"Oh... Was everyone er- waiting on me? I f-forgot to change into umm... my armor today. I'm uh... like r-really sorry about that. I d-din't, uh, mean to be a hinderance. A-anyway... I uh... I-I'm Jim." He pauses for a moment and then his eyes expand realizing that he probably should continue. "It's Dirkell... Jim Dirkell. I am... uh... from R-Red Larch. It's down by the-the Dessarin Valley er- there's a long story with adventurers." he seems to put a bit of an edge on his normally soft voice as if there's something darker behind that. "B-but I ended up through a t-teleportion (done on purpose) circle. A-and then I ended up in Phlan... and then I ran away... and then I ended up in M-Mulmaster... and then I ran away... oh... I'm t-talking too much aren't I?"
As the thin-looking teenager appears, Elessa looks up from polishing a knife, and puts it away so she can stand and greet him. "Well, it's good ta meet ya Jim. Don't ye be takin' any mind to our waitin', it weren't long, an' me own cousin still has yet ta join us." she says, leaning over to dust off the top of her skirt after she stands. Halethar sidles over after a moment, then leans in to cup a hand over his mouth and whispers to his wife as well as glance at Jim out of the corner of his eyes. "He seems a bit scrawny love, are you sure he's one of those that Lady Elanil promised us?" he whispers, but loudly enough for sensitive ears to hear if they really wanted to.
Elessa turns to her husband as he steps back away from her ears and waves him off with a dismissive gesture. "Don't you mind it none, Halethar. I have good word on it that he's as reliable as the rest, an' that he's proven hisself." she replies softly, before digging into a pack on the ground and drawing out a handful of white-colored wafers and walking over to Jim. She takes a moment to glare slightly at Umbra, not catching what the girl said, but assuming that it was unpleasant.
Smiling maternally at Jim, she leans forward to proffer the wafers to the boy and says, "Here you go my sweet lad, you look like you're still a growin' boy. Have some Leafbread, James. Eat! Eat! Me own son Elemoth was a bit of a scrawny lad hisself until he started havin' a healthier appetite!" Once again leaning back against the wagon, mostly out of sight, Halethar shakes his head to himself as if saying "No, Elemoth was never that scrawny, even before he started eating more.
Frowning slightly, as if feeling guilty, Halether steps forward off of the wagon and reaches into a pouch behind him, and pulls out what looks like dried venison jerky, and then steps over to where his wife is, and then thrusts out the jerky toward Jim as well, looking slightly away from the boy rather than directly at him. "Have some of this as well, it'll do you some good." he practically mumbles.
(OOC: Alright, I'll just give Zingbob a bit of time to respond if he wants, then I'll move things along in the afternoon, Pacific Standard Time)
Jim becomes flustered with the food that is being brought his way and though he tries to (unsuccessfully) protest, it ends up being placed into his hands anyway. He simply stares at the jerky and light leafy bread and takes a small little bite, only for him to light up but then lower his gaze a bit. He then looks towards the ground as he hands the food back as if he had stolen a cookie. "T-Thank you very much... t-that was um... very gracious of you. I'm not too hungry though." Realizing that he's been a bit strange he tries to follow up with a: "So... Is there um... anything I-I can do to help? I was, like, taught how to navigate horses down a trail by my... I was t-taught to navigate horses down a trail." He pauses and seems to almost rewind with what he's saying without taking any notice of it.
OOC: Arcel, I hope you don't mind Jim. He's kinda the definition of a reluctant hero. I will still go on missions and stuff, but RP-wise he's very... interesting.
(OOC: I don't mind. On the contrary, I think he's a fascinating character, that speaks to the "real roleplayer" in me, and I think he'll fit in great with all the other interesting personalities this game has in it so far.)
"Oh no, keep it." Elessa insists, holding her palms out to indicate that she doesn't want the food back. (If Jim persists though, Elessa will reluctantly take it however)
Seeing that all of the extra guards that were promised have arrived, the Caravaneers start to get to work getting ready. The Half-Elves slip on somewhat fancy looking sets of hide armor, stitched cleanly and with unusually smooth edges where the furs and skins meet. Durgan Stonecreek and his daughter don chain shirts, whereas Merrok fits himself into a full set of chain mail that his father and sister help him with.
After they're done, most of the traders start to leave to fetch the animals, except Merrok and Halethar. Before she leaves, Elessa turns to the party and says, "Well, we're almost ready t'be off, but afore we do, me husband will explain a few things while the rest of us get ready."
At that, the now hide armor clad Halethar steps forward, holding a beautiful looking silver shield, adjusts the hide helmet he's wearing, and speaks. "As you probably know, it's about a 60 mile and 3 day journey to Hillsfar, and with Goblin attacks on the rise, we will probably run into conflict somewhere along the way." he begins, clearing his throat before continuing. "Up until now, it's been fairly safe, and any would-be bandits or Goblin raiders we found were easily scared off with with just a flash of Merrok's axe, or a few warning arrows from Kaylessa. However, recently the number and size of Goblinoid patrols have increased, and we were forced into open combat the last time we went out, and if it weren't for the timely intervention of a group of Rangers that happened to be nearby, we might not have come home."
Halethar stops to check to see if everyone is following along, and then gestures with a slow, sweeping gesture of his arm at the group before continuing. "That is where you all come in. Elanil Elassidil herself has assured me and my fellows that you are all loyal, blooded, and proven adventurers that have faced difficult circumstances and prevailed before in the defense of Elventree, and we are all relying on all of you to keep us safe while we make our way to Hillsfar. Since the attack, Elventree has sent out more guards and scouts, and farther out, so we should have some support for the first day of travel or so, but Hillsfar has no love for our village and its people (nor non-humans in general) so once we are in that territory, we will unfortunately be on our own."
Pausing again, Halether stops a moment to take the large silvery shield he has at his side then lift it up in both hands for everyone to see. "Regrettably, aside from Merrok and my wife's cousin Kaylessa, our caravan is made up of simple working folk who are not skilled in combat, so if we should be engaged in it, most of us will huddle near the wagons and carts, and cover up with shields like this..." he begins, before stopping and flipping the shield over to look at its front, which is covered with a beautiful etching of a multi-branched flowering tree with a stylized image of an Alicorn with its wings spread, standing beneath it. "...no wait, this looks expensive."he mutters to himself, before promptly turning around, stowing the shield into the wagon, then pulling out a much cheaper looking but still sturdy-looking wooden shield with metal banding.
Turning back to the party, he holds up the large, cheaper looking shield and then picks up where he left off. "Shields like THIS!" he finishes, fitting the shield's strap to his left arm, and letting it drop to his side. "Now please let me know if you any questions before we harness the animals and start off on the first and hopefully the hardest part of journey: sneaking out of Elventree at night so that it's that much harder for bandits and monsters to find and attack us."
(OOC: Sorry for the slow-ish pace guys, if you want me to speed it up, I will. Also, I'll leave this up for a little while and see if there are questions, and depending on the response I'll move things forward tomorrow, or even later today if there's enough activity and interest in moving on)
Jim tries to take in everyone around him. So many new faces, just like all of the other faces. Completely overwhelmed he staggers off after Hail-something-or-other (at least that's what Jim thinks) finishes his speech. He doesn't really want to sneak off, but if this is what the bard of Elventree recommended, and that man was really nice introducing him to Elanil, well... anyway. He eventually decides to wait. So he sits on one of the backs of the caravan and simply sits, waiting for someone to tell him what his next job is supposed to be. Simply tapping his staff rhythmically.
Thurgar nodded as Halether finished his briefing. He had heard the ranger group talking about the goblin attacks in the pub the night after they apparently helped defend the caravan, which led him to discover the call to arms that brought him here. To hear them tell it, the attacks were getting worse, and Halether just confirmed it. Thurgar had never had much love for the slovenly goblins, and welcomed a chance to muscle them out of his hunting grounds.
When Halether was finished, Thurgar, shifting his unlit pipe from one side of his mouth to the other, turned his attention back to Jim. Might needin' be addin' a simpleton to the list, he thought to himself. Jim seemed out of place here, nervous, demure and for lack of a better word, slow, but Thurgar had been surprised by half-wits before when it came to combat. When the blood is up and one must dance that particular dance, muscle memory or brute strength usually came out the victor over high intelligence, in his experience. Even the most educated academic would fall where the dull-minded but -battled-hardened would still be standing. It was likely that Jim would need more protecting from Umbra's sharp tongue than the pointed end of any goblin tooth or blade.
OOC: I'm fine with the pacing. Just didn't want to step on any toes with too many RP posts!
"I'll take it Merrok will lead us in battle?" Umbra asks and points over her shoulder to the armored dwarf. "Or are we expected to fight like an unorginized group of thugs?" She smirks. "I can excel in both cases."
She puts her right hand on her hip and says in a casual tone: "Oh, and are there any high priority targets we need to protect at any cost?"
"I'll take it Merrok will lead us in battle?" Umbra asks and points over her shoulder to the armored dwarf. "Or are we expected to fight like an unorginized group of thugs?" She smirks. "I can excel in both cases."
She puts her right hand on her hip and says in a casual tone: "Oh, and are there any high priority targets we need to protect at any cost?"
"Good questions, all o' those. I cannae say tha' I was plannin' on leadin' y'all in to battle personal-like, but if ya need direction, I can provide ya with some, although Kaylessa's th' one wi' experience leadin' others." Merrok replies to Umbra. Scratching his chin under his beard, he looks up to think momentarily before facing Umbra again and saying, "As fer th' priorities, life an' limb come first. Yer own, an' th safety o' us an' our families."
After saying that, he gestures with an open hand at Halethar and then himself, emphasizing that it's their families' safety that is the priority. "After all o' tha', th' animals, th' wagon an' carts, then the goods inside o' them are what matter." he finishes.
In a few moments afterwards, the rest of the caravan team return, leading two large, but elegant looking draft horses that look elven-bred, and 4 rather ordinary looking mules that look like they could've been purchased anywhere. Alongside the old faces, there is a new one. She is a tall, athletically muscled and trim Wood Elf in studded leather armor, with light copper skin that looks tanned, clear hazel eyes, and dark reddish-brown hair tied in a ponytail by a large, regal-looking silver clasp with intricate embossed symbols and dwarven runes all around its surface.
As the rest of the crew start attaching the animals to the vehicles, Merrok's eyes bulge, and he lifts the bottom of his cinched-off red beard to his face, looking at a much cheaper looking tin clasp with similar but much simpler looking symbols and runes, and looks between it and and the new elf's hair decoration a few times rapidly before stomping over to meet her and stammering, "K-Kaylessa, th-tha's MY beard clasp!"
In reply, the woman gives him a thin, wry smile, before sending her ponytail (fancy clasp and all) sailing over her shoulder with a toss of her head and a flick of her hand. "So, y'werent wearin' it, were ya? I see ya puttin' it in an' out a' that box all day long fer week', starin' at it greedy-like but always puttin' it away. Thought it would look better on me than it would on that little pillow in th' box, don't ya agree?" Kaylessa says in a trilling accent, widening her smile as she reaches back to grab the middle of her ponytail with her hand, then turning her head to wiggle the tail rapidly over Merrok's shocked face. As he stands there sputtering while looking for words, she smoothly moves him to the side with a graceful push, and strides over confidently to face the party.
"Well now, I see we're finally all here." she observes wryly, folding her arms over her chest as she regards everyone with what's practically a smirk, although it's not clear whether she's making that face because of the adventurers she's looking at, or because she's extremely pleased with herself for what she just did to Merrok. In the background, the still addled-looking Dwarf seems to have started randomly shouting things like, "It was made fer ME by me Grand-da!" and "That's a MAN'S beard-clamp!" but Kaylessa simply ignores him.
"I'm Kaylessa Whiteleaf, Ranger-Corporal and Elessa's cousin." she says by way of introduction. "Some a' ya may know me, or know a' me." the woman continues, inclining her head towards the Ranger Thurgar. "Now afore we get started on th' road, can ya all kindly tell me who ya are an' what ya can do, so I can get a good idea on how ta be plannin' our defense?"
While she's still speaking, Durgan Stonecreek seems to have sidled up to his son and can be heard muttering something like, "...goin' on that our clan need know about? Should I be expectin'... ...strangely human-lookin' half-elven granchildren?" Merrok himself seems to be too busy nibbling the bottom of his beard in shock to respond.
Thurgar almost immediately snaps to attention as he hears the chiding voice directed at Merrok. Even as she introduced herself, he let out a subtle sigh of disappointment. He had never directly served under Corporal Whiteleaf, but the respect for rank was burned into his deep memory none the less. He almost immediately snapped to attention as she introduced herself, catching his reaction at the last second and giving a nod, instead. Yer no longer in with that lot, he reminded himself and instead gave her a nod. The structure of military had never set well with him. Thurgar understood the need for organization, especially on the battlefield, but some of those in charge didn't always have the head for it and could get the lower ranks into dire circumstances with rash decisions. He contemplated the woman's childish antics with the hair clasp, and already had some doubts. Fighting along side her would be one thing, but following her into the fray would likely be ill advised.
"Well met, Corporal," he offered, giving way to rank without being too formal about it, "no longer in the Guard me'self, but I be thinkin' yer ready aware of my kinship with me axes and a bit'o talent on the sling. Another trained swordarm is a boon given the rumors I been hearin' about wolf-riders, or worse." He would rather not be confrontational about his mistrust of commanding officers just yet, since he needed the coin that this job would bring, but he had no intention of making an enemy of Whiteleaf, either. The military can do as it must, so long as he can stay out of it.
"Kaylessa, eh?" Umbra says and eyeballs the elf with a smirk that never seems to completely leave her face. "The name's Umbra. I'm not too shaby with a blade and even better at not getting noticed."
Belview looks up as he hears conversations. "Hmm, must almost be time to head out." He stands up, puts his scroll away and makes his way to the group. "Greetings ranger!The name's Belview Copperfoot, Reseacher, Master of the Arcane, Purveyor of Tomes, Collector of Knowledge. I am a wizard if you have not guessed that yet. Not much good with a blade, but these hands o' mine can work some magic." He gives a large wink, as a smirk makes its way to his face.
The young "boy" slowly gets off of the wagon and walks over to the woman, staring at the ground as he does so as if unable to catch her eye. "Er... I-I'm Jim, miss. J-Jim Dirkell. As for our defense, I can um..." he pauses for a moment, seeking the answer to the question he has often privately wondered about himself before continuing. "I c-can talk to things I-I guess. And I know how to direct a h-horse... um... those wouldn't really help with the defenses though I w-was taught h-how to swing a sword, I guess. Although... um... I WILL NEITHER USE SWORDS NOR KILL A MORTAL." As he says the last part of that statement his body seems to go rigid and a strange glow briefly appears from somewhere you can't exactly pinpoint as it suddenly vanishes. Jim doesn't seem to take any notice of it though, so he just continues talking. "(as if he hadn't said the capitalized part) I d-don't really want t-to use sword though, and the thought of... k-killing someone is... like... t-terrifying. A-Anyway, I hope that's ok." He scrapes a couple of shapes in the sand with his staff similar to a how a guilty child might when they're being scolded.
OOC: For my Sunless Citadel group. I'm at a wedding right now, but I should have a post up in a couple of hours!
Kaylessa moves her head from one adventurer to the next, appraising them, and nodding when they tell her who they are and what they're good at. Finally, she cups her chin thoughtfully and speaks up. "Well now, it looks like we're havin' a bit a' everythin' then, which ain't no surprise. Ranger Thurgar with some axes, no doubt, an' that boy over there looks a druid. A sneaky, stabby type, a Wizard, an'..." she begins before dropping her hand and folding her arms and staring at Jim.
"Agh..." she sighs, dropping her head and shaking it before looking to him, "...that's a commendable attitude ta be havin' in life in general, and right useful in th' cities lad, but here in th' wilderness, it can right get ya killed." she says after a bit. Furrowing her brow, she regards him silently for a moment before continuing. "If y're hells-bent on not killin' anythin', then at least try ta knock it out or drive it away, and make that shield a' yers useful an' keep it front a' anyone that needs it and make sure ta knock away whoever or whatever tries ta steal th' wagon's goods then." she says at last.
Afterwards, she steps back and regards the group as a whole with her hands on her hips. "Now then. Yer all experienced fighters, an' I expect that you'll know what ta do durin' an attack as long as yer aware of what yer teammates will do, and try to stay out a' each others' lines of fire an such. As fer me an' Merrok, all ya have ta remember is ta not step in front a' me arrows, an' that ya can hide behind Merrok if ya need ta." she states, unstrapping the bow off her back in a swift motion, then giving it a quick twirl in one hand. She then grabs one end deftly, and points the other end at a much recovered looking Merrok, who is nonetheless now slumped onto his hands and knees on the ground, eerily silent.
"We can go now if ya'd like, but if ya'd like to practice workin' t'gether as a team, I can get some a' the town guard an' some others an' stage a mock battle if ya all want. It's up to you." she concludes, giving her bow a twirl and throwing it up into the air before catching it with her other hand, then securing it again on her back.
(OOC: Basically, if you want to just "get on with it" and go on the road, you can. Or if you want a tutorial-like mock battle to test out Heroic Actions and stuff, you can do that too. You can reply IC, OOC, or both to "vote")
Thurgar considers the options. If his days hunting game for the local butchers has taught him anything, it's the value of patience. Running headstrong into the fray was rarely, if ever, a wise course of action, but contrary to his hunting experience, many a situation leaves one no other choice. Here, however, it seems a choice was to be had. He shifted his pipe in his teeth and turned to the group.
"Me military trainin' is the same as Kaylessa's, iff'n she don't mind me sayin' so," he began, addressing the rested of the hired swords, "but the rest o' yeh may not play so well in a group. Best we get all'at out in the open sooner'n later and learn how teh fight as a team. Soon as we hit tha' road, we be a target for any foe waitin' on the way and knowin' who yer standin' with can mean the difference between victory'n defeat. I be meaning no offense, o'course. Jess tha' I found patience and preparation to be a wee bit more reliable. I be votin' for a mock fight'n let the chips fall where they may."
OOC: As a player, I am fine with either choice, but I will throw my hat in favor of practice. A mock battle would be cool to test the mechanic, but I imagine everyone is raring to go as well. In my head, a mock battle makes a bit more sense so long as it does not cost us any resources, just so we know how the combat will be impacted and can work that into strategy right off the bat as need be.
"Nah, let's just go already!"With a wave of her hand, Umbra dismisses the idea of a further delay. "I'm sure we'll do fine." She gives a pitiful look to Jim. "Most of us, anyways."
(OOC: I'm actually okay with either. But Umbra has a wisdom of 8. She's rash and her patience runs out quickly.)
"Ahh yes, a mock battle would be fantastic!" Belview says with vigor. He secretly just wants to see who he can hide behind the best if things begin to go sour.
Aldarin found himself lost in his own thoughts. He knew that others were arriving, introducing themselves, and working out the specifics of the caravan. He passively took in the names and faces of those that were gathering, but took a step back and stayed rather quiet, even when the Ranger-Corporal arrived, nodding ever so slightly when she confirmed his druidic nature. He had traveled around the local area alone and with small groups many times, but this was his first real job working with other adventurous types. Those that had motivations different than his, but also shared a common goal. Could he count on them to put in the work required? Could they be trusted? Could they... trust him?
It seemed an unwieldy group. A snarky human, a bookish gnome, and a stout dwarf. And then there was the other Half-Elf. A rather timid and reluctant fellow. I shall have to keep my eye on that one. His manner may be quite a hindrance in the heat of battle, but we shall see what happens. All of this, and it seem their patrons were quite capable folks themselves. Perhaps they'd avoid trouble just from the sheer numbers they brought. Would that be so bad? Or was Aldarin, himself, hoping for a battle to show his prowess?
At the mention of a mock battle, Aldarin is finally pulled from his inner monologue. He looks to Kaylessa, and then reaches over his shoulder to grab his shield, bringing it around in front of him, with his quarterstaff in his other hand.
"Aye! A spar would do well to showcase the tools we will have to work with on the journey. Call the guards, and I will show you my worth."
(OOC I'm still here! I wasn't getting notifications, and of course I didn't just check the thread... I'd love to do a mock thing, to get the hang of the system)
"Well, it looks like most are agreed about trainin' afore we move out, an' this one here is even tremblin' in excitement at the idea a' gettin' in a tussle!" Kaylessa finally says, leaning towards Jim to give him an elbow in the arm while flashing him a mischievous smile. She then pivots sharply on her left heel in a mock military turn, and stiffly raises her right arm in a faux-salute towards Thurgar and gives him a quick wink (still smiling impishly) and then practically marches off to talk to the rest of the caravaneers for a moment, before moving more normally towards a handful of guards in sight, then off into the distance, presumably to the local guardhouse. Whether she mock-saluted Thurgar out of a sense of camaraderie because they were both in the town guard together, a random fit of pique, or because she just enjoys antagonizing Dwarven men is unclear.
Elessa and her Husband walk over to their wagon and pull off a few plain, but sturdy looking shields that are fastened to the side of their wagon (alongside what look to be quivers full of arrows mounted here and there across the outside of the wagon for easy access) and pass them out to Oria and Durgan, before taking two for themselves. Merrok, now standing but slumped over in a hard slouch, seems to have already drawn the one he was carrying. His father rubs Merrok's back comfortingly, giving his son words of gentle encouragement, but the red-haired Dwarf still isn't saying anything, but rather appears to be staring ahead of himself blankly. "Now how many things ya sooppose Kaylessa have taken from Merrok by now? Th' swords he forge, th' necklace he make t' save for a special girl, many o' his best rations, an' now his favoorite beard clasp made by grandda? She fancy him, or she just daft?" Oria pipes up in her high-pitched and still slightly girlish voice as she walks over to face her father.
Durgan Stonecreek looks away from comforting his son for moment and gives his daughter a pained grin. "I cannae say what th' lass is thinkin' m'dear. Suffice to say, it sometimes feels that they put th' fox in charge o' the henhouse. I rightly feel that th' girl has stolen more from this caravan than any bandit we've ever faced, though mostly from poor Merrok." he replies, with a subtle, but still noteworthy tinge of exasperation in his voice. Durgan turns his head briefly to take a quick peek at Thurgar before leaning towards his daughter to loudly whisper, "I think she fancies Dwarven lads." into her ear. Oria bites her lip with a confounded expression on her face, and just nods, reaching up to tug at one of her golden braids.
Not long after this conversation, Kaylessa walks back in at the head of a fairly large formation of village guards, dressed in the silvery light scale mail common to the guard along with matching metal helmets. They wield mostly shields and spears, although a few hold well-crafted looking shortbows. The bows look real enough (although they'll likely be used with blunt training arrows), but the weapons and shields are rough-looking wooden pieces of training equipment. There are also a few plainly dressed and unarmored laborers with them, that seem to be carrying in things like weapon racks full of wooden training weapons, and empty tables to put things on.
As the guardsmen and women spread out and start stretching and warming up alone or in pairs, Kaylessa walks back over to the group. "Well now, it looks like I found quite a few volunteers..." she begins, turning to gesture towards the members of the guard she brought with a sweep of her arm. There are easily at least a dozen of them. "Afore we begin, we should all swap out any sharp, hurty weapons we may have with these fine, safe trainin' items so as to fight without injury as best we can." she continues, nodding towards a newly setup area where there are weapon racks full of practice weapons of all kinds (including wooden shields and blunt arrows with their tips wrapped in cloth padding) and empty tables to store real, dangerous weapons on temporarily.
(OOC: This is Part 1 of 2, the second is on the next Page)
As the thin-looking teenager appears, Elessa looks up from polishing a knife, and puts it away so she can stand and greet him. "Well, it's good ta meet ya Jim. Don't ye be takin' any mind to our waitin', it weren't long, an' me own cousin still has yet ta join us." she says, leaning over to dust off the top of her skirt after she stands. Halethar sidles over after a moment, then leans in to cup a hand over his mouth and whispers to his wife as well as glance at Jim out of the corner of his eyes. "He seems a bit scrawny love, are you sure he's one of those that Lady Elanil promised us?" he whispers, but loudly enough for sensitive ears to hear if they really wanted to.
Elessa turns to her husband as he steps back away from her ears and waves him off with a dismissive gesture. "Don't you mind it none, Halethar. I have good word on it that he's as reliable as the rest, an' that he's proven hisself." she replies softly, before digging into a pack on the ground and drawing out a handful of white-colored wafers and walking over to Jim. She takes a moment to glare slightly at Umbra, not catching what the girl said, but assuming that it was unpleasant.
Smiling maternally at Jim, she leans forward to proffer the wafers to the boy and says, "Here you go my sweet lad, you look like you're still a growin' boy. Have some Leafbread, James. Eat! Eat! Me own son Elemoth was a bit of a scrawny lad hisself until he started havin' a healthier appetite!" Once again leaning back against the wagon, mostly out of sight, Halethar shakes his head to himself as if saying "No, Elemoth was never that scrawny, even before he started eating more.
Frowning slightly, as if feeling guilty, Halether steps forward off of the wagon and reaches into a pouch behind him, and pulls out what looks like dried venison jerky, and then steps over to where his wife is, and then thrusts out the jerky toward Jim as well, looking slightly away from the boy rather than directly at him. "Have some of this as well, it'll do you some good." he practically mumbles.
(OOC: Alright, I'll just give Zingbob a bit of time to respond if he wants, then I'll move things along in the afternoon, Pacific Standard Time)
Jim becomes flustered with the food that is being brought his way and though he tries to (unsuccessfully) protest, it ends up being placed into his hands anyway. He simply stares at the jerky and light leafy bread and takes a small little bite, only for him to light up but then lower his gaze a bit. He then looks towards the ground as he hands the food back as if he had stolen a cookie. "T-Thank you very much... t-that was um... very gracious of you. I'm not too hungry though." Realizing that he's been a bit strange he tries to follow up with a: "So... Is there um... anything I-I can do to help? I was, like, taught how to navigate horses down a trail by my... I was t-taught to navigate horses down a trail." He pauses and seems to almost rewind with what he's saying without taking any notice of it.
OOC: Arcel, I hope you don't mind Jim. He's kinda the definition of a reluctant hero. I will still go on missions and stuff, but RP-wise he's very... interesting.
DM of Tomb of Annihilation (and more) Group 2 and Group 3
(OOC: I don't mind. On the contrary, I think he's a fascinating character, that speaks to the "real roleplayer" in me, and I think he'll fit in great with all the other interesting personalities this game has in it so far.)
"Oh no, keep it." Elessa insists, holding her palms out to indicate that she doesn't want the food back. (If Jim persists though, Elessa will reluctantly take it however)
Seeing that all of the extra guards that were promised have arrived, the Caravaneers start to get to work getting ready. The Half-Elves slip on somewhat fancy looking sets of hide armor, stitched cleanly and with unusually smooth edges where the furs and skins meet. Durgan Stonecreek and his daughter don chain shirts, whereas Merrok fits himself into a full set of chain mail that his father and sister help him with.
After they're done, most of the traders start to leave to fetch the animals, except Merrok and Halethar. Before she leaves, Elessa turns to the party and says, "Well, we're almost ready t'be off, but afore we do, me husband will explain a few things while the rest of us get ready."
At that, the now hide armor clad Halethar steps forward, holding a beautiful looking silver shield, adjusts the hide helmet he's wearing, and speaks. "As you probably know, it's about a 60 mile and 3 day journey to Hillsfar, and with Goblin attacks on the rise, we will probably run into conflict somewhere along the way." he begins, clearing his throat before continuing. "Up until now, it's been fairly safe, and any would-be bandits or Goblin raiders we found were easily scared off with with just a flash of Merrok's axe, or a few warning arrows from Kaylessa. However, recently the number and size of Goblinoid patrols have increased, and we were forced into open combat the last time we went out, and if it weren't for the timely intervention of a group of Rangers that happened to be nearby, we might not have come home."
Halethar stops to check to see if everyone is following along, and then gestures with a slow, sweeping gesture of his arm at the group before continuing. "That is where you all come in. Elanil Elassidil herself has assured me and my fellows that you are all loyal, blooded, and proven adventurers that have faced difficult circumstances and prevailed before in the defense of Elventree, and we are all relying on all of you to keep us safe while we make our way to Hillsfar. Since the attack, Elventree has sent out more guards and scouts, and farther out, so we should have some support for the first day of travel or so, but Hillsfar has no love for our village and its people (nor non-humans in general) so once we are in that territory, we will unfortunately be on our own."
Pausing again, Halether stops a moment to take the large silvery shield he has at his side then lift it up in both hands for everyone to see. "Regrettably, aside from Merrok and my wife's cousin Kaylessa, our caravan is made up of simple working folk who are not skilled in combat, so if we should be engaged in it, most of us will huddle near the wagons and carts, and cover up with shields like this..." he begins, before stopping and flipping the shield over to look at its front, which is covered with a beautiful etching of a multi-branched flowering tree with a stylized image of an Alicorn with its wings spread, standing beneath it. "...no wait, this looks expensive." he mutters to himself, before promptly turning around, stowing the shield into the wagon, then pulling out a much cheaper looking but still sturdy-looking wooden shield with metal banding.
Turning back to the party, he holds up the large, cheaper looking shield and then picks up where he left off. "Shields like THIS!" he finishes, fitting the shield's strap to his left arm, and letting it drop to his side. "Now please let me know if you any questions before we harness the animals and start off on the first and hopefully the hardest part of journey: sneaking out of Elventree at night so that it's that much harder for bandits and monsters to find and attack us."
(OOC: Sorry for the slow-ish pace guys, if you want me to speed it up, I will. Also, I'll leave this up for a little while and see if there are questions, and depending on the response I'll move things forward tomorrow, or even later today if there's enough activity and interest in moving on)
OOC: Jim would indeed refuse.
Jim tries to take in everyone around him. So many new faces, just like all of the other faces. Completely overwhelmed he staggers off after Hail-something-or-other (at least that's what Jim thinks) finishes his speech. He doesn't really want to sneak off, but if this is what the bard of Elventree recommended, and that man was really nice introducing him to Elanil, well... anyway. He eventually decides to wait. So he sits on one of the backs of the caravan and simply sits, waiting for someone to tell him what his next job is supposed to be. Simply tapping his staff rhythmically.
OOC: Jim has an intelligence of eight BTW ;-) .
DM of Tomb of Annihilation (and more) Group 2 and Group 3
Thurgar nodded as Halether finished his briefing. He had heard the ranger group talking about the goblin attacks in the pub the night after they apparently helped defend the caravan, which led him to discover the call to arms that brought him here. To hear them tell it, the attacks were getting worse, and Halether just confirmed it. Thurgar had never had much love for the slovenly goblins, and welcomed a chance to muscle them out of his hunting grounds.
When Halether was finished, Thurgar, shifting his unlit pipe from one side of his mouth to the other, turned his attention back to Jim. Might needin' be addin' a simpleton to the list, he thought to himself. Jim seemed out of place here, nervous, demure and for lack of a better word, slow, but Thurgar had been surprised by half-wits before when it came to combat. When the blood is up and one must dance that particular dance, muscle memory or brute strength usually came out the victor over high intelligence, in his experience. Even the most educated academic would fall where the dull-minded but -battled-hardened would still be standing. It was likely that Jim would need more protecting from Umbra's sharp tongue than the pointed end of any goblin tooth or blade.
"I'll take it Merrok will lead us in battle?" Umbra asks and points over her shoulder to the armored dwarf. "Or are we expected to fight like an unorginized group of thugs?" She smirks. "I can excel in both cases."
She puts her right hand on her hip and says in a casual tone: "Oh, and are there any high priority targets we need to protect at any cost?"
"Good questions, all o' those. I cannae say tha' I was plannin' on leadin' y'all in to battle personal-like, but if ya need direction, I can provide ya with some, although Kaylessa's th' one wi' experience leadin' others." Merrok replies to Umbra. Scratching his chin under his beard, he looks up to think momentarily before facing Umbra again and saying, "As fer th' priorities, life an' limb come first. Yer own, an' th safety o' us an' our families."
After saying that, he gestures with an open hand at Halethar and then himself, emphasizing that it's their families' safety that is the priority. "After all o' tha', th' animals, th' wagon an' carts, then the goods inside o' them are what matter." he finishes.
In a few moments afterwards, the rest of the caravan team return, leading two large, but elegant looking draft horses that look elven-bred, and 4 rather ordinary looking mules that look like they could've been purchased anywhere. Alongside the old faces, there is a new one. She is a tall, athletically muscled and trim Wood Elf in studded leather armor, with light copper skin that looks tanned, clear hazel eyes, and dark reddish-brown hair tied in a ponytail by a large, regal-looking silver clasp with intricate embossed symbols and dwarven runes all around its surface.
As the rest of the crew start attaching the animals to the vehicles, Merrok's eyes bulge, and he lifts the bottom of his cinched-off red beard to his face, looking at a much cheaper looking tin clasp with similar but much simpler looking symbols and runes, and looks between it and and the new elf's hair decoration a few times rapidly before stomping over to meet her and stammering, "K-Kaylessa, th-tha's MY beard clasp!"
In reply, the woman gives him a thin, wry smile, before sending her ponytail (fancy clasp and all) sailing over her shoulder with a toss of her head and a flick of her hand. "So, y'werent wearin' it, were ya? I see ya puttin' it in an' out a' that box all day long fer week', starin' at it greedy-like but always puttin' it away. Thought it would look better on me than it would on that little pillow in th' box, don't ya agree?" Kaylessa says in a trilling accent, widening her smile as she reaches back to grab the middle of her ponytail with her hand, then turning her head to wiggle the tail rapidly over Merrok's shocked face. As he stands there sputtering while looking for words, she smoothly moves him to the side with a graceful push, and strides over confidently to face the party.
"Well now, I see we're finally all here." she observes wryly, folding her arms over her chest as she regards everyone with what's practically a smirk, although it's not clear whether she's making that face because of the adventurers she's looking at, or because she's extremely pleased with herself for what she just did to Merrok. In the background, the still addled-looking Dwarf seems to have started randomly shouting things like, "It was made fer ME by me Grand-da!" and "That's a MAN'S beard-clamp!" but Kaylessa simply ignores him.
"I'm Kaylessa Whiteleaf, Ranger-Corporal and Elessa's cousin." she says by way of introduction. "Some a' ya may know me, or know a' me." the woman continues, inclining her head towards the Ranger Thurgar. "Now afore we get started on th' road, can ya all kindly tell me who ya are an' what ya can do, so I can get a good idea on how ta be plannin' our defense?"
While she's still speaking, Durgan Stonecreek seems to have sidled up to his son and can be heard muttering something like, "...goin' on that our clan need know about? Should I be expectin'... ...strangely human-lookin' half-elven granchildren?" Merrok himself seems to be too busy nibbling the bottom of his beard in shock to respond.
Thurgar almost immediately snaps to attention as he hears the chiding voice directed at Merrok. Even as she introduced herself, he let out a subtle sigh of disappointment. He had never directly served under Corporal Whiteleaf, but the respect for rank was burned into his deep memory none the less. He almost immediately snapped to attention as she introduced herself, catching his reaction at the last second and giving a nod, instead. Yer no longer in with that lot, he reminded himself and instead gave her a nod. The structure of military had never set well with him. Thurgar understood the need for organization, especially on the battlefield, but some of those in charge didn't always have the head for it and could get the lower ranks into dire circumstances with rash decisions. He contemplated the woman's childish antics with the hair clasp, and already had some doubts. Fighting along side her would be one thing, but following her into the fray would likely be ill advised.
"Well met, Corporal," he offered, giving way to rank without being too formal about it, "no longer in the Guard me'self, but I be thinkin' yer ready aware of my kinship with me axes and a bit'o talent on the sling. Another trained swordarm is a boon given the rumors I been hearin' about wolf-riders, or worse." He would rather not be confrontational about his mistrust of commanding officers just yet, since he needed the coin that this job would bring, but he had no intention of making an enemy of Whiteleaf, either. The military can do as it must, so long as he can stay out of it.
"Kaylessa, eh?" Umbra says and eyeballs the elf with a smirk that never seems to completely leave her face. "The name's Umbra. I'm not too shaby with a blade and even better at not getting noticed."
Belview looks up as he hears conversations. "Hmm, must almost be time to head out." He stands up, puts his scroll away and makes his way to the group. "Greetings ranger! The name's Belview Copperfoot, Reseacher, Master of the Arcane, Purveyor of Tomes, Collector of Knowledge. I am a wizard if you have not guessed that yet. Not much good with a blade, but these hands o' mine can work some magic." He gives a large wink, as a smirk makes its way to his face.
(OOC: Going to wait briefly for the last 2 to post, and if they don't, I'll just edit this post and move things along in a few hours)
The young "boy" slowly gets off of the wagon and walks over to the woman, staring at the ground as he does so as if unable to catch her eye. "Er... I-I'm Jim, miss. J-Jim Dirkell. As for our defense, I can um..." he pauses for a moment, seeking the answer to the question he has often privately wondered about himself before continuing. "I c-can talk to things I-I guess. And I know how to direct a h-horse... um... those wouldn't really help with the defenses though I w-was taught h-how to swing a sword, I guess. Although... um... I WILL NEITHER USE SWORDS NOR KILL A MORTAL." As he says the last part of that statement his body seems to go rigid and a strange glow briefly appears from somewhere you can't exactly pinpoint as it suddenly vanishes. Jim doesn't seem to take any notice of it though, so he just continues talking. "(as if he hadn't said the capitalized part) I d-don't really want t-to use sword though, and the thought of... k-killing someone is... like... t-terrifying. A-Anyway, I hope that's ok." He scrapes a couple of shapes in the sand with his staff similar to a how a guilty child might when they're being scolded.
OOC: For my Sunless Citadel group. I'm at a wedding right now, but I should have a post up in a couple of hours!
DM of Tomb of Annihilation (and more) Group 2 and Group 3
Kaylessa moves her head from one adventurer to the next, appraising them, and nodding when they tell her who they are and what they're good at. Finally, she cups her chin thoughtfully and speaks up. "Well now, it looks like we're havin' a bit a' everythin' then, which ain't no surprise. Ranger Thurgar with some axes, no doubt, an' that boy over there looks a druid. A sneaky, stabby type, a Wizard, an'..." she begins before dropping her hand and folding her arms and staring at Jim.
"Agh..." she sighs, dropping her head and shaking it before looking to him, "...that's a commendable attitude ta be havin' in life in general, and right useful in th' cities lad, but here in th' wilderness, it can right get ya killed." she says after a bit. Furrowing her brow, she regards him silently for a moment before continuing. "If y're hells-bent on not killin' anythin', then at least try ta knock it out or drive it away, and make that shield a' yers useful an' keep it front a' anyone that needs it and make sure ta knock away whoever or whatever tries ta steal th' wagon's goods then." she says at last.
Afterwards, she steps back and regards the group as a whole with her hands on her hips. "Now then. Yer all experienced fighters, an' I expect that you'll know what ta do durin' an attack as long as yer aware of what yer teammates will do, and try to stay out a' each others' lines of fire an such. As fer me an' Merrok, all ya have ta remember is ta not step in front a' me arrows, an' that ya can hide behind Merrok if ya need ta." she states, unstrapping the bow off her back in a swift motion, then giving it a quick twirl in one hand. She then grabs one end deftly, and points the other end at a much recovered looking Merrok, who is nonetheless now slumped onto his hands and knees on the ground, eerily silent.
"We can go now if ya'd like, but if ya'd like to practice workin' t'gether as a team, I can get some a' the town guard an' some others an' stage a mock battle if ya all want. It's up to you." she concludes, giving her bow a twirl and throwing it up into the air before catching it with her other hand, then securing it again on her back.
(OOC: Basically, if you want to just "get on with it" and go on the road, you can. Or if you want a tutorial-like mock battle to test out Heroic Actions and stuff, you can do that too. You can reply IC, OOC, or both to "vote")
Thurgar considers the options. If his days hunting game for the local butchers has taught him anything, it's the value of patience. Running headstrong into the fray was rarely, if ever, a wise course of action, but contrary to his hunting experience, many a situation leaves one no other choice. Here, however, it seems a choice was to be had. He shifted his pipe in his teeth and turned to the group.
"Me military trainin' is the same as Kaylessa's, iff'n she don't mind me sayin' so," he began, addressing the rested of the hired swords, "but the rest o' yeh may not play so well in a group. Best we get all'at out in the open sooner'n later and learn how teh fight as a team. Soon as we hit tha' road, we be a target for any foe waitin' on the way and knowin' who yer standin' with can mean the difference between victory'n defeat. I be meaning no offense, o'course. Jess tha' I found patience and preparation to be a wee bit more reliable. I be votin' for a mock fight'n let the chips fall where they may."
"Nah, let's just go already!" With a wave of her hand, Umbra dismisses the idea of a further delay. "I'm sure we'll do fine." She gives a pitiful look to Jim. "Most of us, anyways."
(OOC: I'm actually okay with either. But Umbra has a wisdom of 8. She's rash and her patience runs out quickly.)
"Ahh yes, a mock battle would be fantastic!" Belview says with vigor. He secretly just wants to see who he can hide behind the best if things begin to go sour.
Jim looks clearly terrified by the prospect of fighting, even in just a mock battle. To the point where he begins trembling of fright.
OOC: I'm cool with it, but Jim is horrified. Feel free to overrule him though, since he's not really saying yes or no.
DM of Tomb of Annihilation (and more) Group 2 and Group 3
Aldarin found himself lost in his own thoughts. He knew that others were arriving, introducing themselves, and working out the specifics of the caravan. He passively took in the names and faces of those that were gathering, but took a step back and stayed rather quiet, even when the Ranger-Corporal arrived, nodding ever so slightly when she confirmed his druidic nature. He had traveled around the local area alone and with small groups many times, but this was his first real job working with other adventurous types. Those that had motivations different than his, but also shared a common goal. Could he count on them to put in the work required? Could they be trusted? Could they... trust him?
It seemed an unwieldy group. A snarky human, a bookish gnome, and a stout dwarf. And then there was the other Half-Elf. A rather timid and reluctant fellow. I shall have to keep my eye on that one. His manner may be quite a hindrance in the heat of battle, but we shall see what happens. All of this, and it seem their patrons were quite capable folks themselves. Perhaps they'd avoid trouble just from the sheer numbers they brought. Would that be so bad? Or was Aldarin, himself, hoping for a battle to show his prowess?
At the mention of a mock battle, Aldarin is finally pulled from his inner monologue. He looks to Kaylessa, and then reaches over his shoulder to grab his shield, bringing it around in front of him, with his quarterstaff in his other hand.
"Aye! A spar would do well to showcase the tools we will have to work with on the journey. Call the guards, and I will show you my worth."
(OOC I'm still here! I wasn't getting notifications, and of course I didn't just check the thread... I'd love to do a mock thing, to get the hang of the system)
"Well, it looks like most are agreed about trainin' afore we move out, an' this one here is even tremblin' in excitement at the idea a' gettin' in a tussle!" Kaylessa finally says, leaning towards Jim to give him an elbow in the arm while flashing him a mischievous smile. She then pivots sharply on her left heel in a mock military turn, and stiffly raises her right arm in a faux-salute towards Thurgar and gives him a quick wink (still smiling impishly) and then practically marches off to talk to the rest of the caravaneers for a moment, before moving more normally towards a handful of guards in sight, then off into the distance, presumably to the local guardhouse. Whether she mock-saluted Thurgar out of a sense of camaraderie because they were both in the town guard together, a random fit of pique, or because she just enjoys antagonizing Dwarven men is unclear.
Elessa and her Husband walk over to their wagon and pull off a few plain, but sturdy looking shields that are fastened to the side of their wagon (alongside what look to be quivers full of arrows mounted here and there across the outside of the wagon for easy access) and pass them out to Oria and Durgan, before taking two for themselves. Merrok, now standing but slumped over in a hard slouch, seems to have already drawn the one he was carrying. His father rubs Merrok's back comfortingly, giving his son words of gentle encouragement, but the red-haired Dwarf still isn't saying anything, but rather appears to be staring ahead of himself blankly. "Now how many things ya sooppose Kaylessa have taken from Merrok by now? Th' swords he forge, th' necklace he make t' save for a special girl, many o' his best rations, an' now his favoorite beard clasp made by grandda? She fancy him, or she just daft?" Oria pipes up in her high-pitched and still slightly girlish voice as she walks over to face her father.
Durgan Stonecreek looks away from comforting his son for moment and gives his daughter a pained grin. "I cannae say what th' lass is thinkin' m'dear. Suffice to say, it sometimes feels that they put th' fox in charge o' the henhouse. I rightly feel that th' girl has stolen more from this caravan than any bandit we've ever faced, though mostly from poor Merrok." he replies, with a subtle, but still noteworthy tinge of exasperation in his voice. Durgan turns his head briefly to take a quick peek at Thurgar before leaning towards his daughter to loudly whisper, "I think she fancies Dwarven lads." into her ear. Oria bites her lip with a confounded expression on her face, and just nods, reaching up to tug at one of her golden braids.
Not long after this conversation, Kaylessa walks back in at the head of a fairly large formation of village guards, dressed in the silvery light scale mail common to the guard along with matching metal helmets. They wield mostly shields and spears, although a few hold well-crafted looking shortbows. The bows look real enough (although they'll likely be used with blunt training arrows), but the weapons and shields are rough-looking wooden pieces of training equipment. There are also a few plainly dressed and unarmored laborers with them, that seem to be carrying in things like weapon racks full of wooden training weapons, and empty tables to put things on.
As the guardsmen and women spread out and start stretching and warming up alone or in pairs, Kaylessa walks back over to the group. "Well now, it looks like I found quite a few volunteers..." she begins, turning to gesture towards the members of the guard she brought with a sweep of her arm. There are easily at least a dozen of them. "Afore we begin, we should all swap out any sharp, hurty weapons we may have with these fine, safe trainin' items so as to fight without injury as best we can." she continues, nodding towards a newly setup area where there are weapon racks full of practice weapons of all kinds (including wooden shields and blunt arrows with their tips wrapped in cloth padding) and empty tables to store real, dangerous weapons on temporarily.
(OOC: This is Part 1 of 2, the second is on the next Page)