Madame Zoar seems to remember who you’re talking about, but she doesn’t recall seeing him out here tonight. To her, that’s not too odd, considering all the commotion and darkness, but neither does she recall him paying for a room at the inn. However, she’s quite tired and mentally exhausted after all the stress of the attack, and admits that she might have just forgotten. She bids you a good rest of the night and walks back to the inn.
Sleep, or rather, re-sleep, comes to you quickly, although it is not especially restful. Your brains are still filled with terrible memories of battling thear two fearsome creatures that could very easily have cut any one of you down for good, or ripped all of you apart within minutes.
Of course, you have all heard tales of trolls since you were young. Everyone has. To see one up close, though, to smell the stench, to hear their wicked groans and growls, and to witness the awesome power and reckless, relentless strength in their mottled, muscular bodies... now that’s the stuff of nightmares. It reminds you of just how little of the world you have actually seen, and for all of your own strengths and successes, there are endless dangers out there which could end it all in a heartbeat.
It’s a stark reminder of why people band together, why they form alliances, parties, brotherhoods, bonds and fellowships. It’s the reason why the five of you have come together as a group and why you work together instead of going it alone. It’s the reason why you’re all still alive.
Those thoughts weigh heavily on your minds, even as you sleep and try to regain your strength for whatever tomorrow brings. Eventually, the new day breaks and quells some of your dark thoughts, as it always does, but last night’s episode has indeed left its mark, and not just on you. The mood is somber inside the common room, where a few other travelers are eating breakfast and Madame Zoar is nowhere to be seen.
Lumen of course looks around for the man he saw on the path at breakfast time, and then begins circulating among the various diners, asking if they are okay, if they slept well. And if they've seen his friend from the road. (Forgot to ask -- are either of the two men he was dining with last night there today, and were they there during/after the troll fight?)
As Lumen circulates among the few travelers in the common room, he does not see the man or his two companions. Thinking back, he does recall possibly seeing one of the other men outside last night, but he can’t be sure since it was dark. No one in here else seems to know who he’s talking about, but nonetheless, Lumen’s efforts are well received. He’s met with genuine responses and reserved, but pleasant cheer, and a few of the people even ask if he’s ok. They saw the bard go down, and were shocked and quite relieved to see him get back up. They thought he was a goner.
Most of the people slept fitfully after the terrifying troll episode, and are nervous to get back on the road. Of course, it’s not like being in town is any safer, or so a few of them remark.
Chrys comes downstairs blearily, rubbing the vestiges of too-little-sleep out of her eyes. She blinks and sees Lumen awake and busy already, and lets out a small groan. "Someone's at it bright an' early," she says, stomping to a table and sitting down heavily. "What's got you so energized this mornin' after that helluva night we had yesterday evenin'? Even the townspeople still looked spooked 'round here," she says, glancing at the other patrons. "Somethin' up, Lumen? Do I gotta be worried an' get my hammer out?"
Krackle would roll out of bed and fall on the ground. After rubbing his tail he would get up and make his way out with the others. "So what are we doing today?" He would ask excitedly as looks from one companion to the next.
Lumen shakes his head at Chrys, sitting down next to her and picking at the remains of his breakfast. "Probably not. Bet I'm chasing cats up trees. That fellow we saw on the road on the way here, I saw him at the bar last night. Went to say hello, ask if he had any interesting travlin' stories to tell. Always looking for those. He didn't. Then last night during our little dance with the trolls, with almost everyone in the Inn outside to watch the chaos, he's not there. I asked Madame Zoar about it afterward, and she said he didn't pay for a room overnight. And he's not here this morning. Possible he was just passing through into the night, or didn't have the coin for a room, or knows someone in town and stayed with them. Like I said, likely a cat I'm chasing up a tree. But I thought it was, well, odd."He sips down the rest of his breakfast beer.
Waking up, Kess descends into the common room, feeling rested but not particularly refreshed, this time in her traveling clothes and her weapons and armor.
"Good morning, everyone," She says, looking around warily before her gaze fell upon Lumen. "Are you going to be alright, Lumen? That wound you received was no minor graze. I'm just glad that the troll didn't remove your head from your shoulders."
Lumen nods in thanks to Kess. "Almost did. I feel great after some rest. But last night was a close call. I really hope to be stronger next time we have a surprise like that."
"Yer pretty strong,"Chrys says to Lumen. "But ya ain't fast enough to dodge the punches when they start comin', and ya ain't wearin' the right protection to take it on the chin, like I do." She pauses. "Though they hit me pretty hard last night too. I don't recommend takin' anythin' on the chin if ya can help it."
Nodding in greeting to Krackle and Kess, Chrys turns her attention back to Lumen as he tells his worries."That could just be a coincidence,"Chrys says doubtfully. "But it is strange, that he weren't there when the trollcident happened. I'da called it too late to set out on another journey at night by then... unless he had a mercenary company hidin' outside the inn, it'd be dangerous to keep on travelin' these parts after nightfall." She hums thoughtfully. "In any case, I don't think yer mad... I'd be paranoid, too. Hell, I still am after that incident with the mask. Let's just keep on our guard, in case he shows up again with misfortune chasin' at his heels."
"What is even stranger is that the trolls risked walking so far into town at all. They tend to be dim-witted brutes, but trolls are wise enough to know that settlements mean that the presence of fire is a threat." Kess added, her expression looking concerned. "If I recall correctly, their numbers were greatly reduced during the late King Bruenor's war with Many-Arrows, but I suppose it has been been over a century since that time. Even so, to walk so far from the moor to seek horse meat... it rings as strange. Very strange, actually. I didn't want to bring this up because we were all so tired."
Lumen nods at the good advice, and makes a mental note to ask Chrys later on about using the heavier armor that she uses, and some of the warriors in his former tribe. Might be smart of him, given how often he found himself in the thick of it these days, without a horde all around him.
"We'll have to keep our eyes wide open when we head down the river. Which is something that we should be doing once we've all got breakfast in our bellies. Maybe Zoar has some helpful information about where our dryad's been, or knows someone who's been through Noanar's Hold recently."
["And since you've agreed to run the errand, I will give you more complete directions. At Calling Horns, the Evermoor Way forks. Take the right trail and follow The Dessarin River for a day to the village of Noanar's Hold, which lies at the edge of the High Forest. From there, continue along the trail into the forest for three hours, until you reach The Old Man tree. Turn left off the path and walk for five hundred paces to a small clearing and look for a maple tree that's standing alone in a grove full of tall oaks. That's Phelannie's tree."]
Lumen votes for moving along after finding Zoar to ask about people to trust in Noanar's Hold and surrounding environs. He's comfortable telling her about their mission.
Madame Zoar seems to remember who you’re talking about, but she doesn’t recall seeing him out here tonight. To her, that’s not too odd, considering all the commotion and darkness, but neither does she recall him paying for a room at the inn. However, she’s quite tired and mentally exhausted after all the stress of the attack, and admits that she might have just forgotten. She bids you a good rest of the night and walks back to the inn.
Lumen eventually heads to bed confusedly, trying to patch up his wounds a bit.
Sleep, or rather, re-sleep, comes to you quickly, although it is not especially restful. Your brains are still filled with terrible memories of battling thear two fearsome creatures that could very easily have cut any one of you down for good, or ripped all of you apart within minutes.
Of course, you have all heard tales of trolls since you were young. Everyone has. To see one up close, though, to smell the stench, to hear their wicked groans and growls, and to witness the awesome power and reckless, relentless strength in their mottled, muscular bodies... now that’s the stuff of nightmares. It reminds you of just how little of the world you have actually seen, and for all of your own strengths and successes, there are endless dangers out there which could end it all in a heartbeat.
It’s a stark reminder of why people band together, why they form alliances, parties, brotherhoods, bonds and fellowships. It’s the reason why the five of you have come together as a group and why you work together instead of going it alone. It’s the reason why you’re all still alive.
Those thoughts weigh heavily on your minds, even as you sleep and try to regain your strength for whatever tomorrow brings. Eventually, the new day breaks and quells some of your dark thoughts, as it always does, but last night’s episode has indeed left its mark, and not just on you. The mood is somber inside the common room, where a few other travelers are eating breakfast and Madame Zoar is nowhere to be seen.
Lumen of course looks around for the man he saw on the path at breakfast time, and then begins circulating among the various diners, asking if they are okay, if they slept well. And if they've seen his friend from the road. (Forgot to ask -- are either of the two men he was dining with last night there today, and were they there during/after the troll fight?)
As Lumen circulates among the few travelers in the common room, he does not see the man or his two companions. Thinking back, he does recall possibly seeing one of the other men outside last night, but he can’t be sure since it was dark. No one in here else seems to know who he’s talking about, but nonetheless, Lumen’s efforts are well received. He’s met with genuine responses and reserved, but pleasant cheer, and a few of the people even ask if he’s ok. They saw the bard go down, and were shocked and quite relieved to see him get back up. They thought he was a goner.
Most of the people slept fitfully after the terrifying troll episode, and are nervous to get back on the road. Of course, it’s not like being in town is any safer, or so a few of them remark.
Chrys comes downstairs blearily, rubbing the vestiges of too-little-sleep out of her eyes. She blinks and sees Lumen awake and busy already, and lets out a small groan. "Someone's at it bright an' early," she says, stomping to a table and sitting down heavily. "What's got you so energized this mornin' after that helluva night we had yesterday evenin'? Even the townspeople still looked spooked 'round here," she says, glancing at the other patrons. "Somethin' up, Lumen? Do I gotta be worried an' get my hammer out?"
Krackle would roll out of bed and fall on the ground. After rubbing his tail he would get up and make his way out with the others. "So what are we doing today?" He would ask excitedly as looks from one companion to the next.
Lumen shakes his head at Chrys, sitting down next to her and picking at the remains of his breakfast. "Probably not. Bet I'm chasing cats up trees. That fellow we saw on the road on the way here, I saw him at the bar last night. Went to say hello, ask if he had any interesting travlin' stories to tell. Always looking for those. He didn't. Then last night during our little dance with the trolls, with almost everyone in the Inn outside to watch the chaos, he's not there. I asked Madame Zoar about it afterward, and she said he didn't pay for a room overnight. And he's not here this morning. Possible he was just passing through into the night, or didn't have the coin for a room, or knows someone in town and stayed with them. Like I said, likely a cat I'm chasing up a tree. But I thought it was, well, odd." He sips down the rest of his breakfast beer.
Waking up, Kess descends into the common room, feeling rested but not particularly refreshed, this time in her traveling clothes and her weapons and armor.
"Good morning, everyone," She says, looking around warily before her gaze fell upon Lumen. "Are you going to be alright, Lumen? That wound you received was no minor graze. I'm just glad that the troll didn't remove your head from your shoulders."
Lumen nods in thanks to Kess. "Almost did. I feel great after some rest. But last night was a close call. I really hope to be stronger next time we have a surprise like that."
"Yer pretty strong," Chrys says to Lumen. "But ya ain't fast enough to dodge the punches when they start comin', and ya ain't wearin' the right protection to take it on the chin, like I do." She pauses. "Though they hit me pretty hard last night too. I don't recommend takin' anythin' on the chin if ya can help it."
Nodding in greeting to Krackle and Kess, Chrys turns her attention back to Lumen as he tells his worries. "That could just be a coincidence," Chrys says doubtfully. "But it is strange, that he weren't there when the trollcident happened. I'da called it too late to set out on another journey at night by then... unless he had a mercenary company hidin' outside the inn, it'd be dangerous to keep on travelin' these parts after nightfall." She hums thoughtfully. "In any case, I don't think yer mad... I'd be paranoid, too. Hell, I still am after that incident with the mask. Let's just keep on our guard, in case he shows up again with misfortune chasin' at his heels."
"What is even stranger is that the trolls risked walking so far into town at all. They tend to be dim-witted brutes, but trolls are wise enough to know that settlements mean that the presence of fire is a threat." Kess added, her expression looking concerned. "If I recall correctly, their numbers were greatly reduced during the late King Bruenor's war with Many-Arrows, but I suppose it has been been over a century since that time. Even so, to walk so far from the moor to seek horse meat... it rings as strange. Very strange, actually. I didn't want to bring this up because we were all so tired."
Lumen nods at the good advice, and makes a mental note to ask Chrys later on about using the heavier armor that she uses, and some of the warriors in his former tribe. Might be smart of him, given how often he found himself in the thick of it these days, without a horde all around him.
"We'll have to keep our eyes wide open when we head down the river. Which is something that we should be doing once we've all got breakfast in our bellies. Maybe Zoar has some helpful information about where our dryad's been, or knows someone who's been through Noanar's Hold recently."
["And since you've agreed to run the errand, I will give you more complete directions. At Calling Horns, the Evermoor Way forks. Take the right trail and follow The Dessarin River for a day to the village of Noanar's Hold, which lies at the edge of the High Forest. From there, continue along the trail into the forest for three hours, until you reach The Old Man tree. Turn left off the path and walk for five hundred paces to a small clearing and look for a maple tree that's standing alone in a grove full of tall oaks. That's Phelannie's tree."]
So what’s your plan for today? Get back on the road and continue towards The High Forest, or stick around Calling Horns for a little while longer?
Lumen votes for moving along after finding Zoar to ask about people to trust in Noanar's Hold and surrounding environs. He's comfortable telling her about their mission.
Krackle is ready to move out
"Yeah, I'm ready to go."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
(Chrys will push to continue until we find a suitable place to bury the last mask shard)
... she‘ll also buy a pick or shovel LOL. whatever is needed to break ground here
(We're burying it here, rather than in the middle of nowhere, away from people? In a volcano-ish?)
(no, in the middle of nowhere, but not with our bare hands, I just realized that would be hard ;) )