"Thank you." Ellis would have simply said back to Darion with a smile as he nodded and felt the pat on the shoulder. Then he felt as Tahvo hugged him, smiling happily before hearing what he said and thinking of what to say. "Oh, um it will be a good while before we can go though. We have to make sure that it is safe for all of us to get there after all. Just be patient, alright?" Ellis would gently say to the little boy, hugging him back and reassuring him. Regarding the houses, he would be more than willing to split it with Darion and hope to get a comfortable room for himself and for Tahvo too, especially if they have to go away for a bit again.
Tahvo slumps down in childhood sadness and sits back on his cot in the central hall. "We're never going to be safe." he says through a sniffling nose. He crosses his arms in frustration but as you continue to talk he warms up especially at the topic of a home. His short attention peaked he grabs each of your hands and leads you around the village on a house hunt.
You visit dwelling after dwelling until finally settling on a slightly larger log cabin with a single large stone chimney. You inquire and one of the villagers tells you it used to belong to a large family that was lost to the yuan-ti after they trapped their youngest son. The whole family went out searching for him with a few others and none ever returned. Despite the gloomy nature of the story the house is one of the largest in the village. It has 7 rooms. Three of which appear to be bedrooms, each having a small chest. Similar to Erro's home the village springs into action to aid you. Though not fully repaired, by the end of the 5th day the home is quite cozy and move in ready. In addition to the kitchen area and living area there are two smaller rooms that are 6ft by 4 ft and could be used for dry storage, shelving, a small bedroom for just a cot, etc.
Darion- You inquire to a few of the elders and find that most are familiar with the village but Quirin seems to have the most up to date knowledge. "The village is 7 days travel to the north east. It is built near a large lake that provides them with ample food. Being a further away from the temple, they've remained better off than we have from the yuan-ti. However, the lake draws many more creatures which is both good for hunting but also bad since the predators here hunt the same creatures they do. The last time I heard from their village they had just lost a few villagers to a pack of rippers. I was planning on composing a few groups to send word of our victory and hopefully persuade the nearby villages for their support against the yuan-ti. If you have other reasons to go I will make sure to include you in the discussions. We have a village meeting planned for tomorrow."
Rawk- Elia's face shifts again to worry and replies, "That would be a dangerous mission. Getting lucky with a scouting party is our safest option but I'm not so sure how the elders will feel about an assault on the temple. There is a meeting coming soon to discuss plans for the continued conflict, we can bring it up then." she says trying her best to convey caution. She looks around to the grove and shakes her head slightly as you inquire of Darion. "He's not a druid. He seems to have more talents of the arcane rather than from nature. He is quiet but I believe that is due to his distrust of others. I have often observed him squinting and studying people's actions and words before ever responding. He seems very capableand a strong ally. You would do well to gain his trust and he yours. Now if you don't need me for anything else I believe there's anotherdruid who would enjoy your attention."she says with a grin.
Rawk bobs her head in agreement, knowing she's due for a scouting mission soon. "Oh I'm sure my father will be opposed to that. Sending me on two missions might just turn him all white." she says with a high pitched chirp laugh. "Tempest? You think so?" she says cocking her head pondering a thought. "We'll see... I've got to run for a scouting mission, they're probably waiting on me. Thanks again for all your help." She gives Elia a quick hug and leaps into the air flying in the direction of her scouting group.
Rawk would help with the repairs and moving supplies for the other's houses using her strength to aid in whatever way she could. She'd make it a point to assist Darion as much as possible and reintroduce herself. "Hi, I'm Rawk. Nice house you and Ellis picked. Thanks for your help with the wall magic stuff. Elia said you were pretty good with magic. Let me know if you need help moving any of your things, I'm pretty quick." she chirps as she excitedly bobbed her head and carried a log for home repair.
Darion is pleased with their new home. He misses the city in many ways, but Erro was right, for all the danger that threatens their is something calming about this place. The coastal cities that Darion is used to are always full of movement, action, noise and often smells. He would thank the villagers for their help, happy to help with the manual labour as well. He would spend some time with Rawk, and be curious about why she was making the effort to know him. He is less suspicious of her - from what he has read about her people, they are more inclined to good than the other races. Still, he remains reserved and cautious while he gets to know her.
"I was happy to help with the magic. It would have been way beyond my skills to create such an intertwining of Arcane and more nature-magics - but reinforcing what was there I could do!" he smiles with satisfaction "it was good the nasty surprise it gave to some of those Yuan-ti raiders that tried to fight in."
He would start setting his room up as he liked - a simple place, but with a comfortable chair he had found to sit by a desk. He would have carefully laid out some of his expensive writing materials, and would show Rawk a glance at his spell-book.
"Mine is a different sort of magic to Elia's or Tempest, though of course there is a lot of debate about the nature of the weave..." he would then launch into a brief introduction to the differences between Arcane and Divine magic if Rawk seemed interested.
"If you don't mind me asking, Rawk, how did your family come to live among the Dom-Rutan? I have not seen more of your kind, and I had understood that your people often kept more to themselves?"
He would help Ellis set up a room for Tahvo, and when Tahvo was not around catch Ellis
"The lad is desperate to go home, asking around it feels it might be a safer place for him than here. How would you feel about offering to escort him home, we may be able to combine it with an attempt to persuade his people to help against the Yuan-ti? We might need some guides and muscle though! Rawk might be helpful; I know you fought beside her, what is your impression of her? And I struggle to understand Erro, I find myself... concerned... that he might prove unreliable should the humour take him - but again you know him better than I!"
Ellis would have thanked the villagers for helping them out with the repairs. He would have decorated his room simply and comfortably before setting up Tahvo's room to be comfortable and how the boy would like it. But then he was hearing Darion, thinking and nodding back. "Yeah, it would be better for him to be back home, especially if it is safer there. We could always use the extra help too. She seems to be a good person. He is very interesting, but he has been helpful so far." Ellis would have said back to Darion, smiling.
As you each spend the rest of the evening preparing your homes you see and hear the elders gather in the middle of the village then disperse shouting a short but clear message. The village seems to stop in time as the elders move from the center of the village out to spread the word. "A village meeting shall be held tomorrow at noon. A village meeting shall be held tomorrow at noon." they repeat every minute or so in a rhythmic sort of chant. As they spread out the villagers who hear resume their duties nodding as if committing the time to memory. You each hear and resume your work making the final touches to your rooms and finishing any conversations. The sunlight that passes through the tree s turns to amber and signifies the coming close to another day.
(Will post the meeting either later today or tomorrow.)
Rawk would excitedly move closer to peer over the spellbook. She didn't have a great understanding of magic outside of naturally being able to connect with animals. However she was always interested in learning and continuously bobs her head while Darion discusses magic types. Her eyes will dart from his face to the book and around the room while he talks. When he asks about her family she stops bobbing and cocks her head thinking of how to start...
"Father doesn't like to talk about it but he says that he, mom and seven others covered the retreat of our people's village when the yuan-ti attacked one night. Three of the nine were captured including him and mom but the rest were slain as they fought to cover the others. The Dom-Rutan attacked their captors while they were on the way to the yuan-ti temple and rescued my parents. The three of them thanked the Dom-Rutan and searched for their families but couldn't find them. They all returned to live in Dom-Sorn for years. That's where I was born and lived until the yuan-ti took over and destroyed the city with their dark magic. Only my father and I made it out of the attack. I guess since I grew up only knowing the Dom-Rutan I don't feel the same." she chirps
Darion would listen to Rawk's story with mounting anger.
"These creatures are responsible for so much misery, and for why? I confess I fail to understand their motivation or reason. Power, that I understand, but the revelling in misery and destruction as they do eludes me." he waves his arm at the house "Your people, the poor family that lived here, countless others. More and more I realise they must be stopped."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
You each finish the day and find rest in your new homes. For the first time in a long time, you each rest with a strange sense of security. Though your minds and dreams race through scenarios, plans and decisions you find a more restful sleep. You awaken to a a muggy hot day. A gentle warm fog settles in the village keeping your brow or feathers damp. You eat breakfast and set to your morning routines eagerly awaiting the coming meeting.
As noon approaches you all make your way to the village center, similar to before the elders are seated in the middle of a large crowd while Quirin stands. Jaron and Kanush stand side by side smiling as they whisper jokes. Quirin raises his hand to command silence and the relative murmur of the crowd dies. "We have struck a mighty blow to the yuan-ti..." he pauses as the crowd erupts into a cheer. He raises his hand again as if patting the air down and raises his index finger pointing up to the sky before he continues. "One victory will not end this war. This is only the first step in a long journey. One that we cannot win alone... The elders have decided to reach out to the nearby villages for support in this battle. To do this we will need two scouting parties. Each traveling to two villages. We cannot spare more than these two scouting parties at one time." he pauses as murmurs begin to grow in the crowd and he raises his voice above the noise.
"We understand this will be a long treacherous journey... but it is the only way to ensure our safety and the possibility of restoring Dom-Sorn." at the mention of their city the crowd murmurs cease and a general wave of nods spreads through the crowd. "The first scouting party will visit Dom-Eko and Gnavi. The second scouting part will be visiting Kainui and Dom-Ryn. We expect the both parties to take no more than 27 days but no less than 16. Due to this, we have decided the scouting parties must be composed of able bodied volunteers who are willing to brave the jungle for so long... Have we any volunteers?" Quirin asks.
Kanush and Jaron share a look at one another and take a few steps forward. Standing out from the crowd you can see that Jaron looks thinner than before and still a bit pale. A determined look on his face however dissuades anyone from commenting on his ability. "We volunteer." they say almost simultaneously. A moment passes before two other males step in and announce their service. One male is tall looking older with salt and pepper hair and dark tanned skin. The second is younger with deep green eyes and shorter stature with fairer skin. A silence falls on the crowd for a moment...
Erro’s heart is torn. It had barely been a week since he had a chance to stop putting his life in danger. How quickly a bit of comfort made him soft! Erro hesitates and puffs on his long pipe for a long while, the smoke accumulating around him in a cloud as he debates himself. Finally he resolves within himself that, like it or not, to keep what he has he had to exert himself more. He needed to earn his keep.
Erro strides forward from the cloud of pipe smoke and declares, “I shall volunteer.”
Ellis listens to the meeting, hearing the name of Tahvo's village as he smiled. That's great, they will be able to get Tahvo home. "I'll volunteer." he then said as he steps up and volunteers.
Darion, quiet and at the back also steps forward, glancing at Ellis "Me too, though as we discussed earlier I would like to combine it with getting Tahvo home...."
Quirin nods and begins to speak when Elia steps forward. "None of these know the way to any of the villages. I will guide them... since these two can't be separated from one another." she says with a grin. The crowd chuckles while Jaron and Kanush exchange a glance and shrug letting the joke roll off. "What of the grove?" Quirin asks. Elia smiles and replies, "Tempest is more than capable of fulfilling my role in my absence." Quirin onds approvingly and turns to the elders pausing on Rawk's father with a questioning look to see if he approves. Rawk's father looks displeased but nods in approval then turns to look at his daughter. Quirin turns back to teh crowd with a smile and says, "Elia will lead Rawk and our new allies will travel to Kainui and Dom-Ryn. Jaron will lead the scouting party to Dom-Eko and Gnavi. We thank you for your willingness to serve."
Each scouting party collects into two small groups between the crowd and the elders. The crowd cheers and Quirin raises his hand once again to calm the uproar. "Elia, you spoke of having another topic for discussion with the tribe?" he says giving her the floor. Elia steps forward and looks to Rawk with a nod and lifts her voice so the crowd can hear. "Yes... We have all seen the devastating power of the yuan-ti's new poison." faces in the crowd nod and murmurs begin while Elia continues to speak. "We are working on understanding what this new weapon is made of so that we can better combat its effects. In order to do so we need a sample of this poison. I propose we increase our regular scouting party size and begin to fight the yuan-ti rather than flee in hopes of finding this poison on their corpses. While I do not think we should begin immediately, since we have two parties leaving, we should begin once both parties are back. If we are unable to find the posion we may need to make another assault on the temple..." The elders each look at one another and whisper amongst themselves before converging towards Quirin. The murmurs within the crowd grow to a small constant jumble of words. After about a minute Quirin raises his hand and a silence falls on the crowd. "The elders have decided that the scouting parties will be reinforced and able to combat the yuan-ti. However, an assualt on the temple is too dangerous without the support of the local villages. Elia bows at the half-approved proposal and returns to the group. "thank you." "Make your preparations... you will depart tomorrow. "Quirin says bowing to the two groups.
Erro will give a half-grin, amused at the order giving license to kill any Yuan-ti found out and about, but he knew this meant this wouldn’t be a simple scouting mission. Erro unsheathes his blade and begins inspecting it, mostly absentmindedly/reflexively as he walks up to his companions, he gives waves and nods to some of the cheering townspeople.
”Back at it again eh?” He looks to Darion, “We’ll miss having Tempest around what with his spider and moon powers. But, from what I hear, you are much tougher than you look. They also say you’re pretty smart. Have you ever heard anything about the area that we are going? What sorts of things ought we be prepared for?” (In game terms, asking Darion if Nature, History, or Investigation might pick up anything.)
Afterwards, Erro might go ask the old veteran he has been making friends with if he has any stories from the area.
Rawk begins bobbing up and down when she sees her father nod. His approval meant the world to her and she would thank him greatly for it when she went back home.
At Erro's question, Darion will frown a little "I appreciate your confidence in my knowledge! Unfortunately, I know almost nothing of the deep jungle here. Until the Yuan-ti captured me, I'd not really gone much further than a few miles from the coastal cities - and that was more farmland than jungle!" Darion gives an unusually forthright look of concern "Truth is, this is all quite alien to me. Put me in a city, I'd know just what to do... out here... less so."
He pauses a moment, collecting his thoughts "I would say this though... Fenthasa is ruthless, cunning and clever. And what we are doing is the obvious next play, something she will no doubt be scheming to disrupt. However, I've met her type before - take away the scales and the revolting rituals she's one of those twisted individuals who seeks power for powers sake. But her situation may be more fragile than it seems. Her insurrection cost Yuan-ti resources and followers - and they lost the Lingering Shadow as a greater blow. Not a good start to her rule, and she will know there will already be rivals scheming to use this against her. And I'm sure many of the Yuan-ti will at least suspect her involvement in Slithotep's death - he was the old leader that she got us to kill." Darion shakes his head at the memory
"Combine these things, and she may be in some haste to cement her position and stop rivals - if we are lucky that might make her more careless." he emphasises the 'lucky' for Erro's benefit.
Ellis had heard Darion, nodding in agreement before seeing Elia volunteer. He was very surprised and sad to hear that Tempest wouldn't be joining them, knowing how much he helped with doing the ritual that purified the heart. He was glad to hear that they would be the group going to Kainui and Dom-Ryn before listening to her talk about the yuan-ti's new poison and that they have to start fighting instead of fleeing from the yuan-ti in order to possibly find it on them. At least they'll have more help, but now was worried if it would be too dangerous to take Tahvo with them. Then Ellis had heard Erro and Darion, nodding back. "Would it be too dangerous to take Tahvo with us? If we have to fight the Yuan-ti, I don't want anything bad to happen to him though." he asked Darion, knowing that Tahvo really wants to go home but afraid that he could get hurt during any fights they may have.
"Wise words Darion." Elia says as she walks over to Ellis and puts a calming hand on his shoulder. "If we were to wait for the jungle not to be dangerous, we'd all be stuck here. In life there are always risks but who better to protect Tahvo than you four. However, if you feel it is too unsafe, I will respect your decision. I will guide us straight to Kainui. From there we will move to Dom-Ryn and return. The first few days should pass uneventful. It is only when we near Kainui that the danger increases. I must tend to some other things before we go. Meet me in the grove tomorrow morning. Do not worry about packing additional rations. I will take care of nourishment for the trip." she bows and walks over to the other scouting party and stands between Jaron and Kanush giving each of them a hug. They converse for a few minutes before Elia heads in the direction of the grove leaving you to discuss and make preparations.
(You have half a day left to gather or request items you think you may need for the journey. You can also assist in finishing your houses or converse with more towns folk.)
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"Thank you." Ellis would have simply said back to Darion with a smile as he nodded and felt the pat on the shoulder. Then he felt as Tahvo hugged him, smiling happily before hearing what he said and thinking of what to say. "Oh, um it will be a good while before we can go though. We have to make sure that it is safe for all of us to get there after all. Just be patient, alright?" Ellis would gently say to the little boy, hugging him back and reassuring him. Regarding the houses, he would be more than willing to split it with Darion and hope to get a comfortable room for himself and for Tahvo too, especially if they have to go away for a bit again.
Darion and Ellis-
Darion- You inquire to a few of the elders and find that most are familiar with the village but Quirin seems to have the most up to date knowledge. "The village is 7 days travel to the north east. It is built near a large lake that provides them with ample food. Being a further away from the temple, they've remained better off than we have from the yuan-ti. However, the lake draws many more creatures which is both good for hunting but also bad since the predators here hunt the same creatures they do. The last time I heard from their village they had just lost a few villagers to a pack of rippers. I was planning on composing a few groups to send word of our victory and hopefully persuade the nearby villages for their support against the yuan-ti. If you have other reasons to go I will make sure to include you in the discussions. We have a village meeting planned for tomorrow."
Rawk- Elia's face shifts again to worry and replies, "That would be a dangerous mission. Getting lucky with a scouting party is our safest option but I'm not so sure how the elders will feel about an assault on the temple. There is a meeting coming soon to discuss plans for the continued conflict, we can bring it up then." she says trying her best to convey caution. She looks around to the grove and shakes her head slightly as you inquire of Darion. "He's not a druid. He seems to have more talents of the arcane rather than from nature. He is quiet but I believe that is due to his distrust of others. I have often observed him squinting and studying people's actions and words before ever responding. He seems very capable and a strong ally. You would do well to gain his trust and he yours. Now if you don't need me for anything else I believe there's another druid who would enjoy your attention." she says with a grin.
Tempest- Survival: 17 19 Acrobatics: 6
((It looks like the man is trying to run a sandbox adventure on a play by post! The hits just keep coming in this game, I’m tellin’ ya!))
Rawk bobs her head in agreement, knowing she's due for a scouting mission soon. "Oh I'm sure my father will be opposed to that. Sending me on two missions might just turn him all white." she says with a high pitched chirp laugh. "Tempest? You think so?" she says cocking her head pondering a thought. "We'll see... I've got to run for a scouting mission, they're probably waiting on me. Thanks again for all your help." She gives Elia a quick hug and leaps into the air flying in the direction of her scouting group.
Rawk would help with the repairs and moving supplies for the other's houses using her strength to aid in whatever way she could. She'd make it a point to assist Darion as much as possible and reintroduce herself. "Hi, I'm Rawk. Nice house you and Ellis picked. Thanks for your help with the wall magic stuff. Elia said you were pretty good with magic. Let me know if you need help moving any of your things, I'm pretty quick." she chirps as she excitedly bobbed her head and carried a log for home repair.
Darion is pleased with their new home. He misses the city in many ways, but Erro was right, for all the danger that threatens their is something calming about this place. The coastal cities that Darion is used to are always full of movement, action, noise and often smells. He would thank the villagers for their help, happy to help with the manual labour as well. He would spend some time with Rawk, and be curious about why she was making the effort to know him. He is less suspicious of her - from what he has read about her people, they are more inclined to good than the other races. Still, he remains reserved and cautious while he gets to know her.
"I was happy to help with the magic. It would have been way beyond my skills to create such an intertwining of Arcane and more nature-magics - but reinforcing what was there I could do!" he smiles with satisfaction "it was good the nasty surprise it gave to some of those Yuan-ti raiders that tried to fight in."
He would start setting his room up as he liked - a simple place, but with a comfortable chair he had found to sit by a desk. He would have carefully laid out some of his expensive writing materials, and would show Rawk a glance at his spell-book.
"Mine is a different sort of magic to Elia's or Tempest, though of course there is a lot of debate about the nature of the weave..." he would then launch into a brief introduction to the differences between Arcane and Divine magic if Rawk seemed interested.
"If you don't mind me asking, Rawk, how did your family come to live among the Dom-Rutan? I have not seen more of your kind, and I had understood that your people often kept more to themselves?"
He would help Ellis set up a room for Tahvo, and when Tahvo was not around catch Ellis
"The lad is desperate to go home, asking around it feels it might be a safer place for him than here. How would you feel about offering to escort him home, we may be able to combine it with an attempt to persuade his people to help against the Yuan-ti? We might need some guides and muscle though! Rawk might be helpful; I know you fought beside her, what is your impression of her? And I struggle to understand Erro, I find myself... concerned... that he might prove unreliable should the humour take him - but again you know him better than I!"
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
Ellis would have thanked the villagers for helping them out with the repairs. He would have decorated his room simply and comfortably before setting up Tahvo's room to be comfortable and how the boy would like it. But then he was hearing Darion, thinking and nodding back. "Yeah, it would be better for him to be back home, especially if it is safer there. We could always use the extra help too. She seems to be a good person. He is very interesting, but he has been helpful so far." Ellis would have said back to Darion, smiling.
As you each spend the rest of the evening preparing your homes you see and hear the elders gather in the middle of the village then disperse shouting a short but clear message. The village seems to stop in time as the elders move from the center of the village out to spread the word. "A village meeting shall be held tomorrow at noon. A village meeting shall be held tomorrow at noon." they repeat every minute or so in a rhythmic sort of chant. As they spread out the villagers who hear resume their duties nodding as if committing the time to memory. You each hear and resume your work making the final touches to your rooms and finishing any conversations. The sunlight that passes through the tree s turns to amber and signifies the coming close to another day.
(Will post the meeting either later today or tomorrow.)
Rawk would excitedly move closer to peer over the spellbook. She didn't have a great understanding of magic outside of naturally being able to connect with animals. However she was always interested in learning and continuously bobs her head while Darion discusses magic types. Her eyes will dart from his face to the book and around the room while he talks. When he asks about her family she stops bobbing and cocks her head thinking of how to start...
"Father doesn't like to talk about it but he says that he, mom and seven others covered the retreat of our people's village when the yuan-ti attacked one night. Three of the nine were captured including him and mom but the rest were slain as they fought to cover the others. The Dom-Rutan attacked their captors while they were on the way to the yuan-ti temple and rescued my parents. The three of them thanked the Dom-Rutan and searched for their families but couldn't find them. They all returned to live in Dom-Sorn for years. That's where I was born and lived until the yuan-ti took over and destroyed the city with their dark magic. Only my father and I made it out of the attack. I guess since I grew up only knowing the Dom-Rutan I don't feel the same." she chirps
Darion would listen to Rawk's story with mounting anger.
"These creatures are responsible for so much misery, and for why? I confess I fail to understand their motivation or reason. Power, that I understand, but the revelling in misery and destruction as they do eludes me." he waves his arm at the house "Your people, the poor family that lived here, countless others. More and more I realise they must be stopped."
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
You each finish the day and find rest in your new homes. For the first time in a long time, you each rest with a strange sense of security. Though your minds and dreams race through scenarios, plans and decisions you find a more restful sleep. You awaken to a a muggy hot day. A gentle warm fog settles in the village keeping your brow or feathers damp. You eat breakfast and set to your morning routines eagerly awaiting the coming meeting.
As noon approaches you all make your way to the village center, similar to before the elders are seated in the middle of a large crowd while Quirin stands. Jaron and Kanush stand side by side smiling as they whisper jokes. Quirin raises his hand to command silence and the relative murmur of the crowd dies. "We have struck a mighty blow to the yuan-ti..." he pauses as the crowd erupts into a cheer. He raises his hand again as if patting the air down and raises his index finger pointing up to the sky before he continues. "One victory will not end this war. This is only the first step in a long journey. One that we cannot win alone... The elders have decided to reach out to the nearby villages for support in this battle. To do this we will need two scouting parties. Each traveling to two villages. We cannot spare more than these two scouting parties at one time." he pauses as murmurs begin to grow in the crowd and he raises his voice above the noise.
"We understand this will be a long treacherous journey... but it is the only way to ensure our safety and the possibility of restoring Dom-Sorn." at the mention of their city the crowd murmurs cease and a general wave of nods spreads through the crowd. "The first scouting party will visit Dom-Eko and Gnavi. The second scouting part will be visiting Kainui and Dom-Ryn. We expect the both parties to take no more than 27 days but no less than 16. Due to this, we have decided the scouting parties must be composed of able bodied volunteers who are willing to brave the jungle for so long... Have we any volunteers?" Quirin asks.
Kanush and Jaron share a look at one another and take a few steps forward. Standing out from the crowd you can see that Jaron looks thinner than before and still a bit pale. A determined look on his face however dissuades anyone from commenting on his ability. "We volunteer." they say almost simultaneously. A moment passes before two other males step in and announce their service. One male is tall looking older with salt and pepper hair and dark tanned skin. The second is younger with deep green eyes and shorter stature with fairer skin. A silence falls on the crowd for a moment...
Rawk looks around to see if her friends are planning to volunteer or not. If they do she'll hop into the circle and volunteer with them.
Erro’s heart is torn. It had barely been a week since he had a chance to stop putting his life in danger. How quickly a bit of comfort made him soft! Erro hesitates and puffs on his long pipe for a long while, the smoke accumulating around him in a cloud as he debates himself. Finally he resolves within himself that, like it or not, to keep what he has he had to exert himself more. He needed to earn his keep.
Erro strides forward from the cloud of pipe smoke and declares, “I shall volunteer.”
Ellis listens to the meeting, hearing the name of Tahvo's village as he smiled. That's great, they will be able to get Tahvo home. "I'll volunteer." he then said as he steps up and volunteers.
Darion, quiet and at the back also steps forward, glancing at Ellis "Me too, though as we discussed earlier I would like to combine it with getting Tahvo home...."
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
Quirin nods and begins to speak when Elia steps forward. "None of these know the way to any of the villages. I will guide them... since these two can't be separated from one another." she says with a grin. The crowd chuckles while Jaron and Kanush exchange a glance and shrug letting the joke roll off. "What of the grove?" Quirin asks. Elia smiles and replies, "Tempest is more than capable of fulfilling my role in my absence." Quirin onds approvingly and turns to the elders pausing on Rawk's father with a questioning look to see if he approves. Rawk's father looks displeased but nods in approval then turns to look at his daughter. Quirin turns back to teh crowd with a smile and says, "Elia will lead Rawk and our new allies will travel to Kainui and Dom-Ryn. Jaron will lead the scouting party to Dom-Eko and Gnavi. We thank you for your willingness to serve."
Each scouting party collects into two small groups between the crowd and the elders. The crowd cheers and Quirin raises his hand once again to calm the uproar. "Elia, you spoke of having another topic for discussion with the tribe?" he says giving her the floor. Elia steps forward and looks to Rawk with a nod and lifts her voice so the crowd can hear. "Yes... We have all seen the devastating power of the yuan-ti's new poison." faces in the crowd nod and murmurs begin while Elia continues to speak. "We are working on understanding what this new weapon is made of so that we can better combat its effects. In order to do so we need a sample of this poison. I propose we increase our regular scouting party size and begin to fight the yuan-ti rather than flee in hopes of finding this poison on their corpses. While I do not think we should begin immediately, since we have two parties leaving, we should begin once both parties are back. If we are unable to find the posion we may need to make another assault on the temple..." The elders each look at one another and whisper amongst themselves before converging towards Quirin. The murmurs within the crowd grow to a small constant jumble of words. After about a minute Quirin raises his hand and a silence falls on the crowd. "The elders have decided that the scouting parties will be reinforced and able to combat the yuan-ti. However, an assualt on the temple is too dangerous without the support of the local villages. Elia bows at the half-approved proposal and returns to the group. "thank you." "Make your preparations... you will depart tomorrow. " Quirin says bowing to the two groups.
Erro will give a half-grin, amused at the order giving license to kill any Yuan-ti found out and about, but he knew this meant this wouldn’t be a simple scouting mission. Erro unsheathes his blade and begins inspecting it, mostly absentmindedly/reflexively as he walks up to his companions, he gives waves and nods to some of the cheering townspeople.
”Back at it again eh?” He looks to Darion, “We’ll miss having Tempest around what with his spider and moon powers. But, from what I hear, you are much tougher than you look. They also say you’re pretty smart. Have you ever heard anything about the area that we are going? What sorts of things ought we be prepared for?” (In game terms, asking Darion if Nature, History, or Investigation might pick up anything.)
Afterwards, Erro might go ask the old veteran he has been making friends with if he has any stories from the area.
Rawk begins bobbing up and down when she sees her father nod. His approval meant the world to her and she would thank him greatly for it when she went back home.
At Erro's question, Darion will frown a little "I appreciate your confidence in my knowledge! Unfortunately, I know almost nothing of the deep jungle here. Until the Yuan-ti captured me, I'd not really gone much further than a few miles from the coastal cities - and that was more farmland than jungle!" Darion gives an unusually forthright look of concern "Truth is, this is all quite alien to me. Put me in a city, I'd know just what to do... out here... less so."
He pauses a moment, collecting his thoughts "I would say this though... Fenthasa is ruthless, cunning and clever. And what we are doing is the obvious next play, something she will no doubt be scheming to disrupt. However, I've met her type before - take away the scales and the revolting rituals she's one of those twisted individuals who seeks power for powers sake. But her situation may be more fragile than it seems. Her insurrection cost Yuan-ti resources and followers - and they lost the Lingering Shadow as a greater blow. Not a good start to her rule, and she will know there will already be rivals scheming to use this against her. And I'm sure many of the Yuan-ti will at least suspect her involvement in Slithotep's death - he was the old leader that she got us to kill." Darion shakes his head at the memory
"Combine these things, and she may be in some haste to cement her position and stop rivals - if we are lucky that might make her more careless." he emphasises the 'lucky' for Erro's benefit.
Do you like my Boots of Flying?
Ellis had heard Darion, nodding in agreement before seeing Elia volunteer. He was very surprised and sad to hear that Tempest wouldn't be joining them, knowing how much he helped with doing the ritual that purified the heart. He was glad to hear that they would be the group going to Kainui and Dom-Ryn before listening to her talk about the yuan-ti's new poison and that they have to start fighting instead of fleeing from the yuan-ti in order to possibly find it on them. At least they'll have more help, but now was worried if it would be too dangerous to take Tahvo with them. Then Ellis had heard Erro and Darion, nodding back. "Would it be too dangerous to take Tahvo with us? If we have to fight the Yuan-ti, I don't want anything bad to happen to him though." he asked Darion, knowing that Tahvo really wants to go home but afraid that he could get hurt during any fights they may have.
"Wise words Darion." Elia says as she walks over to Ellis and puts a calming hand on his shoulder. "If we were to wait for the jungle not to be dangerous, we'd all be stuck here. In life there are always risks but who better to protect Tahvo than you four. However, if you feel it is too unsafe, I will respect your decision. I will guide us straight to Kainui. From there we will move to Dom-Ryn and return. The first few days should pass uneventful. It is only when we near Kainui that the danger increases. I must tend to some other things before we go. Meet me in the grove tomorrow morning. Do not worry about packing additional rations. I will take care of nourishment for the trip." she bows and walks over to the other scouting party and stands between Jaron and Kanush giving each of them a hug. They converse for a few minutes before Elia heads in the direction of the grove leaving you to discuss and make preparations.
(You have half a day left to gather or request items you think you may need for the journey. You can also assist in finishing your houses or converse with more towns folk.)