This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As Ser Ander spurred his horse into action, Kel started at a run, dashing (60ft) toward the rear of the wagon. As he was about to shout to the wagon the horse threw the human from the saddle. Kel grit his teeth, his darkvision would have given him the advantage but he knew very little in the ways of horsemanship. Inwardly Kel cursed himself, as he had prepared his abilities to face the undead and wasn't best prepared for the living. Still, Kel shouted; "ONE OF THEM HAS ESCAPED!" booming into the night.
Persuasion?: 18
Whether they would stop or slow, if the barrier that stopped the horse could be avoided, Kel would soon see and instruct, as best he could, Ser Ander into the fray.
Either the old elf didn't hear Uthal, or he just ignored him, because as Anearis played along, he changed his demeanor entirely at the mention of a purchase. The door swung open completely, an overwhelming array of scents hitting the three in the face like a ton of bricks. The individual scents themselves were likely pleasant, but just the magnitude of it all was enough to make someone nearly nauseous.
As if the three of you were different visitors than the three he had only been speaking to seconds ago, the old elf welcomed you into his home/shop. "Customers! Please come in! Yes, yes Dah'Deey Yahn'Keey has just what you need. Come, come. Fair deals to be made." Leaving the door ajar, he begins to go about the room, not waiting for the party to even enter.
The room was an odd one. It was divided by a makeshift counter running lengthwise across the room, and the old man scurried beneath it, even though it had a door not two feet from him; separating himself from the group. The counter itself appeared to have been made from several other counters as well as an actual door laying horizontally as a surface, various wood scraps, and supports consisting of a chair, as well as one of large stones stacked on top of each other. Immediately to the left upon entering, was an old rocking chair in front of a fireplace that was so clean that it may never have contained a lit fire. To the right was a pile of books, stacked as high as Uthal was high. This stack was directly in front of bookcases, on which there were no books. Beyond the counter were two doorways, one without a door and one with, likely leading to the rest of the house.
However, covering every surface within the place was the source of the aromas, the light, and the smoke trail that Uthal had identified earlier; candles. Jars, pots, and containers of all shapes and sizes, containing wax, wicks, and a words scrawled on them. These candles covered every shelf of the book cases, the counter splitting the room, many hanging shelves crudely nailed into the walls, the floor itself. Even the clean fireplace, was filled with a bundle of approximately 20 or so candles stacked in a pyramid like shape, all of which were lit. Aside from those in the fire place, the rest were lit only sparingly around the room. This was fortunate as a dozen or so unlit candles in large pots were resting directly against the heavy curtains that were closed, covering both windows.
Road
It likely wasn't enough to completely convince the two 'farmers', but Kel's shout was enough to give them pause, as the wagon slowed, and although the covered wagon itself obscured him from seeing what the drivers were doing, he saw movement by shadows from their lamp. It was just enough for Kel to nearly catch up, before they picked up their pace again. He reached the rear of the wagon, but the flaps were still closed, and it was beginning to proceed forward again at its previous speed.
Being a human, without the gift of darkvision, and beyond the assistance of the camp fire, Ander was unable to identify what kept the horse in place. However, as Kel ran along the road, he saw that there were vines and vegetation along the ground. The weeds wrapped themselves around the horse's front legs like shackles that grew around them. The horse, thrashing around, was unable to free itself.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Brambles trap!" Kel shouted back to Ser Ander.
Kel was just behind the wagon as it began to move at speed again. He knew if he missed his mark that the pair were likely to escape into the night. Grunting with the effort, he attempted another burst of speed and made for a jump onto the wagon itself.
Kel made a last ditch effort to leap for the wagon, but at that moment, it accelerated forward, once more. Kel came up short and managed to land on nothing more than the road. The wagon may have only been pulled by a single donkey, but it was just enough to continue onward leaving Kel and Ander behind. The only hope of catching it now would be to pursue it down the road.
Stepping inside the hut, Anearis looks around at the assortment of jars and pots and candles. What a bizarre old man...thought the elf to himself. He walked over to one of the makeshift tables and smelled the contents of some of the jars and pots. Trying his best not to be overwhelmed by the various aromas, Anearis shifts his gaze to the pile of books in the corner of the hut. After shortly analyzing the content of the pile, he turns to the old man.
''Well then, how about we begin trading? I can only guess what it is you can offer...'' Anearis says with a sheepish smile.
The old man had been standing eagerly behind the counter, following Anearis, with his head, as he moved about the cabin. He scrambled out from behind the counter, at Anearis's mention again of the trade, again crawling beneath it rather than using the door next to him. "Yes of course. I see a lot of myself in you. You like the scents of the wild forest. Being one with nature." He crouched by a pile of various earthen clay pot candles and began going through them, knocking over several. He seemed uninterested in what happened to any pot other than the specific one he was searching for. "Ah-ha!"
He held up a small dark-brown clay pot with the words 'Yahn'Keey Kandle' and 'Mose, mose, mose' written on it in charcoal. An obviously proud smile on his face as he practically forced it directly under Anearis's nose. It smelled like damp moss, though in a surprisingly not unpleasant sort of way, when you consider the scent.
Having the clay pot practically in his face, Anearis reeled his head back a little, trying look at the thing the old man was offering properly. The smell was rather pleasant. For a moment, it reminded Anearis of his home. A flow of memory from his time in the forest that his tribe called home washed over him. The smell was reminiscent of rainy days in the forest.
After a moment, he grabbed the pot the old man was handing to him and look the merchant in the eye. "That has a very nice smell. And you are right, the forest feels more like home to me than the city ever can."
He reached for the pouch that hung around his neck and under his shirt. It was rather light. "How much would you ask for this candle then?"
Atal pauses briefly outside the door, wondering about whether Ander and Kel would be getting into trouble if they were to dally in this "shop" for too long.
"Nah. Kel's a steady guy with a good head on his shoulders, and Ander is a dependable fighter. There's no way those two could be surprised by anything coming their way on the road. It's good to know we'll have a camp to come back to when we're done here,"he says confidently.
Stepping into the shop, Atal is almost overwhelmed by the scents that assail him. As the conversation progresses, he frowns and leans in towards Uthal, muttering under his breath. "I don't think the Arbitrator would have passed by this way to buy a scented candle for the ruins of Aaargh. If the threat to Midgar's coming from there, it's not like making the place smell more homey will settle whatever demons are to be found."
He leans in and waits for an opportunity to address the candlemaker. "Your candles certainly smell magical," Atal says, grinning. "But I was wondering... have you imbued any of them with, say, actual magic? Those are probably the kinds we'd be most interested in. Or be interested in hearing if anyone else bought, to be fair."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kel grumbled in the dust. "Tmyh qaz isih..." He missed his chance and whatever would happen down the road would happen. Kel sighed, wondering if there was anything actually worth putting forth the effort to be better than one could. So far his travels hadn't shown him much in that respect. Kel closed his eyes as the wagon vanished from the edge of his night eyes and in doing so dismissed the pleading look he saw in anothers only moments ago. Let other gods do something about the flock to fleece for once.
Kel returned back down the road and looked to the issue at hand. He knelt, planting his sword in the ground and attempted to help Ser Ander free his horse.
Ander successfully pulled the vines free from around the horse's hooves and lower legs. Though in doing so, he felt that the ground around him and the beast were covered in the same, though they didn't seem to be looking to ensare either at this point. The growth would however, make the terrain a bit more difficult, in the dark; including the risk of injuring ankles.
When Kel Arrived back with the knight and steed, they had just freed themselves from the entanglement.
Forest
As Uthal scanned the stack of books, he found that they appeared to be smut novels, the kind that disguises themselves as romance.
The old man continued beaming at Anearis, as he smelled the candle. "I knew it. We're kindred spirits, you and I. If I didn't know better I'd say we were the same person. As for price..." The smile left his face and a look of confusion took its place. The man began just staring off into space. "Price? I don't know. How much would you pay for it? Keep in ind the entire thing is handmade."
Still standing in front of Anearis though, he turned to respond to Atal. "Magical of course! I have scents that will woo any woman straight into your bed. Scents that will make even the bravest man buckle at his knees. Scents that I swear have brought the living back from the very brink of death. And don't you two worry neither. Just like your friend, I can read you and I know exactly which scent is right for you."
Uthal turns his head back to the eccentric elf. "Unless you have a scent that helps me defeat a hoard of undead I don't really care. And I'm broke so it doesn't matter to me anyways."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisysin Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
"Oh all in due time, large one. I may not have the scents you want, but I have the scents you need." The old elf turned back to face Anearis, the same proud grin, returning to his face. "Now then, younger me. What do you say? What do you have?"
Kel did his best to direct Ander and his horse out of the brambles, as he could see what the human could not. Following that misadventure, with nothing lost but pride and dignity and a rapidly diminishing cushion of 'Do Right (without pay)' in Kel's mind, he returned to camp. He sat down on the ground and returned to sharpening his sword, grumbling in infernal at nothing in particular.
Kel laughed, one harsh laugh and then nodded his agreement with Ser Ander's statement. He suddenly recalled his displaced drink and sipped it. He gestured to Ander if he wanted a drink, motioning to the cask tucked inside the tieflings tent. "I only have the one cup, but if you don't mind a bowl..." he trailed off.
As Ser Ander spurred his horse into action, Kel started at a run, dashing (60ft) toward the rear of the wagon. As he was about to shout to the wagon the horse threw the human from the saddle. Kel grit his teeth, his darkvision would have given him the advantage but he knew very little in the ways of horsemanship. Inwardly Kel cursed himself, as he had prepared his abilities to face the undead and wasn't best prepared for the living. Still, Kel shouted; "ONE OF THEM HAS ESCAPED!" booming into the night.
Persuasion?: 18
Whether they would stop or slow, if the barrier that stopped the horse could be avoided, Kel would soon see and instruct, as best he could, Ser Ander into the fray.
Exitus Acta Probat
”Ey, tiefling! See what’s amiss?”
Forest
Either the old elf didn't hear Uthal, or he just ignored him, because as Anearis played along, he changed his demeanor entirely at the mention of a purchase. The door swung open completely, an overwhelming array of scents hitting the three in the face like a ton of bricks. The individual scents themselves were likely pleasant, but just the magnitude of it all was enough to make someone nearly nauseous.
As if the three of you were different visitors than the three he had only been speaking to seconds ago, the old elf welcomed you into his home/shop. "Customers! Please come in! Yes, yes Dah'Deey Yahn'Keey has just what you need. Come, come. Fair deals to be made." Leaving the door ajar, he begins to go about the room, not waiting for the party to even enter.
The room was an odd one. It was divided by a makeshift counter running lengthwise across the room, and the old man scurried beneath it, even though it had a door not two feet from him; separating himself from the group. The counter itself appeared to have been made from several other counters as well as an actual door laying horizontally as a surface, various wood scraps, and supports consisting of a chair, as well as one of large stones stacked on top of each other. Immediately to the left upon entering, was an old rocking chair in front of a fireplace that was so clean that it may never have contained a lit fire. To the right was a pile of books, stacked as high as Uthal was high. This stack was directly in front of bookcases, on which there were no books. Beyond the counter were two doorways, one without a door and one with, likely leading to the rest of the house.
However, covering every surface within the place was the source of the aromas, the light, and the smoke trail that Uthal had identified earlier; candles. Jars, pots, and containers of all shapes and sizes, containing wax, wicks, and a words scrawled on them. These candles covered every shelf of the book cases, the counter splitting the room, many hanging shelves crudely nailed into the walls, the floor itself. Even the clean fireplace, was filled with a bundle of approximately 20 or so candles stacked in a pyramid like shape, all of which were lit. Aside from those in the fire place, the rest were lit only sparingly around the room. This was fortunate as a dozen or so unlit candles in large pots were resting directly against the heavy curtains that were closed, covering both windows.
Road
It likely wasn't enough to completely convince the two 'farmers', but Kel's shout was enough to give them pause, as the wagon slowed, and although the covered wagon itself obscured him from seeing what the drivers were doing, he saw movement by shadows from their lamp. It was just enough for Kel to nearly catch up, before they picked up their pace again. He reached the rear of the wagon, but the flaps were still closed, and it was beginning to proceed forward again at its previous speed.
Being a human, without the gift of darkvision, and beyond the assistance of the camp fire, Ander was unable to identify what kept the horse in place. However, as Kel ran along the road, he saw that there were vines and vegetation along the ground. The weeds wrapped themselves around the horse's front legs like shackles that grew around them. The horse, thrashing around, was unable to free itself.
"Brambles trap!" Kel shouted back to Ser Ander.
Kel was just behind the wagon as it began to move at speed again. He knew if he missed his mark that the pair were likely to escape into the night. Grunting with the effort, he attempted another burst of speed and made for a jump onto the wagon itself.
Athletics: 18
Exitus Acta Probat
Road
Kel made a last ditch effort to leap for the wagon, but at that moment, it accelerated forward, once more. Kel came up short and managed to land on nothing more than the road. The wagon may have only been pulled by a single donkey, but it was just enough to continue onward leaving Kel and Ander behind. The only hope of catching it now would be to pursue it down the road.
Stepping inside the hut, Anearis looks around at the assortment of jars and pots and candles. What a bizarre old man...thought the elf to himself. He walked over to one of the makeshift tables and smelled the contents of some of the jars and pots. Trying his best not to be overwhelmed by the various aromas, Anearis shifts his gaze to the pile of books in the corner of the hut. After shortly analyzing the content of the pile, he turns to the old man.
''Well then, how about we begin trading? I can only guess what it is you can offer...'' Anearis says with a sheepish smile.
Forest
The old man had been standing eagerly behind the counter, following Anearis, with his head, as he moved about the cabin. He scrambled out from behind the counter, at Anearis's mention again of the trade, again crawling beneath it rather than using the door next to him. "Yes of course. I see a lot of myself in you. You like the scents of the wild forest. Being one with nature." He crouched by a pile of various earthen clay pot candles and began going through them, knocking over several. He seemed uninterested in what happened to any pot other than the specific one he was searching for. "Ah-ha!"
He held up a small dark-brown clay pot with the words 'Yahn'Keey Kandle' and 'Mose, mose, mose' written on it in charcoal. An obviously proud smile on his face as he practically forced it directly under Anearis's nose. It smelled like damp moss, though in a surprisingly not unpleasant sort of way, when you consider the scent.
Ander leans down, prodding gingerly at the area, and once he finds a secure grip, he attempts to pull them lose.
Strength: 22
Uthal stands and ponders the books, waiting for this to be over.
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Having the clay pot practically in his face, Anearis reeled his head back a little, trying look at the thing the old man was offering properly. The smell was rather pleasant. For a moment, it reminded Anearis of his home. A flow of memory from his time in the forest that his tribe called home washed over him. The smell was reminiscent of rainy days in the forest.
After a moment, he grabbed the pot the old man was handing to him and look the merchant in the eye. "That has a very nice smell. And you are right, the forest feels more like home to me than the city ever can."
He reached for the pouch that hung around his neck and under his shirt. It was rather light. "How much would you ask for this candle then?"
Atal pauses briefly outside the door, wondering about whether Ander and Kel would be getting into trouble if they were to dally in this "shop" for too long.
"Nah. Kel's a steady guy with a good head on his shoulders, and Ander is a dependable fighter. There's no way those two could be surprised by anything coming their way on the road. It's good to know we'll have a camp to come back to when we're done here," he says confidently.
Stepping into the shop, Atal is almost overwhelmed by the scents that assail him. As the conversation progresses, he frowns and leans in towards Uthal, muttering under his breath. "I don't think the Arbitrator would have passed by this way to buy a scented candle for the ruins of Aaargh. If the threat to Midgar's coming from there, it's not like making the place smell more homey will settle whatever demons are to be found."
He leans in and waits for an opportunity to address the candlemaker. "Your candles certainly smell magical," Atal says, grinning. "But I was wondering... have you imbued any of them with, say, actual magic? Those are probably the kinds we'd be most interested in. Or be interested in hearing if anyone else bought, to be fair."
Kel grumbled in the dust. "Tmyh qaz isih..." He missed his chance and whatever would happen down the road would happen. Kel sighed, wondering if there was anything actually worth putting forth the effort to be better than one could. So far his travels hadn't shown him much in that respect. Kel closed his eyes as the wagon vanished from the edge of his night eyes and in doing so dismissed the pleading look he saw in anothers only moments ago. Let other gods do something about the flock to fleece for once.
Kel returned back down the road and looked to the issue at hand. He knelt, planting his sword in the ground and attempted to help Ser Ander free his horse.
Strength: 15
Exitus Acta Probat
Road
Ander successfully pulled the vines free from around the horse's hooves and lower legs. Though in doing so, he felt that the ground around him and the beast were covered in the same, though they didn't seem to be looking to ensare either at this point. The growth would however, make the terrain a bit more difficult, in the dark; including the risk of injuring ankles.
When Kel Arrived back with the knight and steed, they had just freed themselves from the entanglement.
Forest
As Uthal scanned the stack of books, he found that they appeared to be smut novels, the kind that disguises themselves as romance.
The old man continued beaming at Anearis, as he smelled the candle. "I knew it. We're kindred spirits, you and I. If I didn't know better I'd say we were the same person. As for price..." The smile left his face and a look of confusion took its place. The man began just staring off into space. "Price? I don't know. How much would you pay for it? Keep in ind the entire thing is handmade."
Still standing in front of Anearis though, he turned to respond to Atal. "Magical of course! I have scents that will woo any woman straight into your bed. Scents that will make even the bravest man buckle at his knees. Scents that I swear have brought the living back from the very brink of death. And don't you two worry neither. Just like your friend, I can read you and I know exactly which scent is right for you."
Atal's grin widens. "Now this is an opportunity too good to pass up. Tell me, what should I smell like?"
Uthal turns his head back to the eccentric elf. "Unless you have a scent that helps me defeat a hoard of undead I don't really care. And I'm broke so it doesn't matter to me anyways."
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Forest
"Oh all in due time, large one. I may not have the scents you want, but I have the scents you need." The old elf turned back to face Anearis, the same proud grin, returning to his face. "Now then, younger me. What do you say? What do you have?"
Kel did his best to direct Ander and his horse out of the brambles, as he could see what the human could not. Following that misadventure, with nothing lost but pride and dignity and a rapidly diminishing cushion of 'Do Right (without pay)' in Kel's mind, he returned to camp. He sat down on the ground and returned to sharpening his sword, grumbling in infernal at nothing in particular.
Exitus Acta Probat
”Damn it, why does every kidnapper have to be some sort of sorcerer these days?”
Kel laughed, one harsh laugh and then nodded his agreement with Ser Ander's statement. He suddenly recalled his displaced drink and sipped it. He gestured to Ander if he wanted a drink, motioning to the cask tucked inside the tieflings tent. "I only have the one cup, but if you don't mind a bowl..." he trailed off.
Exitus Acta Probat
”I’ve drunk from worse.”
Ander hauls the cask out.