Effort crosses her arms and sighs as she watches the touching family reunion. On hearing Engar's explanation for the fire, she rolls her eyes, but keeps any other expressions of her obvious disbelief to herself. Still, she reminds herself, to assume nothing - sometimes from the mouth of babes... She reaches out to Cadmael. You didn't see a dragon while flying around up there, did you?she asks, just to be sure.
Watching the expressions of concern, intimacy, and healing makes her uncomfortable, so Effort instead turns to study the still-blazing farmhouse instead. She watches the destructive flames flicker higher, feeling a sense of kinship with them. I'm not a healer, or a comforter, she thinks to herself. I destroy things. Including lies.
She casts guidance as she watches the flames. What started the fire in the barn? Is the house in danger of also catching ablaze? Investigation: 14 Guidance roll: 3 Total Investigation: 17
Yeah, right, a dragon, says Brask dismissively. Get a lot of dragons round here, do you? He checks his fur and maul for signs of damage, as he observes the barn burn.
Cadmael didn't see anything, but as Effort asks if the question, the owl takes flight and flaps hard to get a look over the trees. Roll a perception check for Cadmael.
As she watches another section of the barn collapse in, a huge plume of smoke darkens the sky. The house is on the other side of the crop fields, so it seems safe from the blaze. There isn't an obvious culprit, though. It's a wood barn that was filled with dried hay. The skies are clear, so lightning is probably out of the running.
Burik approaches the older boy, who is still hugging his father's side but seems to be calming down. "I swear, it were a gold dragon. Shiny and..." He stops to catch his breath as he starts to get worked up. "It weren't his fault. Just scared, I think."
Upon Burik's urging, he tries to describe it. "It were...about this high," he raises his hand 3 or 4 feet off the ground. "He had two little horns, and he had wings. His wings were folded back, but when the fire started, he took off and crashed through the window. That's when we got trapped there in the back."
At this point the mother had carried the little boy inside, but the father reaches out to shake your hands. "We can't thank you all enough. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't come running through the field just now." He looks down and puts a hand on his son's shoulder. "Don't mind the dragon tales. The boys sure do like to make up stories being way out here on the farm."
Burik, roll a history check to see what you know about dragons.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Cadmael's Perception Check: 15
Effort relaxes a little. "I think you may lose your barn, but your fields, your livestock and your home should be safe," she tells the farmers. Looking down at the two children, her mouth twists slightly. "We should probably bring the children inside your house, particularly that little one. His wounds need treating, away from this smoke." She looks at Brask and Burik, both well-singed. "As do ours."
Effort, as you're addressing everyone, your vision blends with Cadmael's as the owl calls out to you. "Look!" Soaring just above the tree line and looking east, the setting sun behind you catches something off in the distance. It's flying just above the tree line, and is moving away from you toward the mountains. It's hard to even discern size and shape at this distance - it might be a mile out or more - but you swear there's a glint of gold.
Burik, you've never seen a dragon, but you've heard all kinds of tales growing up at the base of the mountains. The dragons that used to rule were all driven back to the deepest caverns and tallest mountains eons ago. Some of the dwarven villages further up in elevation apparently still see them now and again, and there's rumors that the dragons occasionally clash with orcs in the north. A gold dragon this far away from the mountains hasn't been seen or heard of in any of your lifetimes.
"Please, I insist, come inside and wash up. Once we get the boys taken care of, we can whip up a hot meal for ya'll. Lathandar knows you deserve it." The father leads the older boy back toward the farmhouse.
(Effort has the Researcher background feat and proficiency in history, can she recall anything about any small flying gold creatures that might be mistaken for dragons?)
Don‘t follow it, she warns Cadmael. Return to me for now. Good work, my friend.
She looks at the others, but decides to keep this information private for now, until she can discuss it alone with Burik and Brask. No need to upset the farmers further, she reasons.
You can surmise that at this time of day the sun could be playing tricks - the right angle of light could turn a large bird or other creature into glimmering gold. But Cadmael seemed very confident in what he was seeing.
Effort squints and tries to place herself in Emilia's role again. What would my human counterpart say in a situation like this?
"Your... graciousness is... much appreciated," she says haltingly, the words feeling foreign on her tongue while her horns and tail are still out in the open. After seeing the father walk off with his older son, she gives Brask a nudge and juts her chin towards the still-unconscious 6-year-old wrapped in his mother's arms. "You're not going to make that woman carry the child by herself, are you?" she whispers under her breath to him. "She might be stingy with the soup if you do..."
She follows the family back towards their household, looking for a good opportunity to ply the older son with questions about what he thought he had seen in the barn earlier.
Brask scowls at Effort and picks up the child, not too gently, from his mothers arms, carries him into the house and drops him fairly gently onto whatever suitable place he can find. He picks at the singed places in his fur but doesn't seem too unhappy; I dunno. I reckon it makes me look more dangerous. He shrugs, and gets to work checking the condition of his maul. Someone mentioned food,he says in a loud, obvious voice.
"Oh yes, of course, of course," the father and mother head into the kitchen and you start to hear some clanking and other noises. The younger boy is lying on a bench that the mother had draped with a large quilt. The older boy stands next to him, looking around the room at the three of you, maybe just now realizing what a strange trio have come into his home.
"Where are youse all from?" He sits down on the floor, seemingly comfortable with the strange guests but quite curious.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Many places," Effort replies, "but we've traveled here together from Lovilra." She crosses her arms and studies the boy. "Tell me, Engar. I know you aren't lying about what started that fire in your barn. My friend Cadmael agrees with you." She smirks at Engar's confusion and uses thaumaturgy to open up the window.
Come, Cadmael, she commands, and the owl swoops down and settles on her outstretched arm. "This is Cadmael. He spotted something flying back towards the mountains to the east that I believe may have been your firestarter. But I do not believe it to be a gold dragon." She closes the window the same way, shutting out the faint smell of smoke still wafting by from the burned barn. "For one, a true gold dragon would not have fit inside your barn. And for two, dragons tend to take very, very little interest in humans. We would be but ants beneath their feet. No, this mischief seems as though it might be caused by something trying to create troubles, or perhaps a new legend for little boys like yourself to spread amongst the neighbors."
She pauses as Cadmael flutters up to her shoulder, then crosses her arms, murmuring under her breath as she casts guidance on herself. "Close your eyes, and tell us again as best you can what you saw. Try to remember every detail," she coaxes. "Do not start with what your eyes told you, or how you believe this gold dragon looked. Begin with what caught your attention. Perhaps the smell of the hay, or the sound of your brother's laughter. Walk very slowly through your memory and describe to us what happened in that barn." As she speaks, her tone of voice takes on a soothing, sing-song quality. Cadmael ruffles his feathers and stares into the boy's eyes, adding to the hypnotic atmosphere Effort is trying to weave.
(OOC: she's not trying to convince Engar of anything, but I would guess this form of verbal semi-hypnotism to get the kid to remember would count as a persuasion roll. Cadmael is helping with this attempt.)
Quietly to the others as he heads towards the house, "It's unheard of for dragons to fly around the mountains, but it was some time since one was last seen this far away. Doesn't mean that it's impossible though."
Inside the house he'll take a seat on the bench. "From the mountains originally, one of the many mines. But yes, we've travelled from Lovrila."
"Wow, what are the mines like? Liam loves to pretend he's a dwarf working the mines, crawling around under the beds and in the...in the barn." He looks down at his feet as Effort starts to ask him about the dragon. He looks strangely at her at first, but does follow her direction, closing his eyes and walking you through what happened.
"Me and Liam was doing our chores, filling up the watering troughs in the barn. We'd just let all the animals out into the yard and were bringing pails back into the front of the barn when we heard something from up in the loft. Sounded like crying. Like a whimper or something. So we climbed up the ladder and when we got past the first few bales of hay, there it was - a dragon sitting at the base of the last window." He's getting more and more into the story as he continues to tell it, speaking a bit quicker and excitedly. "I swear I know what I saw. Like I says before, it was about this high and...and it was even longer than that with his tail. Probably longer than me if I got on the ground. There were golden scales all over him. They were really bright on the side facing the window. Sparkly, sort of. He had a long face with two tiny horns, and long wings...kind of like, I'm not sure, bat wings or something. Not feathers. And, he had pretty big feet...one of them looked hurt..."
The mother pokes her head around the corner. "Supper is ready, if you will all join us." The father picks up the younger son and brings him down the hall, presumably to his room.
"Anyway...he was acting like he was scared and maybe hurt. So Liam went to give him some of the apple he had...but the dragon didn't like him getting so close. I don't think he was trying to start a fire or anything, but he staggered back and when he opened his mouth, the fire came out and caught onto the hay. Just a little, but it didn't take long for the whole place to catch afire. And that seemed to spook the dragon even more. He shot up and crashed into the ceiling by the window, and then went out the way I guess he came in." Engar starts heading to the kitchen. "That's all I know. C'mon, before ma gets mad."
Effort holds the others back for a brief moment. "If it wasn't obvious already that the boy speaks the truth, Cadmael did really see a golden creature fleeing towards the mountains. Aren't gold dragons traditionally associated with the forces of goodness, Burik? I feel we should follow up on this boy's story when we resume our journey. What do you two think?"
West, says Brask gruffly in response to the question about where they're from. Headed east. Where's the soup?
He sits back and lets Effort interrogate the human child, and grows more interested as the tale seems to stand up to scrutiny. So, a real baby gold dragon. I bet the hide's worth a lot of money. Or,he says quickly in case the peasant kids overheard him, maybe its mama will pay to get the thing back. Dragons have a lot of gold, or so they say. Yeah, I reckon we should check it out. Sam will probably be happy we're protecting farms from dangerous wild creatures and such. Well, looks like the food's ready, and he pushes through into the kitchen.
Dinner is a hearty stew filled with vegetables from their farm. Potatoes, leeks, corn, carrots, onions. It's warm and inviting and you all realize just how hungry you've grown over the course of the day.
Brask, give me a CON save to see how much soup you eat. :)
You engage in some chit chat with the family (feel free to RP if you want), and at one point the father heads down into the basement and emerges with a handful of venison jerky, which he passes around. "Best jerky you'll find! Made right here on the farm." He smiles as he tears a piece off.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Brask's CON save: 12
Not bad. Could use some meat. Ah, venison jerky, that's better. Brask drops some venison into his soup.
So, what's there to see around here. Just farms? Any towns nearby? Bandit camps we could clear out? I mean, we're on a quest kind of thing, but always up for some extra work. And I always make time for splitting bandit skulls, it's kind of a hobby.
As the farmers are talking with Brask, Effort carefully wraps the jerky in some cloth and slips it into her pocket. It's dried, and will keep well on the road. More importantly, however, old habits are hard to break, and she will never forget what it felt like to be hungry on the streets. Seeing the mother watching her, she attempts a flimsy smile and, after casting about, says "It will... provide warm memories of your hospitality on the road." There is one small piece she didn't pack away; instead, she looks over her shoulder and tosses it to Cadmael, who is resting on the top of a chair nearby. He snaps it out of the air with accuracy and gulps it down in one motion. Tasty, but dry, she hears him say in her head.
She leans in on Brask's questioning and adds, "How many days' travel is the base of the eastern mountains from here?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Effort crosses her arms and sighs as she watches the touching family reunion. On hearing Engar's explanation for the fire, she rolls her eyes, but keeps any other expressions of her obvious disbelief to herself. Still, she reminds herself, to assume nothing - sometimes from the mouth of babes... She reaches out to Cadmael. You didn't see a dragon while flying around up there, did you? she asks, just to be sure.
Watching the expressions of concern, intimacy, and healing makes her uncomfortable, so Effort instead turns to study the still-blazing farmhouse instead. She watches the destructive flames flicker higher, feeling a sense of kinship with them. I'm not a healer, or a comforter, she thinks to herself. I destroy things. Including lies.
She casts guidance as she watches the flames.
What started the fire in the barn? Is the house in danger of also catching ablaze? Investigation: 14
Guidance roll: 3
Total Investigation: 17
Yeah, right, a dragon, says Brask dismissively. Get a lot of dragons round here, do you? He checks his fur and maul for signs of damage, as he observes the barn burn.
As Burik brushes off the embers on him, "They'll be fine, in time at least. Water and fresh air to get the smoke out as well."
To the boys, "A dragon? Describe it to us please" He's pretty sure that they saw something else, but it never hurts to ask.
(Does he know of any dragons in the area, past or present)
Cadmael didn't see anything, but as Effort asks if the question, the owl takes flight and flaps hard to get a look over the trees. Roll a perception check for Cadmael.
As she watches another section of the barn collapse in, a huge plume of smoke darkens the sky. The house is on the other side of the crop fields, so it seems safe from the blaze. There isn't an obvious culprit, though. It's a wood barn that was filled with dried hay. The skies are clear, so lightning is probably out of the running.
Burik approaches the older boy, who is still hugging his father's side but seems to be calming down. "I swear, it were a gold dragon. Shiny and..." He stops to catch his breath as he starts to get worked up. "It weren't his fault. Just scared, I think."
Upon Burik's urging, he tries to describe it. "It were...about this high," he raises his hand 3 or 4 feet off the ground. "He had two little horns, and he had wings. His wings were folded back, but when the fire started, he took off and crashed through the window. That's when we got trapped there in the back."
At this point the mother had carried the little boy inside, but the father reaches out to shake your hands. "We can't thank you all enough. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't come running through the field just now." He looks down and puts a hand on his son's shoulder. "Don't mind the dragon tales. The boys sure do like to make up stories being way out here on the farm."
Burik, roll a history check to see what you know about dragons.
DM - Above & Below
History 17
Cadmael's Perception Check: 15
Effort relaxes a little. "I think you may lose your barn, but your fields, your livestock and your home should be safe," she tells the farmers. Looking down at the two children, her mouth twists slightly. "We should probably bring the children inside your house, particularly that little one. His wounds need treating, away from this smoke." She looks at Brask and Burik, both well-singed. "As do ours."
Effort, as you're addressing everyone, your vision blends with Cadmael's as the owl calls out to you. "Look!" Soaring just above the tree line and looking east, the setting sun behind you catches something off in the distance. It's flying just above the tree line, and is moving away from you toward the mountains. It's hard to even discern size and shape at this distance - it might be a mile out or more - but you swear there's a glint of gold.
Burik, you've never seen a dragon, but you've heard all kinds of tales growing up at the base of the mountains. The dragons that used to rule were all driven back to the deepest caverns and tallest mountains eons ago. Some of the dwarven villages further up in elevation apparently still see them now and again, and there's rumors that the dragons occasionally clash with orcs in the north. A gold dragon this far away from the mountains hasn't been seen or heard of in any of your lifetimes.
"Please, I insist, come inside and wash up. Once we get the boys taken care of, we can whip up a hot meal for ya'll. Lathandar knows you deserve it." The father leads the older boy back toward the farmhouse.
DM - Above & Below
(Effort has the Researcher background feat and proficiency in history, can she recall anything about any small flying gold creatures that might be mistaken for dragons?)
Don‘t follow it, she warns Cadmael. Return to me for now. Good work, my friend.
She looks at the others, but decides to keep this information private for now, until she can discuss it alone with Burik and Brask. No need to upset the farmers further, she reasons.
You can surmise that at this time of day the sun could be playing tricks - the right angle of light could turn a large bird or other creature into glimmering gold. But Cadmael seemed very confident in what he was seeing.
DM - Above & Below
Effort squints and tries to place herself in Emilia's role again. What would my human counterpart say in a situation like this?
"Your... graciousness is... much appreciated," she says haltingly, the words feeling foreign on her tongue while her horns and tail are still out in the open. After seeing the father walk off with his older son, she gives Brask a nudge and juts her chin towards the still-unconscious 6-year-old wrapped in his mother's arms. "You're not going to make that woman carry the child by herself, are you?" she whispers under her breath to him. "She might be stingy with the soup if you do..."
She follows the family back towards their household, looking for a good opportunity to ply the older son with questions about what he thought he had seen in the barn earlier.
Brask scowls at Effort and picks up the child, not too gently, from his mothers arms, carries him into the house and drops him fairly gently onto whatever suitable place he can find. He picks at the singed places in his fur but doesn't seem too unhappy; I dunno. I reckon it makes me look more dangerous. He shrugs, and gets to work checking the condition of his maul. Someone mentioned food, he says in a loud, obvious voice.
"Oh yes, of course, of course," the father and mother head into the kitchen and you start to hear some clanking and other noises. The younger boy is lying on a bench that the mother had draped with a large quilt. The older boy stands next to him, looking around the room at the three of you, maybe just now realizing what a strange trio have come into his home.
"Where are youse all from?" He sits down on the floor, seemingly comfortable with the strange guests but quite curious.
DM - Above & Below
"Many places," Effort replies, "but we've traveled here together from Lovilra." She crosses her arms and studies the boy. "Tell me, Engar. I know you aren't lying about what started that fire in your barn. My friend Cadmael agrees with you." She smirks at Engar's confusion and uses thaumaturgy to open up the window.
Come, Cadmael, she commands, and the owl swoops down and settles on her outstretched arm. "This is Cadmael. He spotted something flying back towards the mountains to the east that I believe may have been your firestarter. But I do not believe it to be a gold dragon." She closes the window the same way, shutting out the faint smell of smoke still wafting by from the burned barn. "For one, a true gold dragon would not have fit inside your barn. And for two, dragons tend to take very, very little interest in humans. We would be but ants beneath their feet. No, this mischief seems as though it might be caused by something trying to create troubles, or perhaps a new legend for little boys like yourself to spread amongst the neighbors."
She pauses as Cadmael flutters up to her shoulder, then crosses her arms, murmuring under her breath as she casts guidance on herself. "Close your eyes, and tell us again as best you can what you saw. Try to remember every detail," she coaxes. "Do not start with what your eyes told you, or how you believe this gold dragon looked. Begin with what caught your attention. Perhaps the smell of the hay, or the sound of your brother's laughter. Walk very slowly through your memory and describe to us what happened in that barn." As she speaks, her tone of voice takes on a soothing, sing-song quality. Cadmael ruffles his feathers and stares into the boy's eyes, adding to the hypnotic atmosphere Effort is trying to weave.
(OOC: she's not trying to convince Engar of anything, but I would guess this form of verbal semi-hypnotism to get the kid to remember would count as a persuasion roll. Cadmael is helping with this attempt.)
Guidance: 2
Persuasion (with advantage): 21
Total persuasion 16
Quietly to the others as he heads towards the house, "It's unheard of for dragons to fly around the mountains, but it was some time since one was last seen this far away. Doesn't mean that it's impossible though."
Inside the house he'll take a seat on the bench. "From the mountains originally, one of the many mines. But yes, we've travelled from Lovrila."
"Wow, what are the mines like? Liam loves to pretend he's a dwarf working the mines, crawling around under the beds and in the...in the barn." He looks down at his feet as Effort starts to ask him about the dragon. He looks strangely at her at first, but does follow her direction, closing his eyes and walking you through what happened.
"Me and Liam was doing our chores, filling up the watering troughs in the barn. We'd just let all the animals out into the yard and were bringing pails back into the front of the barn when we heard something from up in the loft. Sounded like crying. Like a whimper or something. So we climbed up the ladder and when we got past the first few bales of hay, there it was - a dragon sitting at the base of the last window." He's getting more and more into the story as he continues to tell it, speaking a bit quicker and excitedly. "I swear I know what I saw. Like I says before, it was about this high and...and it was even longer than that with his tail. Probably longer than me if I got on the ground. There were golden scales all over him. They were really bright on the side facing the window. Sparkly, sort of. He had a long face with two tiny horns, and long wings...kind of like, I'm not sure, bat wings or something. Not feathers. And, he had pretty big feet...one of them looked hurt..."
The mother pokes her head around the corner. "Supper is ready, if you will all join us." The father picks up the younger son and brings him down the hall, presumably to his room.
"Anyway...he was acting like he was scared and maybe hurt. So Liam went to give him some of the apple he had...but the dragon didn't like him getting so close. I don't think he was trying to start a fire or anything, but he staggered back and when he opened his mouth, the fire came out and caught onto the hay. Just a little, but it didn't take long for the whole place to catch afire. And that seemed to spook the dragon even more. He shot up and crashed into the ceiling by the window, and then went out the way I guess he came in." Engar starts heading to the kitchen. "That's all I know. C'mon, before ma gets mad."
DM - Above & Below
Effort holds the others back for a brief moment. "If it wasn't obvious already that the boy speaks the truth, Cadmael did really see a golden creature fleeing towards the mountains. Aren't gold dragons traditionally associated with the forces of goodness, Burik? I feel we should follow up on this boy's story when we resume our journey. What do you two think?"
West, says Brask gruffly in response to the question about where they're from. Headed east. Where's the soup?
He sits back and lets Effort interrogate the human child, and grows more interested as the tale seems to stand up to scrutiny. So, a real baby gold dragon. I bet the hide's worth a lot of money. Or, he says quickly in case the peasant kids overheard him, maybe its mama will pay to get the thing back. Dragons have a lot of gold, or so they say. Yeah, I reckon we should check it out. Sam will probably be happy we're protecting farms from dangerous wild creatures and such. Well, looks like the food's ready, and he pushes through into the kitchen.
How good is the food?
Dinner is a hearty stew filled with vegetables from their farm. Potatoes, leeks, corn, carrots, onions. It's warm and inviting and you all realize just how hungry you've grown over the course of the day.
Brask, give me a CON save to see how much soup you eat. :)
You engage in some chit chat with the family (feel free to RP if you want), and at one point the father heads down into the basement and emerges with a handful of venison jerky, which he passes around. "Best jerky you'll find! Made right here on the farm." He smiles as he tears a piece off.
DM - Above & Below
Brask's CON save: 12
Not bad. Could use some meat. Ah, venison jerky, that's better. Brask drops some venison into his soup.
So, what's there to see around here. Just farms? Any towns nearby? Bandit camps we could clear out? I mean, we're on a quest kind of thing, but always up for some extra work. And I always make time for splitting bandit skulls, it's kind of a hobby.
As the farmers are talking with Brask, Effort carefully wraps the jerky in some cloth and slips it into her pocket. It's dried, and will keep well on the road. More importantly, however, old habits are hard to break, and she will never forget what it felt like to be hungry on the streets. Seeing the mother watching her, she attempts a flimsy smile and, after casting about, says "It will... provide warm memories of your hospitality on the road." There is one small piece she didn't pack away; instead, she looks over her shoulder and tosses it to Cadmael, who is resting on the top of a chair nearby. He snaps it out of the air with accuracy and gulps it down in one motion. Tasty, but dry, she hears him say in her head.
She leans in on Brask's questioning and adds, "How many days' travel is the base of the eastern mountains from here?"