Varen glances back at Petal-the-Horse, then centers her eyes forward again before Pytr can gauge her expression. The damn little fool... Varen hopes that they can smooth things over. Despite how worked up Ronegan gets about Petal, Varen likes the strange little gnome and the almost childlike wonder with which she takes in the world. Close to the pulse of things.

Of course, she also did not expect Petal to rake a full grown man across a bed of spiked plants with a magical whip. Life's full of little surprises. She wonders how the situation would have progressed if she had truly shown off her own abilities... Kiran would have no doubt shat a holy symbol. Varen opens and closes the palm of her left hand, glancing at the scars there. 

Her arms and legs tremble, the combination of adrenalin and the mutagen's toxins running their course through her system, and she can't help but feel a bit lightheaded. She hates holding onto the toxin's effects as long as she has already, but until they reach safety, she will bear it. Maybe a Nighteye for the evening watch... that one has a bit more alcohol and the Belladonna isn't as bitter as the Wyrmwood oil... and only really hurts in the morning. 

She will sleep like a rock when she can, that's for sure.

Hearing the Queen's summons, Ronegan exclaims (perhaps a little too loudly). "Oh, thank the Gods. Err....the Lightbringer. Coming, ma'am!" Blushing a little bit he rushes to the carriage.

(I am fine doing a time skip!)

Petal the horse shrinks back into gnome form, looking up at Opal confused. 

“Thank you Opal,! That man, he.... was scared of me? I don’t know much about this... magic he accused me of. Back when I was living in the woods, it was very normal for us to borrow an animals form for a while. I don’t want to scare anybody, I just wanted to help.”

She pulls out a painted wooden figure of a horse and stares at it in contemplation. “The priest, did he foresee this? What did he mean when he said I’d be dealt with? Opal, I’m scared. If I can ride with you, I would feel a lot safer.”

(time jump cool with me)

"Yes, come...come here," Opal says sternly to the gnome but more in a motherly than angry way as she reaches out her hand to Petal to join her on her pony.

The party then gets a move on with earnest. Putting the attack site behind them and sadly having the leave the bodies of their fallen companions amongst those of the mysterious bandits. Everyone has a heavy heart which is weighed differently. Some regret their lack of action, some regret their choice of coming on the adventure, and some simply regret their lack of foresight into what their actions were now yielding in consequences they should have foreseen. It's a rough time on the road but even doubled up on most of the horses they manage to make time, six hours ahead, to reach a crossroads town on the outskirts of the Wildwood named Grambler. It has a large sign point northwest mentioning the governance of Ospel that is two days ahead by the Pilgrimage Road. They also meet up with the source of the River Athos which is a steady means of transport to Ospel as well on the canals that most farming produce and livestock travel northwest to the mighty coastal city.

Seemingly safe amongst the town, as small as it, is being mostly halfling with a mix of other travelers. The party finds three inns, a large communcal fountain that was a gathering of folks beside it, a temple to the Lightbringer, and a number of shops. They don't have much luck finding rooms at the newer inns but and older one tucked down a side street has advertised rooms for rent. It's called The Greenman Inn and has a happy-faced nature God carved into the sign above the door. The old God is known to some as the God of halflings.

As the carriage slows again Queen Citrine can barely keep Onyx inside as her young prince exits now unable to stay put as he had done during Kiran and Ran's investigations into renting rooms and getting stabling for the party. Onyx looks at the town, the first of its kind he had ever seen, and notices his sister too is also marveling at its sights, sounds, and smells. 

"Its marvelous isn't it," Onyx says to Opal his eyes wide revealing his naivety as much as his sweet nature.

"It's...different," Opal replies looking at the river as a boatman poles up a canal boat towards the shore before looking down at Petal as if to complete a conversation they'd had on the road. "Now let's not be hasty with our...gifts ok? Pytr is loud about his disapproval but some are less vocal about their disdain for natural magic ok? I know you're intentions were good, they always are, but here and in Ospel....anywhere really we all have to be on our best behavior," she adds giving the gnome a slight hug before letting Petal down onto the ground before dismounting her weary pony to now lead towards the inn's stables.

"That's all of you then," a stout halfling with long hair past his shoulders asks with a soft smile eyeing the curious party but making no comments. "I see some of you have had a hard time of the journey. In the temple there," he points to the temple peaking up over buildings on the main street, "the priest can help with that but I was found a good night's rest sometimes sees me right just as well," he adds nodding before Queen Citrine exits the carriage.

The stout man's eyes grow wide as he smoothes his hair and grins at her.

"Your....majesty..." he stumbles slightly in a sweeping bow as Citrine shakes her head.

"No need for the ceremony my friend. We are all weary and seek shelter," the queen says as king Malachite finally makes an appearance. 

The dwarven man's salt and pepper beard however has gone completely white!

"Yes, thank you for your hospitality," the king says as Opal's eyes double in size at the sight of her father that looks like he's aged twenty years since that morning! "Come let us retire," he adds taking his wife's offered arm before Opal puts her pony's reigns in Petal's hands rushing to her father's side as well to steady him on his feet.

"Ran...Kiran..Varen," Queen Citrine calls out. "If you could see the party is settled in rooms and the inn is secure," she commands. "Onyx please join us," she adds motioning for her son to come with them. Looking at the others she smiles softly. "Elavor, Petal, and Ronegan please see if there are other horses we could rent or buy in town. We could even find another means to get to Ospel that is less taxing it would be appreciated," she adds sending everyone on errands before her entire family disappears inside the inn with the remaining house guard and the stout halfling man behind them showering the entire royal family in compliments.

Varen nods at the others. "Kiran, if you don't mind speaking with the innkeep, Ran and I will check out the rooms and make sure they are secure enough."

Varen (with Ran's assistance hopefully) then goes through the different areas of the inn, noting possible points of entry, the staff of the inn, and anything else that would jeopardize the security of the Royal Family during their stay. 

Investigation 23

Ran:

 Varen flushes the mutagen from her system.

Petal bows to Opal, Smiling “Thanks for the talk, I find it hard not to say or do what I feel, but I’ll try my best!” 

After being given her errand, Petal, holding Opals pony skips over to Ronegan and Elavor. “Hi team! So... finding some horses huh! Do you think it will be weird if I talk to the horses? Or will everyone get mad again? Say, Ronnie......gan.” She remembers that Ronnie is only his name when he’s not listening. “Have you seen that green face before? He looks familiar....”

Ronegan tries mightily but fails to hide his bitter disappointment to be assigned horse duty. The visions of enjoying a big steak and kidney pie and a bitter while reading a book dissipated with the prospect of dealing with more horses. Even thinking about the beastly creatures made him shiver. He taps the canister on his hip as he turns to Petal, the opportunity to speak about his people somewhat making up for his annoyance.

Religion: 7

His mind suddenly blank, Ronegan stammers nervously. "You see, I, uh. Its been an awfully long time since I was amongst my people and my research specialties is Elvish Demonology, not the  Halfling Pantheon. " He falls quiet for a few minutes, his face reddening from embarrassment.

Trying not to meet Petal or Elavor's eyes, Ronegan looks around the town. "Horses are a possibility, yes, but if we can find a barge for the King and Queen, and maybe a few fishing vessels for the rest of us, then we might be able to catch up to where we should be and actually get to the tournament in time.

Lowering his voice, he adds. "I am also a little concerned that the King might not do well with more time on the road."

Without waiting on an answer, and desperate to get away from his mortifying flop, he starts to walk towards the River Athos, looking for any sort of fishing vessels or docks along the way...

OOC: Ronegan most definitely knows the Greenman and does not need to roll but if you want like a more in-depth roll again with advantage this time!

MAP: Roads from all cities to other cities; then the grand canal from the crossroads at Grambler to Ospel.

Ronegan advantage roll for Religion: 22

Elavor arrives in town, still clutching his side. After arriving at the inn, and having the Queen give them their assigned tasks, he can't keep his mind away from getting this wound tended to. A warm bath and some stitches might do later, or it's straight to the temple... 

Dismounting Dust, he's distracted by Petal's question... and Ronegan's response. Is that shame the halfling is hiding? 

Motioning to Petal to follow as Ronegan walks away toward the river, Elavor follows him and quickly catches up. "You're right about the speed. I've found the canals are usually a faster route to go. The king did NOT look well, and the sooner we are at Ospel's gates, the better. Although, I'm not sure about our horses. Maybe they'd send them with a group heading up the road to Ospel"   Walking together for a bit as they search for a livery, Elavor speaks again: "Umm, if we do happen to get close to the temple, I may stop in to get this wound taken care of. I don't want to go out of our way or anything... " 

DM:

Petal turns to Elavor after Ronegan rushes off. “ A Halfling Panther? That’s silly, he’s clearly a bush, think I met him once, really nice leaves - not too spiky.”

She smiles at Elavor, ”Say Ellie, a boat could be fun huh? I’ve never been on one before! But Ronnies getting away from us, he’s not as tough as me - I think we should catch him up, keep him safe! Maybe we should ride after him on the horses? They’ve got much bigger legs than him. 

She realises she’s been walking with Elavor as she speaks “Oh, we caught up, that was quick - so how do we expect to get a boat?”

When Elavor mentions healing, Petal pipes up, “Hey I can fix that fo-“  She cuts herself off, remembering her promise to Opal.

Ran assists Varen in searching and examining the inn. If possible, he pushes the innkeeper to provide them with one floor to themselves as that should be easier to secure, and will make setting watches easier.

"You handled yourself well out there," Ran says to Varen when they're alone. "You didn't hold back, like you do when we spar."

He pauses for a moment, then adds.

"I suspect we will need more of that before we reach Ospel," he says.

As they check the locks on their doors to ensure they're sturdy, and double check that the windows can all be locked, Ran mulls over the ambush.

"Those weren't simple bandits. They were too organized," he says. "What do you think? Someone is trying to limit the competition they will face at the tournament?"

OOC: I'd say Ran wasn't able to see Varen drinking anything if so..I'd ask for a retro-active perception check with disadvantage because of being in the middle of the attack when she did it. This however is ONLY if Viper/Varen wishes to keep this part of their PC to themselves.

Varen is able to secure the inn but there are only one floor and two doors, a back and front door, as well as sixteen windows divided between two floors. The first floor is the open tavern and the upper floor is all the inn rooms, six in total, for let. There are only two rooms that are already occupied and four hireable by the royal family and retinue. The tavern looks sleepy and none of the patrons look like a treat. It's a sedate bunch of country halflings and a few human travelers.

Ronegan only:

Elavor has most certainly been to Grambler and has even ridden a flatboat from Ospel to Grambler to make a shorter journey 'south' from Ospel. Elavor will get an advantage on all history and investigation checks for town related skill checks.

Varen nods. "Thank you. It's a bit different when lives are truly on the line. Almost easy to push myself past my limits. You certainly took care of your fair share with that pair of blades. You're right, though... this was only the beginning."

"Now that we're not doubled up on horseback and spending every moment scanning the treeline, we should talk. I found insignia of three other Houses on the bandits. I'd like to wait for Ronegan and the others to get back, there's something else I found that he'd be interested in -- an encoded letter. Perhaps we can brainstorm a few theories before we worry the King and Queen further."

"We'll set up a rotation for the evening. Seems secure enough, but with at least one set of eyes on watch at any time, I'll feel a lot better."

DM: enough time to get a Short Rest in before dinner?

"I agree. It's best we keep this from them as long as possible. The king is getting worse before our eyes."

That makes him pause. He looks around to make sure no one is within earshot.

"I'm not like the others. I try to think quickly and hit things hard. Magic, regardless of its source is not something I know much about. But, the king. Could he be suffering from some sort of spell?"

He pauses again and looks carefully at Varen. Having faced death together, he would trust his back to her. But how far can he speak freely? Lowering his voice, he continues.

"I find it convenient that he gets worse whenever that dandy Hemmon Green is away. And even more convenient that Green wasn't with us today."

OOC: The three of you Kiran, Ran, and Varen yes but Elavor, Petal, and Ronegan are actively seeking transport so not them no.

As they walk along towards the river, Petal takes in the sight of the town, a far cry from the forest she grew up in, and the keep in which she was a servant. 

“This is a strange place, so many little people, like you and I Ronegan! Say... how did you plan to get us a boat? It sounds fun, floating on the water! I always looked at rivers and streams, imagining what life on the water was like!”

Varen looks contemplative. "The way the King acted today... and how frail he seemed this afternoon... I don't know Hemmon Green well. What can you tell me about him?"

Varen thinks to what she saw of the King's condition, comparing it to potential curses she might know of.

Arcana: 17 (w/ advantage if possibly fey, fiendish, or undead in nature: 12)

Ronegan Deception: 5

 As Ronegan walks ahead of Elavor and Petal, he allows himself a slight grin. It stung a bit to look like a fool, especially in front of Elavor, but Petal's question was so direct that he had been taken aback a bit. If he had been more prepared, he would have prepared a less mortifying lie. He consoled himself that it was so improbable that he would admit to not knowing something that the both of them had probably believed him. Ronegan had been away from Lahiri for a long time, but even he knew there were still some things that are best not shared with outsiders. Lavinia would be very proud right now, the stout little halfling thought to himself.

As Elavor and Petal catch up to him, he blusters a bit, looking at the River Athos. "The river is beautiful, and probably quite a bit safer. There are any number of places here that are likely to sell or loan us a boat, especially with the Firstforge family treasury behind our efforts. I say we check along the water first and see if we can find a vendor who has something befitting the royal family's standing. I suppose it will have to be big enough to also accommodate your er...horses." He adds, still very uncomfortable with the idea of the beasts riding in such close proximity to him.

Investigation Roll: 9 (with advantage from Elavor and Petal assisting -- both rolls were identical)

Ran thinks for a moment at Varen's question. How much of his thoughts of Hemmon Green were from observation and how much was just because he didn't care for the man's mannerisms.

"He's the advisor the king trusts the most. The king does nothing without seeking his counsel. He has become totally dependent on him. Green is from Ospel and the Lightbringer court. I would wager he owes his allegiance to Jubel Baelfire," Ran says. "But I'm still new to the ways of courts and kings. Maybe it is always like this."

He takes a deep breath, hoping he hasn't made a mistake.

"We should get some rest before the others return and dinner. It may be a long night if another attempt is made on the royal family."