Ola, in turn, got the impression everyone is agree to move out at dawn. "Something for the cause of all should not be payed by one."

"Do not think that piece of a parchment requires the escort of five peoples. Unless Sylyra wants a company, there is no need to frighten the shop owner with a unit of armed people barging in. But Arnald suggested silvering his arrows. I can join you on the cost of it, if you decide to get some. Might help to put your mind at ease too, Eonis - arranging it silvering. What do you think?"   

"That's up to Arnald,"Eonis answers, "They're his arrows, and he is a skilled archer by reputation.  I have no such talent.  If Arnald is interested, that could be prudent."

"As for the map, I suppose it's up to all of you if one of us goes to retrieve it, or all of us.  As a rule I prefer to stay in a group.  It's just tactically wiser, should we encounter trouble, even in an urban environment.  If those behind this do have agents in the city, for example, they could be observing our actions, and might make a move on a lone person retrieving a map that could ultimately hinder their plans, while they would think twice about attacking the entire group.  The appearance of overwhelming armed force can be off putting to civilians, it's true, but also to enemies of justice."  

Sylyra doesn't respond to Ola's comment about sharing payment for the map, but at the conclusion of Eonis's explanation for why she thinks the whole party should go together to retrieve the map, he sighs. "What if I take Uragum with me? Will that satisfy you?" He turns to the goliath. "Will you accompany me when I return to check on the progress of the map?" he asks, clearly frustrated. He looks back at Eonis with an exaggerated "Will that do?" look.

Eonis shrugs.  "It's just good tactics.  We're stronger together.  One never knows when danger could approach.  Perhaps my experiences have made me a bit more paranoid than some.  Once you've tasted defeat, you look at things differently.  You have your own habits, and you'll do as you will, Sylyra, but the more allies you have at your side, obviously the more comfortable I will be."  

OOC: Feel free to continue the discussion. Once there is a confirmation of who is going to All Questions Answered, and what the others are doing in the meantime, I will advance.

Ola is not going anywhere. She will be waiting for Sylyra and Uragum to return with the map. If Arnald wishes to silver a couple arrows, she can chime in. But other than that - just waiting.

Eonis' main concern, presently, is keeping as much of the group together as possible during the investigation.  She waits at the Laughing Goblin, suggesting they pass the time with a game of Dragon Chess. 

OOC: Fine to wait until we regroup with the map and go from there.  

Sylyra comments that no matter who goes, they have a while to wait. When Eonis suggests a game of dragon chess, the elf turns her down a bit condescendingly, and instead goes to the bar and orders a drink.

After three hours, he asks Uragum if he's ready to go to see if the map is ready.

Most likely Eonis was trained in a mindset, that a soldier should not have a free time. Waiting without anything to do could not be good on her - and Ola agreed to the Dragon Chess. She was not by any means good at this, but on the plus side, did not care much about winning either - it was just a matter of passing time.

“I’m not altogether very good at Dragon Chess myself, Ola, although I do know the basic rules,” Eonis says as she lays out the board and explains the movement of the pieces. “It’s supposed to help develop ones mind for strategy, a game of kings and generals. I’m an amateur at best, but it is a good way to pass the time. I find it more satisfying than cards or dice, games of chance don’t provide as much mental stimulation.” 

OOC: Eonis does not particularly care who wins, either, ie, mechanics aren’t really needed since its passing the time, for flavor. With her proficiency added and intelligence penalty factored in - all those years of hard drug use - Eonis would roll at a +1 if mechanics are desired.

(For Ola it's +3 if we are playing, but, yes, it's for waiting)

Quote from BlueBayou >>

(For Ola it's +3 if we are playing, but, yes, it's for waiting)

 OOC: I figured Ola would be better - Eonis can explain the rules, and Ola likely immediately has a more intuitive grasp for strategy where Eonis struggles just to recall the framework of the game. 

IC: "You're a natural at this, Ola," Eonis says.  "Quite a good mind for tactics.  I'm a bit jealous.  These days it's a struggle just to keep my head clear.  Being around other people, getting out in the world, I thought it would do me some good, and I feel it will.  But it's difficult to see how things that seem such a struggle for me at times, now, come so naturally to others. Ah well.  All things in time."  

(Ola has a proficiency in Dragon Chess too, but would listen to explanations, Eonis wishes to provide - after all, she learned it in a very different place)

"Not so much natural as well taught, though my teachers never found me particularly talented," Ola was accurately placing pieces back to the box and nodded to the words about the cure to the problem. "Quite sure the having a real goal, true ... I do not really like the word "adventure" but for the lack of the better one - adventure can help. Takes one's mind off the personal problems quite a bit and then time makes the rest. As they say - time and patience. So far we were able to solve some town problems. That one sounds more mysterious but might as well give you more chances to exercise your tactical mind, as you call it." "If Uragum is right and we are about to visit some island, though, there is one thing I need to ask Ren about."

With that Ola stood up went to the barkeeper, to ask if it is possible to higher some henchmen with a horse or a mule, who could take care of party's horses in case they need to leave them behind for a while.

Uragum never passes up a moment for drinking, unless it interferes with the task at hand.  He'll join Sylyra for a drink lamenting on how it may be their last for awhile.  When the appointed time comes to go grab the map he shall accompany Sylyra.

Ooc, sorry for the delay.  Surprise visit from family down south.  Turns out they will be around until after July 4th.  15 of them came up so may end up busier after work.

Eonis ponders Ola’s words, idly moving a Dragon Chess piece on the board, allowing herself to get lost in abstraction for a moment, rather than thinking of the harsh reality of how truly decrepit her mental state has become. “Maybe Adventure is the cure. A goal, at least.” She waits, content for now, with that. 

After watching the dragonchess game for sometime, pondering the tactics of the game and of his life, Arnald rises. "You know, I'm thinking I should stop being so tight with my funds. Better to have the silvered arrows and not need them, than the other way around."

And with that, Arnald leaves to go purchase 5 silvered arrows.

OOC: 15?! Can not say if it warrants condolences or congratulations :)

Looks like Uragum and Sylyra are on the way to the map shop.

From their game Ola likely noted that Eonis is about as bad at Dragon Chess as one can be while still playing the game correctly. She does not think enough moves ahead, her play style is extremely conservative, only taking pieces when it seems guaranteed to have no immediate consequences, a tendency to move pieces out in unnecessary formations rather than allowing pieces with agile movement functions to take advantage of them. For all of her talk about tactics, in practice, it’s clear enough that she’s remarkably bad at them. 

After a few hours have been whittled away, Sylyra and Uragum trek across Phlan to All Questions Answered. The quaint little shop is new to Uragum, but an employee, recognizing Sylyra, informs the duo that Delacrae is still researching and will return shortly.

The gentle half-elf sage returns very close to her original estimated five hour mark with a bundle of parchment under her arm that she lays out on the table. "It was difficult, but I believe I have determined a slight pattern in the attacks that you mentioned," she says, pointing out each of the locations on a newly created map. "Sorry for the lack of detail, but I'm no cartographer."

"There is not a linear path with the attacks. As you can see here, there are some small settlements here that would have been in a direct path from the Aleston Brewery, but you did not mention them coming to harm. However, they do have two things in common: One, the strikes match the nights when there was a change in the phase of the moon, roughly every four days. Two, all of the attack are between the coast and the Iron Route, the old major trading road from Zhentil Keep to Phlan and beyond."

Delacrae pauses to ensure that the information is being digested before moving on.

"The travel time on the road between each of these locations is approximately one day; even the slowest traveler moving only under cover of darkness would make it in two days, even with the inclement weather of Stormy Bay lashing at them and muddying the roads. Now this," she points to a location circled in red ink on the map, "is the only settlement between Phlan and the last attack that is also near the coast and within that timeframe. I couldn't find a name for it, but it's a small fishing village on a tiny island just a short ferry ride into Stormy Bay. The seafarers I spoke with haven't come too close to it, but there's likely a ferry or landing somewhere near its coast that provides access to it."

She pauses again, almost out of breath. "I hope your questions have been answered to your satisfaction," she says with a polite bow.

OOC: Added five silvered arrows to Arnald's inventory and removed 50 gp.

Imizael can direct Ola to some places to find hired help in the morning. Unskilled laborers can be hired at the rate of 2 silver pieces per day.

Sylyra thanks Delacrae for the map, complimenting her ability to gather and extract so much helpful information from what little he could tell her when he ordered the map. "If I learn anything further, I may be back, but I believe what you have provided will be very helpful." He rolls up the map and exits to the street again. "It sounds like we may be visiting another island," he says to Uragum as they walk back to the Laughing Goblin. Once back, he relays to the other three everything they learned from Delacrae over the unrolled map.