FR PbP

Valinda begins to laugh hard. 

Wheezing and struggling for breath in Elvish, "My apologies." He shakes himself then continues, "We are moving some of the encampment into this keep, Axeholm. The alchemists tell us they're better able to manage the potency of their tonic and treatment out of the sun and frankly taking some part of the keep will help moral."

"If you prefer, there is plenty to do in the encampment outside."

(( Make three skill roles if you assist. Tell me the skill and what you're helping with. ))

(( Rinn, Robwin, TT and Eline are in the east side Mezzanine level halls. Wolfsong and Cleaver seem to have stayed back near the arachnid corral. Nothing has signaled from the alarm. ))

"Are you two done?", Eline asks. "I'm thinking we should get back to camp and get some rest. The ghouls will be back. And the natural light through the north wall is fading. Look."

"It's probably wise to get some folk to guard that corral too.", TT adds with a shrug. 

"Campfires and some fresh warm food will help morale as well!" Yian responds and looks over to Silenus.

"Let's see what we can do."

Silenus gives Yian a smile and a pair of finger guns.

"Lead on oh awesome camp builder," Silenus says. "Load me up."

Despite what Silenus has said about not being a builder, he has lived in the forests most of his life and knows his way around. He steps through the tangle of roots and brush as he goes through the woods to get extra wood for tent poles and campfires. While he works around the camp he plays his birdpipes between loads to help lighten the mood.

Survival to avoid pitfalls and sinkholes while he's looking for sturdy wood: 8  

Nature to identify the strongest trees for supports and the best wood for fires:  5  

Performance with the pipes to improve the mood: 11  

Yian leads through the nearby wilderness as though nothing is in her path, Ydri patrols around running it circles around the pair like a sheep dog

"Very well, take that and that and that"

Survival for foraging: 18 (Also for tracking down animals to hunt if possible)

Perception for keeping a look out for any threats: 21

Robwin’s brain isn’t with it… he’s distracted… tired…

When Eline asks if he’s done, he snaps out of it a little. “You’re right, we need to rest… If I keep on going I’ll make mistakes…”. He smiles at Eline and TT for pointing out the obvious that he couldn’t see for himself.

”We’ll make no more meaningful progress tonight… Lets swing back past the spider coral on the way out… see how Wolfsong and Cleaver are doing, maybe set up a guard there through the night and then… get some fresh air?…”.

He scrunches up his nose at the whole place in distaste. If Rinn is in agreement, he will start making his way back up then out, for now.

Yian, Silenus, While not doing anything the leads of the camp suggested, no one can deny you provided a tangible benefit to the Axeholm encampment. Your high alert even allowed you to avoid and warn another scavenging group of a pack of bloodhawks. As a result, the foul were added to the makeshift larder, the ability to make coal and have good lighting this evening has been increasing and a crew was able to get up the path with clean water with less effort. There are a large assortment of foraged tubers and roots roasting along side a couple good sized doe. 

While many of the elven obtaine from meat, the majority of dwarven,  human, goblinkin and Daraktan are rather pleased. 

Silenus has the twins, Valinda and a few others genuinely smiling and a few have stopped to add lute, lyre, drum and a few other travel instruments to the fray. 

Being in the mezzanine, when the music gets going, you all hear it. 

Robwin resets the alarm spell on the tunnels with a ritual. On hearing the music he even cracks a small smile. “Nice to hear they started without us!… <sigh>… Ha! It IS nice to hear though… The people deserve a little joy… and to take it when they can!… Come on!…”.

His spirits lifted a little, he leads the small group out into the fresh air, smelling the meat as he emerges, and hearing the music and chatter, he can’t help but smile. It’s a thin elven smile, but still a smile.

(( As you come down the mezzanine east staircase, you can see the gauntlet leading into Axeholm and the west side of the main floor and mezzanine are sparsely but strategically guarded. There are three or four at the portcullis winch, there is some make shift barricade to provide some protection to the northwest and egress. 

You find a few Daraktan (orcs and half-orc) are managing the arracnid corral, apparently a few young camp members eventually followed your tracks and ran messages. ((Whether Wolfsong and Cleaver are still there or not, is unclear.)) 

The atmosphere of the Axeholm encampment inside and outside is warily hopeful. 

However, the sun will set soon and many are preparing for a retaliation or at least more activity from the undead. 

Quote from SasquatchWyoDnD >>

( Eline steps back from the cocoon as Rinn and Robwin approach. The transmutation aura is from a clock with many small patches stitched across it in an eclectic manner. Despite her comments, neither Eline nor TT have dug through the cocoon after opening it..

There is the magical clock, a pouch, a few copper, boots, and what was once nice linen clothes on the dedicated corpse. )

 (DM Question - you say clock here, but then Robwin was trying to work out what the cloak was. Is it cloak or clock?)

Rinn checks the pouch's contents, quickly pockets the copper, then sits down on the floor to check the sizing of the boots against his and if they're in better condition than the boots he's trekked around in for quite a while. Once done, he jumps up and nods to Robwin, "Let's get you some rest."

Robwin pats Rinn on the shoulder with a smile, as if to say ‘thanks’. It’s almost fatherly… not quite… ‘big brotherly’ maybe.

For a second it almost reminds him of his own older sister (siblings are rare in elven society: he was the, ‘surprise’). It’s the kind of look she would have given him. The kind of look she gave him on his first day starting at the mages’ college in Neverwinter… following in her footsteps… He pushes the thought aside.

As Robwin reaches the mezzanine and the entrance to the fort, he looks about at the progress the others have made, fortifying the place and making camp. He nods.

As he moves through, he smiles with a small bow at a number of the people helping, or says to them, “Good work…”, or maybe, “More timbers! That needs to be higher…”, or similar. One of the first things an Abjuration wizard learns is to value the benefits of mundane forms of protection. A spell saved is a spell ready for something more later…

He also looks for a central place in the main entrance hall. Somewhere ‘a lone guard’ — or a single wizard — might be able to see all routes in and out of the building. Just past the gauntlet maybe? A little ways in. Something equidistant from all of the routes, up, down, and deeper, into the place… He mentally stores the spot for later…

Robwin eventually heads towards the smell of the food.

((Description and image…))

(( @SpieltJoos cloak, it is a cloak a bit too long for a dwarf, grey, boiled wool, hood, covered inside and out with dark patches in various shapes of mundane objects. All three items were of the transfiguration school, the book, the jug, the cloak. ))   

In the pouch, Rinn finds nine pieces of silver and a small green gem. 

((Robwin has the book and the cloak. But they are party loot. He will try and glean what they are a little later. I think Rinn has the jug))

Silenus is thrilled when the others join in with instruments of their own. He shares what little wine he has left with whomever will have some. He's never had good encounters with orcs but from what he can tell, the Daraktan here are accepted members of the community so he warms up to them too, challenging any takers to wrestle for the entertainment of the others.

When he spots a few groups coming out of Axeholm proper his interest perks up and he moves closer to the newcomers.

More elves he notices.

"Well maybe these dudes are friendlier than boss elf," Silenus says out loud.

He walks up and introduces himself, his hand out to shake whomever will take it.

"Silenus Underwood, dudes" Silenus says as introduction. "And that's the totally awesome Yian and her drake over there."

Silenus points back up at the stronghold.

"Really ghouls in there?"

Robwin is hovering near the food, looking for where he might get a bowl and some of what’s on offer.

As Silenus approaches and speaks, Robwin glances his way, but then does a slight double-take, and glances up higher to take in the creature beside him. Wary but polite, he gladly shakes the man’s hand, “Nice to meet you… We’re.. very grateful.. for ANY assistance you can lend here… Thank you…”. He said this like he’s said it a hundred times before, to any number of the folk that have come to lend a hand.

Then he steps back a little and really takes Silenus in… In a tone that suggests he doesn’t tell everyone this he continues, “Yes… Ghouls… … and worse!… It’s not pretty in there. It’s already taken a number of days to clear what we have done so far…”.

Eventually, rather diplomatically, Robwin says, “You don’t look like your average miner, or sell-sword for that matter”. He looks over Silenus yet again, looking at his size, and for weapons ((I’ll let you describe what his critical eye sees)).

With a nod of greeting to Yian too, he says, “We could do with a few more people who can… really handle themselves…”.

Silenus laughs. real joy in each chuckle.

"No dude," Silenus begins. "I've never done any mining. Sounds gnarly though and worth a try. I did work in the sewers in Waterdeep once. Grody enough to make me want to ralph right away. But wow, totally awesome experience. There is some radically weird stuff down there."

As Silenus speaks, Robwin easily notes the great axe crossed with a bundle of javelins on the satyr's back as well as a couple of hand axes hanging at his sides.  A quarterstaff leans against a pack resting nearby. But in the satyr's hands now are a haunch of meat and his birdpipes.

"I' did hire on as a caravan guard once,' Silenus continues. "Hella boring, that. And why would you tell a dude not to look in a chest if you didn't want said dude to look in the chest?"

His gaze drifts up from Robwin back to the Axeholm fortress.

"Ghouls," he says smiling. "I'd like to see some of those. They're all bitey, right? When are you and your friends going back in?"

Robwin listens, genuinely interested in Silenus’s stories. Then says, “I’ll be guarding the entrance tonight, if you’d like to join me on watch…. Then back in at first light I’d say!”.

"Done, guard duty it is," Silenus says with the enthusiasm of a dog knowing they're about to go for a walk.

Silenus finally spends a moment to take in who he's been speaking to, he looks at Robwin's robes and lack of visible weapons.

"You're a magic dude," Silenus says. "Alright. Tubular. Can you make me fly?"

And then seeing that Robwin has been politely waiting to get a bowl for food, Silenus reaches out and grabs a slab of roasted venison and throws it in a bowl and gives it to Robwin.