're lucky we didn't have to disturb the cairn to find the necessary items."
(ooc: when told by someone (possibly Vydar) that most (or all) of her belongings were kept to divide among the group as mementos Zarbyn inquires further.)
"Would it be possible for me to claim a couple? Nothing anyone has already laid claim to, perhaps the hat and compass?"
After examining the maps and trying to determine which location they want to try for first Zarbyn will offer, "We might have an advantage as some of the items you describe will serve to traverse the terrain, especially if we have to go up one of the mountains. Even though the group we're following has a head start they will have to narrow down the sites and may waste time on false sites, besides that they may be ill-equipped when it comes to having the proper supplies."
He shields his eyes with his hand to glance skyward and mark roughly where the sun is, "We have roughly eight hours of light left so that should give us a good start in the right direction."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
(OOC Feel free to do some roleplay character interactions on the journey, but to move things along.)
You split up any unclaimed items and begin your trek, heading west toward the base of the mountain.
The trail seems to be well traveled, with some wheel ruts of those going between Port Rentarn and Silverton. This mountain pass is only open a few months out of the year. During the frigid winter months, it is completely covered in a huge wall of snow and ice. Now it is a pleasant 65 degrees.
Finally, the trail cuts into the valley of two large mountains. A river runs along the side of the trail. You occasionally see a deer, hawk, and other mountain creatures. It is clear that the members of the larger group have passed this way. They have made no attempt to hide their tracks. It is a group of goblins and at least two giants.
According to the map, you will cut north at the V between the first two peaks on the trail. You see something curious. The hoard of goblins seems to have split off into two groups. (RED LINE) There is a bit of trampled-down grass here where the group moved up the hill, heading north. But it seems tracks also continue forward on the main route to Silverton. If you are lucky, the large group split in half. This current location (the blue on the main road, seems a good place to camp for the night if you wish to do so, instead of on the exposed face of the mountain). Looking at the map at day's end, you will arrive at the first cache by mid-morning tomorrow.
Lev doesn’t particularly want any of the items, so if there is anything left over then… well he can take it if no one else wants it. Though he isn’t going to ask, doesn’t feel like it’s his place.
So this stranger is a follower of Logaan eh? While Lev himself doesn’t seem particularly religious, if Zarbyn looks closely he’d notice that Lev is also carrying a silver amulet. His is engraved with a scale of justice.
Lev nods when Iolinder remarks about the dagger in the back. Unlike the half elf though, his voice does sound a bit condescending when he says, “Dagger in the back, arrows, lots of footprints. Definitely an ambush. Doubtful she had time to fight back.” Whether or not he’s actually trying to be condescending or not is unclear, especially considering they already altered the crime scene so much there was no way Zarbyn could have seen what they found aside from the crash and the footprints.
He stays quiet for the most part, focusing by mainly on getting everything packed and the cart ready to go. Once everyone starts talking about leaving though he says, “Best get moving then.” He’s prepared to lead the donkey, but is willing to hand over control to Vydar or Amdaeng if they want to take over animal handling (since they seem to get along with Charlie).
Vydar stares at Zarbyn after realizing he'd taken several steps back to give him space. Not used to the concept of 'respectful distance' he automatically assumes the man simply doesn't want to stand so close to a dark elf. He keeps a steady flat gaze on him even when he comes closer to look at the letter. Though when he does so Vydar turns it for him to see the writing.
Service to Logaan? Really? This guy didn't strike him as the holy type, but seeing as Logaan is the trickster god...hmm well maybe he can see it. If that's the truth he may need to be careful with this one.
He notes that the group has continued picking up Natalie's items. He's not sure how he feels about that. Even given that he also had taken some of her belongings. It just feels a lot like looting...but at the same time the dark elf hates wasting things. If they were to leave these things here someone else would just come by and pick them up...or they'd become one with the dirt.
He looks down at the hat in his hands as he thinks about this. Noting it's cleanliness despite being in the midst of a bloody assassination. Perhaps it has some magical qualities? He'll have to check later. He closes up the box with the letter and places it in his pack alongside the small notebox, tome, and coin purse he'd gotten from the cart, then neatly places the hat back in his satchel with his spellbook. Thinking about the hat makes him remember some of his time traveling with Natalie. He frowns, remembering a not-so-small detail he'd forgotten about due to...circumstances. Cooking. Natalie never lit a fire.
With that thought, he starts looking for Natalie's cooking pot. As he does so, Zarbyn inquires about claiming items. Wait...he wants the hat? He reflexively places his hand on his satchel and turns to look at the man. The hat is really all Vydar has to remember her by now. He doubt's he'd ever actually wear the thing, it would look ridiculous on him, but still. The audacity... did this guy even know Natalie? He doubts it.
"No. I'm keeping the hat. You can take whatever else." He says flatly, then turns around to look for the pot. He finds it half under water on the river bed. Dumping it out, he swishes it in the water a moment to get the dirt that had collected inside of it out.
Despite his harsh response to the newcomer's request, he does nod to the man's talk about using the other items to help them on their journey. It only makes sense to use the rest of these items for traversing the mountain. He himself claims non of it, but he helps load it into the wagon.
Noting Lev approaching Charlie, the dark elf quickly makes his way over to the donkey. He'd helped hook the animal up several times before, so doing it again was simple enough. The task helped him forget about the current situation for a few moments.
Vydar himself didn't really care about the sun's position. Had he been traveling alone, he would have continued in the darkness. Night time is far easier on his eyes. However, now traveling with so many companions for the first time in...well...ever, he knows he's going to be forced into their time schedule.
He tries to keep an eye out for any potential danger, but finds that he can't focus on much other than the many many footprints ahead of them. Not to mention he eyes Iolinder every now and then, expecting him to walk over at any moment and ask about...he shivers...The longer he can put that off the better.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Amdaeng accepted Zarbyns statement on the time dusk would set in.....she herself had next to no idea....she'd always just considered the onset of night to be when the lamp-lighters went round the streets.
She let Lev lead Charlie as though she had struck it off with the animal she didn't trust herself not to do something wrong in her inexperience.
As they came to what others apparently considered a likely campsite she looked around, " So....should I do I quick scout around to see if theres any danger nearby? Though honestly I have no idea what danger would look like unless its something big and angry......""
Paevira; It appears the the monocle is the right size to fit into the slot!
The group assumes if the monocle is slid into the slot and the hat is pressed to the round indentation, the box will open.
Iólinder's face was grim. 'Not for vengeance but justice must be served.'
'A dagger in the back is a pretty good indication.' There was no irony or sarcasm in Iólinder's voice. He was merely stating a fact.
His attention was next drawn by the commotion surrounding a metal box and Professor Storm's hat. It seemed that the monocle from the hat fitted into a slot on the side of the box, like some sort of puzzle right out of a choose-your-own adventure book. Iólinder leaned in closer to watch Paevira open the box.
William Brackwater: Human Fighter - The Windward Isles
Tyrgram, the Butterfly Knight: Dwarf Warlock - Secret of Greenwold
Iòlinder Corrach: Half Elf War Cleric - Allansia Adventure
Valerius Sergius Publius: Dhampir Paladin - Vae Victus
Paevira will delicately open the box using the monocle and the hat
She hears a click sound as the two personal items of Natalie Storm unlock the locking mechanism. As you carefully open the lid, you see a piece of rolled parchment inside. The outside of the paper has the green embossed initials.
R. R.
On the inside, is written the following:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Translated from ancient Djaratian hieroglyphs
The River of Blood
Long ago, the great sovereign ruler of ancient Djarat, the Sultan Akharis, had a summer palace in the Icefinger mountains. Akharis had two wives and a harem to satisfy his every desire. But, he decided to take a third wife, a slave and concubine named Nemset. The great sultan could choose anyone he wanted, anytime. But he forbade Nemset, the youngest and most attractive of his wives, from being with anyone but him. He had his wives escorted by his trusted guards everywhere they went.
One day, Akharis hosted an enormous celebration for all in the land in honor of his royal guards service. Great merriment and celebration commenced for several days. Then, the sultan invited the captain of the guard to a special chamber to award him for his service. Akharis had a suspicion that the captain was having intimate relations with his wife Nemset. The man was beheaded. He then invited the next of the guards into the chamber and likewise ended his life. He continued to do so until twenty men lay dead, their heads scattered around the room. He did this to ensure that if his precious wife had any other lovers, they were all dead. He opened the doors and showed all his guests the gruesome display. The message was clear: no one would touch his wife. It is said that the floor tiles were stained red as a river of blood flowed out of the room.
But the sultan had killed the wrong person. Indeed, Nemset did have a lover but it was one of her servants, a woman named Shareella. Unfortunately, that very night, Nemset tried to make arrangements to help Shareella and the woman’s young daughter leave the palace, but the sultan's clever spies overheard the two women talking.
The sultan brought Nemset before him. When she arrived she was bound with rope and escorted to the room with the dead guards. An open coffin rested in the chamber. Inside was the dead Shareella, Nemset’s lover, her throat sliced open. Then in another stroke of cruelty, Shareella’s daughter was dragged in. The Sultan walked out, leaving the two inside. The doorways were shut and sealed, entombing the broken-hearted Nemset and the young girl to die with the freshly dead bodies.
But Shareella had unknown vampiric origins. Possessing supernatural powers, her body slowly healed over several years. Eventually, she rose from her resting place and learned of the cruel fate of her daughter and Nemset. She made a dark pact with a powerful Ice demon from the Circle of Primus and broke out of the tomb. Seeking revenge for the cruelty she endured, she used her demon-enriched powers to encase the sultan's palace in ice, freezing all of its inhabitants. Exhausted from her spent rage, she fell into a deep frozen sleep, deep beneath the Icefinger mountains. However, the ice demon had larger plans and covered all of Titan in an Age of Ice before the gods confined him in the Plane of Obsidian, one of the seven wretched planes charted in the Pit.
It has been countless centuries since this sad tale occurred and much of this story was lost to time.
Storm, your suspicions were correct.
Shareella, the Snow Witch has awakened.
Signed
Riddel Reaves,
Captain of the Twice Shy
P.S. Zarbyn is one of us. He will serve you well.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A stamped image of a twin arrow under the name
Amdaeng moves across to peer over Paeviras shoulder....
Andaeng has seen this double arrow before (perception or athletics check (dc 10)
Vydar looks up at Zarbyn when the man asks if the hat belonged to Storm, then he nods.
He scowls slightly when Iolinder says something about justice and not vengeance...like the two can't go together...but he nods to the half-elf's second statement. Yeah, the dagger and all the arrows. Not to mentioned this trashed wagon. He nods to Paevira when she points out the small slot and holds up the monocle. He holds the box out so she can slide it inside, then he once again presses the gem into the round indent.
When the box pops open, he pulls the letter out and unfolds it. If first instinct is to hold it in a way so that he'd be the only one able to read it, but with everyone gathered around him that's not possible. So, he holds it flat so all can read it.
He frowns after reading the story. It was a tragedy, one that shows that anyone can become a villain under the right circumstances. Though, despite being a wizard the only part of this document he really cares about is the last section. Apparently this witch lady is back, and even with her tragic past she may take out her wrath on people who had absolutely nothing to do with the death of her loved ones.
He looks up at Zarbyn, "What does it mean by say you are "one of us"? You part of some guild or something?" He asks bluntly.
Amdaeng Perception- 15
Having stood back a respectful distance and letting Vydar either read the missive aloud or pass it among everyone after, Zarbyn isn't aware of what it mentions about him.
"My father's a Cobbler and I followed in his footsteps for a while but... wait, does it mention that in there?" Zarbyn now tries to glance at the bottom of the note to see what you're referring to.
"Oh, the Twice Shy bit," Zarbyn will reveal a necklace he's wearing that has the symbol of a six-sided star, "that refers to those in service to Logaan."
Amdaeng
While participating in a Muay Thai tournament, you remember seeing that double arrow tattoo on one of the combatants arms that you sparred. He was from Temple of Balance and he wore a brilliant sash that was the colors of the rainbow.
Paevira
You know of the Twice Shy. It is a magnificent boat that travels from top to bottom of the coast and has done so since before you were born. It occasionally does business with your union. No ship that has attacked the Shy has survived. The famous captain of this ship is known as "The Riddling Reaver." He is even more famous than Captain Azzur of Port Blacksand.
Vydar
You also look over the various belongings of Natalie Storm. When you traveled with her, she used that big copper pot to make food. It just occurred to you that she did not use a campfire when she cooked, yet the food and tea she made were hot. You also suspect that her hat could be magical. It is in pristine condition as if it were purchased yesterday.
(OOC: Sorry for all the lore and info. In having you join a new world that you may not be familiar with, I felt it would be helpful to give you a flavor of some of the things going on, including some places, people, dieties, etc. When your PC's are ready, you can begin your journey)
The wagon is packed and secured and with the help of Zarbyn, you have a better way for Charlie to pull it. When you are ready, you can begin. It also occurs to you that the large group that killed Natalie Storm has a map and has a large head start in getting to the caches. You have about 8 hours until sunset. Best guess is arrive at (the first cache (1) by noon tomorrow if you rest at night.
(ooc: we have a map with the true locations of the 5 artifacts, correct?... and if so, do we also have a copy of the map they have?... could we compare them to see if we can reach a location before them?)
First map is the one likely torn out of the wet tomb. Map 2 has 5 marked locations, greater details on her personal map. Next post has a close-up of map 2
The good map is below
Close up of the locations marked on 2nd map
"So the bauble from the hat and the monocle were the items needed to unlock the box, I guess we're lucky we didn't have to disturb the cairn to find the necessary items."
(ooc: when told by someone (possibly Vydar) that most (or all) of her belongings were kept to divide among the group as mementos Zarbyn inquires further.)
"Would it be possible for me to claim a couple? Nothing anyone has already laid claim to, perhaps the hat and compass?"
After examining the maps and trying to determine which location they want to try for first Zarbyn will offer, "We might have an advantage as some of the items you describe will serve to traverse the terrain, especially if we have to go up one of the mountains. Even though the group we're following has a head start they will have to narrow down the sites and may waste time on false sites, besides that they may be ill-equipped when it comes to having the proper supplies."
He shields his eyes with his hand to glance skyward and mark roughly where the sun is, "We have roughly eight hours of light left so that should give us a good start in the right direction."
(OOC Feel free to do some roleplay character interactions on the journey, but to move things along.)
You split up any unclaimed items and begin your trek, heading west toward the base of the mountain.
The trail seems to be well traveled, with some wheel ruts of those going between Port Rentarn and Silverton. This mountain pass is only open a few months out of the year. During the frigid winter months, it is completely covered in a huge wall of snow and ice. Now it is a pleasant 65 degrees.
Finally, the trail cuts into the valley of two large mountains. A river runs along the side of the trail. You occasionally see a deer, hawk, and other mountain creatures. It is clear that the members of the larger group have passed this way. They have made no attempt to hide their tracks. It is a group of goblins and at least two giants.
According to the map, you will cut north at the V between the first two peaks on the trail. You see something curious. The hoard of goblins seems to have split off into two groups. (RED LINE) There is a bit of trampled-down grass here where the group moved up the hill, heading north. But it seems tracks also continue forward on the main route to Silverton. If you are lucky, the large group split in half. This current location (the blue on the main road, seems a good place to camp for the night if you wish to do so, instead of on the exposed face of the mountain). Looking at the map at day's end, you will arrive at the first cache by mid-morning tomorrow.
Lev doesn’t particularly want any of the items, so if there is anything left over then… well he can take it if no one else wants it. Though he isn’t going to ask, doesn’t feel like it’s his place.
So this stranger is a follower of Logaan eh? While Lev himself doesn’t seem particularly religious, if Zarbyn looks closely he’d notice that Lev is also carrying a silver amulet. His is engraved with a scale of justice.
Lev nods when Iolinder remarks about the dagger in the back. Unlike the half elf though, his voice does sound a bit condescending when he says, “Dagger in the back, arrows, lots of footprints. Definitely an ambush. Doubtful she had time to fight back.” Whether or not he’s actually trying to be condescending or not is unclear, especially considering they already altered the crime scene so much there was no way Zarbyn could have seen what they found aside from the crash and the footprints.
He stays quiet for the most part, focusing by mainly on getting everything packed and the cart ready to go. Once everyone starts talking about leaving though he says, “Best get moving then.” He’s prepared to lead the donkey, but is willing to hand over control to Vydar or Amdaeng if they want to take over animal handling (since they seem to get along with Charlie).
Vydar stares at Zarbyn after realizing he'd taken several steps back to give him space. Not used to the concept of 'respectful distance' he automatically assumes the man simply doesn't want to stand so close to a dark elf. He keeps a steady flat gaze on him even when he comes closer to look at the letter. Though when he does so Vydar turns it for him to see the writing.
Service to Logaan? Really? This guy didn't strike him as the holy type, but seeing as Logaan is the trickster god...hmm well maybe he can see it. If that's the truth he may need to be careful with this one.
He notes that the group has continued picking up Natalie's items. He's not sure how he feels about that. Even given that he also had taken some of her belongings. It just feels a lot like looting...but at the same time the dark elf hates wasting things. If they were to leave these things here someone else would just come by and pick them up...or they'd become one with the dirt.
He looks down at the hat in his hands as he thinks about this. Noting it's cleanliness despite being in the midst of a bloody assassination. Perhaps it has some magical qualities? He'll have to check later. He closes up the box with the letter and places it in his pack alongside the small notebox, tome, and coin purse he'd gotten from the cart, then neatly places the hat back in his satchel with his spellbook. Thinking about the hat makes him remember some of his time traveling with Natalie. He frowns, remembering a not-so-small detail he'd forgotten about due to...circumstances. Cooking. Natalie never lit a fire.
With that thought, he starts looking for Natalie's cooking pot. As he does so, Zarbyn inquires about claiming items. Wait...he wants the hat? He reflexively places his hand on his satchel and turns to look at the man. The hat is really all Vydar has to remember her by now. He doubt's he'd ever actually wear the thing, it would look ridiculous on him, but still. The audacity... did this guy even know Natalie? He doubts it.
"No. I'm keeping the hat. You can take whatever else." He says flatly, then turns around to look for the pot. He finds it half under water on the river bed. Dumping it out, he swishes it in the water a moment to get the dirt that had collected inside of it out.
Despite his harsh response to the newcomer's request, he does nod to the man's talk about using the other items to help them on their journey. It only makes sense to use the rest of these items for traversing the mountain. He himself claims non of it, but he helps load it into the wagon.
Noting Lev approaching Charlie, the dark elf quickly makes his way over to the donkey. He'd helped hook the animal up several times before, so doing it again was simple enough. The task helped him forget about the current situation for a few moments.
Vydar himself didn't really care about the sun's position. Had he been traveling alone, he would have continued in the darkness. Night time is far easier on his eyes. However, now traveling with so many companions for the first time in...well...ever, he knows he's going to be forced into their time schedule.
He tries to keep an eye out for any potential danger, but finds that he can't focus on much other than the many many footprints ahead of them. Not to mention he eyes Iolinder every now and then, expecting him to walk over at any moment and ask about...he shivers...The longer he can put that off the better.
Amdaeng accepted Zarbyns statement on the time dusk would set in.....she herself had next to no idea....she'd always just considered the onset of night to be when the lamp-lighters went round the streets.
She let Lev lead Charlie as though she had struck it off with the animal she didn't trust herself not to do something wrong in her inexperience.
As they came to what others apparently considered a likely campsite she looked around, " So....should I do I quick scout around to see if theres any danger nearby? Though honestly I have no idea what danger would look like unless its something big and angry......""
( If someone agrees she will scout the area-
Stealth- 18
Perception/Survival- 9 )
Amdaeng finds a nice camp site with the river nearby. It seems peaceful.
Vydar takes the pot. It has three words in dwarvish on the bottom. (Nith, Hlavor), (ooc: added to pc sheet)