Lix Lorn and Strawberries IC

[The Dark Fiddler]

It's been several days since your mission to kill the gang leader. You can't quite remember what you've been doing during this time, but it doesn't feel like it was of any consequence or that forgetting it will cause an problems in the future. You do get a strange feeling that there was a cosmic upheaval, a shifting in the celestial realm, as if the very order of existence had been changed, but it still doesn't seem that important.

One day, you are approached by a man dressed quite simply. He looks exhausted and very worried, and speaks quickly. "Hi I'm really sorry to bother you but I have a problem and it's a really big problem and nobody's offered to help yet and I really really really need help an-" At this point the man stops, quite out of breath, and gasps for air. When he recovers, he tries speaking more normally. "You see, my family and I, we live away from the city, mostly by ourselves on the plain right next to a forest. It's a very beautiful place, and we are able to sustain ourselves with farming. We mostly live by ourselves, because nobody else wants to live there because of the village of orcs nearby. We've lived in relative peace with them for the past decade or so. We've had some minor confrontations, but nothing major, until recently. They just kidnapped my daughter you see! I would rather not get anybody else involved in this, but the group of orcs is too large for us to take care of by ourselves, even though most of them do not fight, because nobody in my small family can fight well except my daughter, and they refuse to be diplomatic about it with us! We're running out of options, and I'm afraid of what they might do to my daughter an-" Again, the man runs out of breathe, even though he was breathing quite normally this time.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nodded slowly, and turned to Kitra.
"What do you think?" he said, murmuring in an undertone.

Lol at that first paragraph. XD

[Strawberries]

"I think we'd better take a look at it. And I think I need to stop hanging with you before I turn into a damn paladin, too." Kitra replies in the same undertone, but it's pretty clear she is not serious.

"Try that again, slower this time, sweetheart" she says to the man, with a normal tone of voice. She gives him an assessing look from head to toe "And be sure to include the relevant information. Such as, why did this mess happen now and why did you came to us."

I second the lol :smallbiggrin:

[The Dark Fiddler]

The man takes a deep breath and explains again. He tries to go slower but by the end he's rushing again, and it's very obvious that he's worried. This time he adds that they moved in eleven years ago, when his daughter was 8, and he had two sons of 5 and 2. They moved there to get away from the city, and thought it would be a nice place and that they could live in peace with the orcs. They were never anything but kind to the orcs, he said, but they'd come over and try to aggravate his family all the time, making threats, and generally being bad neighbors. Until this point, they haven't had any actual problems (and he's had one more son) but when his daughter was hunting yesterday, she was captured by a small band of orcs. They couldn't do anything because his daughter was the only one that could fight in the family and the orcs certainly wouldn't be open to discussion (the one time he tried getting near the threw rocks at him). He came to the city for help, but so far nobody's been willing to help them. "We don't have much to offer as a reward, you see, so-" He covers his mouth as if he's just uttered a curse. "Oh, please don't leave just because we can't pay! I swear I'll be in your debt my entire life if you only help my daughter!" At this point the poor man drops to Laen and Kitra's feet humbly, begging.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen looked at Kitra. He was obviously in favour of accepting the mission.

[Strawberries]

"Hey, hey, now, honey, save that for the king." Kitra says, helping the man on his feet again. "Or better yet, don't - I have a beef with him. We'll see what we can do, okay? Why don't you guide us where you live?"

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nodded supportedly.

[The Dark Fiddler]

The man thanks you profusely as he jumps up to his feet and speeds off down the street. "It's a bit of a walk, I hope you don't mind..." And he's right, it is quite a walk.

Eventually, though, you arrive. It's a large house set into a carved out clearing in a forest, which springs up quite suddenly in the middle of a plain. Frankly, it strikes you as a bit strange but things like this happen all the time. Rushing from the house come the man's three sons, aged 16, 13, and 5, and the man's wife. "Daddy!" The youngest kid shouts running and jumping into his arms. "Did you bring people to help find sissy?" The man says nothing, hugging his son tight and looks over at Kitra and Laen.

[Strawberries]

Kitra elbows Laen in the ribs "You're the paladin. Do your thing and act reassuring". She instead takes her time to take a good look to the house and the area around it Damn it, I'm lost out of the city. She is accostumed to the small, twisting streets of the slums, not all this empty space. And the air is unnatural, too. Air is supposed to smell.

Kitra takes a look around, so I'll just throw in a spot check - not looking at anything specific, just to get a feel of the place

[roll0]

[Lix Lorn]

Laen blinked, and then tried to sound confident and friendly as he spoke.
"We'll find your girl, and get her back too." he said with a nod.

[The Dark Fiddler]

The entire family breathes a sigh of relief, except for the youngest son who attempts to jump out of his father's arms to thank you. "Thank you mister!"

"Is there anything you need, before you go?" The wife asks you. "We don't have very much, but anything we can offer is yours. I'm not quite sure how hard of a time you'll actually have getting our dear Samantha back, so any help we can offer may prove to be vital."

[Lix Lorn]

Laen looked at Kitra, knowing she would probably have a better idea of what they might be able to offer-and then had a thought.
"You wouldn't have any arrows, would you?" he asked.

[Strawberries]

"What he said, sweetie" she answers "Arrows, weapons, the works. For him." she shrugs "For me, information. Knowledge is power, thet say, so, anything that comes to mind that could help us. Where exactly they are, how many should there be, what should we expect. Don't take for granted: you live here, I've never been out of the city till now. Think hard about what I need to know."

[Lix Lorn]

Laen gave a nod of agreement. It was a good idea.

By the way, I'm away til Sunday. DXD

[The Dark Fiddler]

At Laen's request of arrows, the wife goes into the house. The man stays to answer Kitra's questions. "The orcs live about a half hour's walk that way. I'm not sure exactly how many there are, but there are only about ten that know how to fight. I would be surprised if there's much more than 40 there. Chances are that some of them are out hunting right now, so there will be even less there. Unfortunately, I don't know all that much about how they live, because they've always been too hostile for us to take a trip over and say hi, you know?"

At this point his wife comes back with a bundle of 20 arrows. "We have some more, but the rest of them aren't of that good quality. I hope this is enough."

[Strawberries]

"Yeah, I do know, honey. Just like those conceited snobs from the upper quarters" she laughs, to show that she isn't serious, and winks at him. "We'll be back as soon as we can with your girl" Hoping she is still alive and in one piece she adds silently in her head, but doesn't have the heart to tell it out loud. Instead, she looks at Laen, inclining her head in a "shall we go" motion.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nodded, accepting the arrows.
"Thank you." he said, looking at Kitra, nodding again.

[The Dark Fiddler]

The family gives you sufficient directions to find your way to the orcs, and you start walking. Eventually you find the village and approach as far as you can without being spotted. It's time to decided how you're going to go about this: stealth, diplomacy, or swords swinging and guns a blazin'. The village looks big enough to support at least 60 people. There is a watchman standing at the edge. Currently you're hiding in the treeline, and if you step out he's almost sure to spot you.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen looked at Kitra, wanting her thoughts.

[Strawberries]

Kitra stops right on the edge of the covered area, whistling low under her breath. "Will you look at that." she says, shaking her head in wonder. This being her first time out of the city, she has never seen a non human settlement. She doesn't know what she expected, but not what she is seeing.

"Very well, how shall we do this? You know I don't like to charge ahead unthinkingly. Which leave us with two options: we can try to sneak our way past them, retrieve the damsel in distress, and call it a day, or actually talking to them" Kitra's hand goes up to rub her scarred temple, a tell-tale sign of stress "But, even if we manage to fool, what, sixty orcs? the stealthy approach will only pospone the problem, I fear. What's to stop them to kidnap the girl again next time? Or one of the boys for that matter - gods know that at that age children will go precisely where they are told not to. I was that way, at least."

Realizing she is doing all the talking, as usual Dammit, is the 'silent stoicism' a paladin thing or a him thing? she stops to assess how Laen is taking her argument "What do you think, cupcake? Feel up about negotiating with a bunch of orcs?"

[Lix Lorn]

"I don't think diplomacy is likely to work." he said sadly, and quietly. "But as it's likely we'll have to kill them all, would it make sense to try and find their leader?"

Then there was a pause.

"...cupcake?"

[Strawberries]

"You did point out that you felt unconfortable being addressed as 'honey'"she says, with a completely straight face. Then she smirks. Teasing paladins was truly one of the joys in life. "My point stands. Let's say we kill this leader of theirs - I've seen it happen all the time in the slums. Know what's next? His place is taken by the next idiot who manages to act manly enough. And then, back to square one. Unless you are suggesting laying waste to the village, burn everything down, sow their ground with salt. I kinda hoped to avoid that - and it's only you and me, I don't see the king's army to back us up." She looks at him with an eyebrow raised, inviting him to elaborate on his toughts

[Lix Lorn]

He nodded again.
"It's a good point." he said slowly, trying to put the 'cupcake' behind him. "What would you suggest then?" he said, wondering if she had a better plan or was just going to shoot down everything.

[Strawberries]

She shrugs "Go talk to them. Try to find a compromise, somehow. Hells, for all we know, the girl could have been hunting on one of their sacred dancing places" she shudders,and then smirks, thinking about dancing orcs. "If it doesn't work, then by all means, I'll have your back while you unleash the gods' righteous anger of them."
She thinks for a second "You know anything about orcs tradition, anyhow?"

[roll0] for anything she might have pick up in the city.

[Lix Lorn]

He shook his head.
"I know a little about goblins, but almost nothing about orcs." he said.

[The Dark Fiddler]

[roll0] for anything she might have pick up in the city.

You recall hearing a few mentions of an orcish village during your life in the city. They didn't say much, but you remember vaguely something about the forest being important to them.

[Strawberries]

"I know next to nothing either" she says "I seem to recall something about the importance of the forest" she frowns trying to remember, then scowls when she is unable to "But it could have been just some drunken customer rambling, trying to convince me he was some world-famous explorer - you have no idea what pile of horse dung men will pull..." she stops abruptly, leaving the sentence in half "Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, I told you what I think we should do. Up to you, sweetheart."

[Lix Lorn]

"Well..." he said, deep in thought. "If we attempt a diplomatic solution and fail, they know we're coming. If we attack, there's no chance at diplomacy..."

His voice dropped out as he wrestled with the problem.

[Strawberries]

"And if you take a bit more to decide, I'll grow old and die here" she gently mocks him "Not all of us are elves, you know." She sighs, rubbing her temple again "Look, honey, if I liked to kill people without questions, my life would have been so much easier. Let's give it a try, shall we? At worst, they'll kill us" she smirks "You go to your god's heaven, I go to whatever hell awaits blasphemous and heretics. Win-win situation, if you ask me"

Hey, it just occurred to me - if they really do kill us, you could come rescuing me...or I you. :smalltongue: That'd be epic. :smallbiggrin:

[Lix Lorn]

He started nodding, and then stopped.
"No truly good god would send you to a bad end merely because you didn't believe." he said. "If necessary, I'll put in a good word for you." he said with a slight smile. "So... shall we begin?"

He drew his bow.

Angstangstmoralquandaryaaangstohjustkillem.

[Strawberries]

She smiles at his offer to put in a good word He is sweet, I'll grant him that, then she is suddenly hit with the mental image of him trying to negotiate her release from the hells with a very annoyed god, and she doubles over laughing
"Th-that won't be necessary" she says when she can catch her breath "I was rather looking forward to my bad end". She giggles again, wiping her eyes, then she notices he has drawn his bow "Now, if we have to go talk to them, I think it'd be considered bad form to have our weapons out, don't you agree?"

[Lix Lorn]

"A good point." he conceded, putting the bow back upon his back, and silently swearing that if she died, he'd do everything he could whether she wanted it or not.

[Strawberries]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....... :smalltongue:

Kitra nods to him, then resolutely steps out of the tree cover. She is keeping her hands in plain view, very away from her weapons. "Hey, up there!" she shouts to the guard, do draw its attention "We just want to talk!"

[Lix Lorn]

Paladin. :smalltongue:

Laen gave a nod, following her out, hands in front of him.

[The Dark Fiddler]

When Kitra shouts, the guard turns his head towards you. He calls back into the village and another orc comes to join him. They come to meet you. One is in leather armor and has a greatsword strapped to his back, while the other is wearing heavier metal armor and has a shield on his back, along with a longsword strapped to his side. Both approach with peaceful gestures. The one in the metal armor speaks, but in orcish, which neither Laen or Kitra speak.

[Strawberries]

"Damn." Kitra mutters, quietly. How come they can't speak common? Everybody speaks common, dammit.. She is tense, and very aware of where her hands are at all times - she doesn't want to make sudden gestures that may be misinterpreted. She looks at Laen, and seeing he is confused as she is, she tries another approach

"So,you don't speak common. This might be a problem." ((in goblin)) "[Can you understand me now? We don't mean you any harm.]" ((in draconic)) "I don't suppose you know kobold, don't you? We just came to talk to you."

[The Dark Fiddler]

When Kitra speaks in goblin, the armored orc responds. ["Ah, you speak goblin? Good."] Both of the orcs bow, one knee to the ground. ["It is an honor to meet you. What brings you here?"]

[Strawberries]

Kitra throws Laen a shocked look over the orcs' head when they bow, mouthing "What the hell?" to him.

["My name is Kitra. My friend here is Laen. We haven't come here as enemies"] she says in goblin. She is very glad now she picked out the language from the more exotic visitors of the docks.["We have come to talk to you about the young human lady who is currently in your custody."]

[Lix Lorn]

(Uncontrollable giggles) Exotic languages?

Laen bowed to them.
["Greetings." he said, also in goblin. "It is an honour to to meet with you. It is our dear hope that this day shall end well for us all."]

[The Dark Fiddler]

The orcs confusedly look at each other and have a brief exchange in orcish before turning back to Laen and Kitra. ["Neither of us know what you are talking about. Do you mind elaborating?"]

[Strawberries]

Hey, she didn't have a formal education. She had to pick up things where she could :smalltongue:.

Yeah, sing me the other one, honey Kitra thinks to herself, but she carefully composes a confused expression, before replying

["Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding. We were told that there was a human girl, currently, in your village. From the small farm half an hour walk from here. We came here to negotiate her release "]

[roll0]

[The Dark Fiddler]

((You don't feel comfortable making a decision either way about the orcs' trustworthiness.))

The orcs again look at each other and the leather-clad one shakes his head. ["We know the farm you speak of, but we don't have any idea what you're talking about with the girl. It's possible our elder would know more, however. Do you have any objections with going to see him?"]

[Lix Lorn]

Laen gave Kitra a look, deferring to her judgement.

That said, Sense Motive.
[roll0]

[Strawberries]

Seeing Laen look at her, she makes a short affermative gesture with her head before speaking.

["No objections. Bring us to him"] Kitra says. As the orcs turn, she looks at Laen and shrugs "Strange" she mouths to him.

[Lix Lorn]

He nodded in agreement.

[The Dark Fiddler]

["Alright then, follow me."] The two orcs turn and head back into the village. As you go through, you notice that it's slightly bigger than the family said it would be (you estimate roughly 100 inhabitants). You pass by a few small groups of children as you walk, and every time they stop what they're doing to stare at you. The orc turns to you the second time it happens to explain. ["We don't really get visitors out here. Most of them probably have never seen a human or elf."] The orcs lead you to a small but ornate building near the center of the village. They tell you to wait there and go into the building. Looking closer at the building, it seems to be made from the hide of some sort of animal. Looking around, you're getting strange looks from the inhabitants, not just children.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen kept looking around, interested.

I'm gonna keep looking around. And listening.
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[Strawberries]

When they pass the groups of children Kitra smiles friendly to them. She likes children, no matter the species, expecially street children. At the same time, she is keeping her eyes and ears open for any sign of danger, or anything out of the ordinary.

Same for me
[roll0]
[roll1]

[The Dark Fiddler]

((These low rolls are not a good sign :smallfrown:))

After a few minutes, the orcs return. They hold open the door and motion for you to enter the building. It's a bit small that your original impressions would have implied, but it's not so small that it is uncomfortable inside. In the center of the only room is a brazier, with a blazing fire, even though it's a fairly warm day. On the other side is a fairly old looking orc in ceremonial dress and face paints, and on either side is another orc in much more practical, but still somewhat ornate dress. The central orc makes a few intricate hand motions, and the fire flares up suddenly. As the fire dies back down, he speaks. In common.

"Greetings, travelers. My son tells me you come here looking for a missing woman?"

[Lix Lorn]

Laen gave a slight nod, but decided it was best to allow Kitra to do the talking.

[Strawberries]

((Didn't we mention? The forum roller has this thing with us...))

Kitra bows to the orc, but even as she does so, she doesn't lose eye contact with him.

"We did." she replies "The daughter of the farmers near your village, actually. We were sent here by her parents.".

[The Dark Fiddler]

The moment Kitra mentions the family, the orc's expression drops the cautious cheeriness it had before. "Oh... that family..." He thinks for a few seconds before speaking again. "I'm not sure what they've told you, but here is all I know on the matter. I swear the the Great Ancestor that I speak only what I know of the truth. The family you speak of moved in years ago, right on the edge of the forest they live at now. You may or may not know this, but a dangerous being lives in the forest... a being so dangerous that we dare not speak of it. When they arrived, we were worried for them. We, as a tribe, prefer to keep to ourselves, but we felt we had to warn them.

Unfortunately, nobody in our village at the time could speak Common. Even today, only one person does. Additionally, I had not developed the magics I am using to speak to you currently. I'm not sure, but nobody in the family seemed to speak any language other than Common. With this language barrier, warning them was quite... challenging to say the least. I'm not quite sure how it happened, since we didn't understand each other, but when a small group of us went over to warn them, it turned into a shouting match. It almost got violent, but thankfully the group we sent had the sense not to start a fight.

The group returned, and we thought. The being was not known to attack so far out of the forest, and the family seemed to mostly stick to the plains, so we decided that they should be safe enough. After the initial mishap of an introduction, we tried several times to repair our relationship. Unfortunately, none of those turned out well. Looking back, it might have been the people I sent to speak with them." At this the elder glares at one of the orcs to his side. "Eventually, we gave up, as they had become far too hostile from the failed attempts. I can't necessarily blame them though, do not take this as such.

Recently I learned a small group of our young adults had continued visiting the family occasionally, angering them. I also learned that the same group had come to worship the being that lives in the forest. I suppose that happens when you get any being with great power, but this being..." The elder drifts off for roughly a minute before continuing, ignoring the subject of the creature. "Anyway, the way I learned of this was... one of the youngsters came and outright told me. She told me they were leaving the village and going to live in the forest, and explained their relationship with....

...they said they had a sacrifice to gain its favor. I learned of this mere hours ago. I was so outraged that I struck the youngster. Unfortunately, I'm not quite as strong as I once was, and she escaped into the forest with her friends. It's quite possible this sacrifice is the girl you speak of. If so, I fear for her. I fear what the group may have done to her. The family already thinks lowly of us... this can only worsen things..."

[Strawberries]

Kitra whistles under her breath, looking to Laen to see if he has any insight on the orc they're talking to. If that's true, that's more of a mess than I thought. If he isn't trying to fool us.

[roll0]

"In that case, I'm afraid we'd have to go after them" she looks him in the eye, tilting her head to one side "If you want to show your goodwill to those people, perhaps you could help us"

[The Dark Fiddler]

((I've decided to roll Spot, Listen, and Sense Motive checks myself. This is because you guys are rolling pretty low, but has the added bonus of not letting you know if you've succeeded or not, so the conclusion obtained can still be false. You still need to tell me you want to roll one, though.))

Kitra gets a strong vibe that the elder is telling the truth. He nods, and leaves the room. As he leaves, he turns back and says, "I will be back momentarily." True to his word, he returns in mere minutes with the orc in heavy armor you met before. The orc turns and bows to you.

["The elder wishes I follow you and assist you in retrieving the kidnapped human."]

"Grith is a great warrior. Should it come to it, he will surely be a great ally in a fight. And now on the topic... do not be afraid to fight those who did this. They chose their fate when the kidnapped the woman." The elder waits before continuing. "If there is anything else you need, simply ask. Otherwise, time is of the essence. It is getting late, and if you can't find them by nighttime..... then it'll be harder to find them." You get the feeling that the elder was going to say something else before changing his mind.

[Lix Lorn]

Good plan. I want a sense motive, please. XD 1d20 + 9, to save you the effort.

"Whatever happens, we will endeavor to inform the family of your innocence." said Laen quietly.

Oh! I'm an idiot. I use detect evil. Without saying anything. On the leader, and Grith.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Laen also feels as though the elder is telling the truth, in addition to feeling as though Grith is telling the truth. Additionally, his spell does not detect either the elder or Grith as evil.

((I'll wait to see if Strawberries has anything she wants from them before I send you on your way.))

[Strawberries]

Nope, we can go. :smallbiggrin:

Kitra nods to the elder, bowing slightly before turning to go. She realizes he isn't telling her everything, but also that he, as the authority figure, would probabl be more reluctant to break traditions I'll grill Grith on our way there she thinks to herself.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Grith bows to the elder and leads Kitra and Laen out of the building. Outside, you see the sky has started to darken. ["We must be swift. Nightfall will come in a few hours. We need to find them before then."] He thinks for a few moments. ["I think I know where they are going. There is a place in the forest where first-time sightings of the... creature... are most common. If they plan to sacrifice the girl, that's likely where they are taking her. Unless you have any better ideas?"] He turns to the elf and the human who he had been tasked with helping, although he's fairly certain they won't be able to come up with anything, since they're not familiar with the forest.

[Strawberries]

Kitra shakes her head. He has no other suggestions. But that's a perfect time to do what she intended to.

"[Lead us there]" she says, and then while they're walking "[It's Grith, isn't it? Grith, what's the big secret? What exactly are we going to face if we stay after dark?]"

[The Dark Fiddler]

Grith shakes his head as he leads Kitra and Laen through the forest. ["You don't want to know. Knowing only... knowing only puts you in danger. Just trust me that... you don't want to know.] Grith is visibly uneasy talking about the being living in the forest.

[Lix Lorn]

"But is it not better to know what might kill us?" said Laen dryly.

[The Dark Fiddler]

["Absolutely not. If all goes well, you'll never have to learn of it. If you end up as a target... the lack of knowledge may allow you to live normally for longer. There is no way to stop it once you're in its sights... so not learning is the best."] He thinks for a moment. ["I've probably said too much already. And we don't even know that much anyway. Just drop the subject. Trust me when I say it is for the best."]

[Strawberries]

"We'll try to come back before dark" Kitra replies "But we can't be sure of it. And if I have to die an horrible death, I'dat least like to know what's going to kill me. It's considered polite" she laughs.

Sense motive, please. If it seems that Grith is too upset she won't pry further, as she doesn't want to risk losing an ally. If not...Kitra is a bit like a cat, she can't let a juicy thing like this go.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen seemed to take him at his word, lapsing into silence.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Kitra can tell that Grith is incredibly distressed talking on the subject. ["If it were any other subject, I would gladly elaborate but... no. Not this. I'm standing firm here, and you will absolutely not change my mind.] Grith is determined to not tell more about the creature. It almost seems his statement of not changing his mind is an understatement.

[Strawberries]

["Very well, honey, no need to be so upset"] Kitra gives up her inquiries, shooting Laen a glance ["But if I'm dying without even know what ate me, I'm blaming you. Both."] under her breath, she mutters, in common, so as to be understood bt the paladin but not the orc "Bunch of sissies."

[Lix Lorn]

Laen rolled his eyes at her melodrama.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Grith mutters under his breath, but neither Kitra nor Laen manage to hear it. It was probably in Orcish anyway.

He continues to lead the duo into the forest, with sky slowly getting darker and darker as they move. Eventually, a clearing is seen in the distance and Grith stops. ["I can see them... they're in the clearing."] Looking ahead, Kitra and Laen can see a group of four orcs standing around something unseen. One is wearing heavy metal armor, two are wearing lighter metal armor and carrying longswords and shields like Grith, and the fourth is wearing studded leather and wielding a greataxe. They can make out a circle with two lines going through it where nothing is growing, providing a contrast to the grass and weed and fungus covered floor of the Forest around it. The group is near the center. ["What's our plan? I'm not sure we'd be able to sneak in as a group to try and rescue the girl that way, but it's possible one of you might. I wouldn't suggest it though, as they're all good fighters. I... trained them myself..."] Grith seems a bit ashamed at this last bit of information.

[Strawberries]

["What do you say, Laen? We could get a couple of shots in before they become aware of us"]

How far are we and how near can we get before losing cover?

[Lix Lorn]

He nodded.
["That seems most logical."] he said, gazing at the orcs.

Detect Evil? XD

[The Dark Fiddler]

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg41/The_Dark_Fiddler/maporcforest.png

This is the map. Silver/grey is Laen, Purple is Kitra, Green is Grith. ? is the unknown figure. The other black figures detect as evil. 1 and 2 are the longsword/shield orcs, A is the Greataxe orc, C is the heavy metal armored orc.

The main part of the map is the clearing. The outcropping Laen, Kitra, and Grith are on is outside of it. Every square is 5 feet. If the group leaves the treeline (where the main part of the map starts) they're be spotted unless they take means not to be.

To make it easier (so you don't have to count), distance between the group and the tree detected-as-evil orcs is 60 feet, ~70 feet to the unknown figure, 75 to the last orc.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen drew his bow, and looked to Kitra for confirmation.

[Strawberries]

Kitra nods, drawing her crossbow as well. "Which one?" she whispers.

Surprise round? In any case, [roll0]

[The Dark Fiddler]

((Yes, surprise round. Might as well roll initiative now anyway for ease though.))

Grith speaks as he draws his sword and secures his shield. "I suggest the one in the center. She is a ferocious warrior, and likely the biggest danger. The one in the back might be the second priority, or might not. He has magic, but I'm not sure how much he can do." Grith moves to take a better position, so that once they realize the group is here, the "biggest danger" will charge him instead of Kitra or Laen.

DON'T LOOK GUYS DM STUFF
[roll0] Grith
[roll1] Barb
[roll2] Cler
[roll3] 1
[roll4]

[Lix Lorn]

Initiative: [roll0]
["Let's both aim for the one in the middle."] he said quietly.

[Strawberries]

Kitra nods, putting a bolt in her crossbow and aiming for the one Lean indicated

Now, let's see if my luck is terrible as always

[roll0] [roll1]+[roll2]

[Lix Lorn]

Laen aimed his bow, launching an arrow of his own.

By the way, you can't sneak attack at further than 30ft away.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[The Dark Fiddler]

((Initiative order is now active. The order is as follows:
1, Kitra, C, Laen, A, 2, Grith.))

Kitra and Laen both let lose their projectiles, which land in the greataxe-wielding orc's armor quite squarely, knocking her off balance. The rest of the party turns, and the furthest orc says something that the group can't quite make out. They all grab their weapons. One of the orcs with a shield steps forward, bringing up the shield to take a defensive stance.

((Kitra's turn, updated map below.))

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg41/The_Dark_Fiddler/maporcforest-1.png

[Strawberries]

Kitra reloads her crossbow, aiming it again to the orc in the middle

[roll0] [roll1]
I'm sorry, I considered the wrong bonus for my previous attack: it was +5, not +6 (I confused it with the rapier bonus). I hope it was a hit all the same.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen aimed again quickly, loosing a second arrow.


He aims at 1 this time.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[The Dark Fiddler]

Kitra's crossbow bolt hits the orc squarely in stomach, again knocking her off-balance.

The orc in the back, in the heavy metal armor, walks up to the orc that all the arrows so far had been aimed at. His hands glow lightly and he places them on the orc's shoulders, muttering a quite phrase. [roll0]

Laen's arrow bounces harmlessly off the shield the orc presented.

The orc with the battle axe lets out a ferocious roar and charges forward, swinging the axe mightily at Grith. It hits Grith square on the shoulder, but he manages to shrug off the blow. [roll1] [roll2]

The second orc with a shield follows the movements of the first, moving forward and bringing the shield up to protect himself.

Grith retaliates to the axe-wielding orc's attack with a quick, powerful thrust of his longsword. He manages to cut a gash in the side of her armor. [roll3] [roll4]

The first orc moves forward again, his shield still up.

Crit confirms if needed: [roll5] [roll6]

((Kitra's turn again, updated map below:))
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg41/The_Dark_Fiddler/maporcforest-2.png

[Strawberries]

Swearing under her breath, Kitra fires another bolt, this time to the orc that is advancing towards her

[roll0] [roll1]

((also, now that the orcs have moved, can I see what is '?' in the middle of the clearing?))

[The Dark Fiddler]

Kitra's crowwbow bolt bounces harmlessly against the orc's shield.

With the majority of the orcs gone, the group can now see the previously unidentifiable figure. Lying on the ground is a young woman, appearing to have just recently entered adulthood. She isn't moving but from the distant viewpoint nobody in the group can see any visible signs of trauma.

The orc still standing near he appears to do nothing.

DM Note
Cast Silence.

Laen's turn.

[Lix Lorn]

I forget. Did I warn you I was away? (Sweatdrop)

Laen stared dispassionately as his arrow failed to do damage, and quickly loaded a second, backing away from them.

I take a five foot step towards kitra (I can do that, right?), and shoot an arrow at 1, if I can see him. If I can't, I aim at 2.

[roll0]
[roll1]

Then, regardless of the result, I draw my sword. (Move action... I think...)

[The Dark Fiddler]

Laen, quickly stepping to the side before loosing another arrow, once again fails to do any damage to the approaching orc. ((Apparently it only hates your attack rolls against enemies with higher AC)).

The greataxe wielding orc again strikes at Grith. [roll0][roll1]

Grith manges to knock the axe to the side with a strong blow from his sword.

The second shield wielding orc continues to approach, but it actually laughing at the state of Laen, Kitra, and Grith, and doesn't both bringing up his shield.

Grith's stance stiffens after deflecting the greataxe as he retaliates quickly, striking with great strength at her. [roll3]

Grith's longsword manages to land a grievous wound in her side, and she collapses.

The first shield wielding orc comes closer, passing by the greataxe wielding orc and swings his sword at Grith. However, Grith manages to strike at him as he moves by. [roll4][roll5] [roll6][roll7]

Grith's strike is obviously a strong one, knocking the orc off balance and preventing his attack from landing.

((Updated map will follow. Laen is now threatened by 1 and trying to fire an arrow will both provoke an attack of opportunity and take the penalties for firing into melee.

Edit: Forgot Grith's attack roll, I'll have to do that elsewhere.

MAP
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg41/The_Dark_Fiddler/maporcforest-3.png

A is now on the ground bleeding out.))

[Strawberries]

Kitra launches another bolt at the orc directly in front of her, then quickly puts away her crossbow, drawing her rapier and preparing for the attack that is sure to come.


[roll0]
[roll1]

I can sheate a weapon and draw another after attacking, can I? (since I didn't move and my BAB is > than 1...) If not, I'll correct my post.

Edit: and GAAAH! at me not managing to hit anything. :smallfrown:

[Lix Lorn]

Laen scowled, stepping forward to meet the orc, and slashing at them.
I drew my sword last turn. I move a space up, and attack 1-after an AoO, I think Uhoh. Assuming I can still attack after 1 does,

[roll1d6+4

[Lix Lorn]

Bah, damage roll didn't take and-
...
I GOT A CRITICAL HIT
Crit confirmation:
[roll0]
[roll1]

[The Dark Fiddler]

Kitra's crossbow shot completely misses the orc. On the plus side, it doesn't blow up the world.

The orc near the girl, completely ignoring the battle that is going on around him, kneels down and begins what seems to be a ritual of some sort.

Laen moves up to meet the orc now engaged with Grith, managing to avoid opening up his defenses. His attack cuts a deep gash in the orc's side, and it's obvious that the wound is fatal. The orc collapses, not to get up again.

The second orc moves up, a nervously at this point, and strikes at Grith. [roll0] [roll1]

Grith, taking advantage of an opening in the orc's strike, which threw him off balance, counters with his own blow. [roll2] [roll3]

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg41/The_Dark_Fiddler/maporcforest-4.png

[Strawberries]

["STOP WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING, NOW!"] Kitra shouts to the kneeling orc, in goblin. She steps forward, slicing at the orc in front of her with her rapier Damn,I have to get to the girl, now. She thinks

[roll0]
[roll1]

[The Dark Fiddler]

Kitra's slash manages to catch the orc in the face. He stumbles backwards with his face scrunched up in pain.

The orc with the girl looks back and notices that his allies are nearly dead. He stands up and grasps a necklace he has. Before everyone's eyes, he disappears, completely invisible.

((No new map cause all that happened was Kitra moved 5 feet.))

[Lix Lorn]

Laen looked suspiciously at the vanished orc. He opened his mind, searching for the presence of darkness.
(Detect evil!)

[The Dark Fiddler]

As Laen focused on his ability to detect evil in creatures, he finds that there is indeed evil within his view. However, he will need to focus for longer if he wishes to tell where the cleric (if the cleric is evil at all) has gone. ((Did you forget that it takes three rounds to get Detect Evil up to full power? :smalltongue:))

The last remaining orc, in some desperate attempt of spite in the face of his death, steps to the side and, while standing over the fallen body of his ally, strikes at Kitra. [roll0] [roll1] (Crit confirmed, Kitra takes 12 damage.)

Grith, of course, is none too happy about this and retaliates by striking again at the orc. This time, however, he turns the blade at the last moment to strike with the flat of the blade in an obvious attempt to spare the orc... for now, at least. [roll2] [roll3]

The last orc falls to the ground, unconscious. It's obvious that the quick turn of the blade saved his life.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Crit confirms.

[roll0]
[roll1]

Of course, you don't know which is which. :smallwink:

[Strawberries]

Kitra takes a second to look at Grith, and to nod once in acknowledgment. She can understand the sentiment of not wanting to kill one of his own people. "Let's get to the girl" she says, unusually tersely, then she fishes in her pocket for a potion, drinking from it before running towards the middle of the clearing and the young woman.

(Potion effect) [roll0]
EDIT: also, moving 30 ft towards the girl.

[Lix Lorn]

"Stop." said Laen. "I saw one of them vanish. They might still be around."

I remembered. I keep looking.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Grith kneels down to check on the orc who had wielded the greataxe and the other orc that fell earlier. He stands up after realizing that they are both, in fact, dead, and beyond help. He checks on the last orc that was dropped and, satisfied that he can wait, stands up and follows Kitra.

Laen, after focusing a bit longer, detects no further evil other than a horribly faint path leading deeper into the forest which fades almost as soon as he notices it.

((At this point, unless you want to chase after the trail which is already gone, combat is over. Everyone gain 700 EXP (yes that probably is a very large amount :smalltongue:).))

[Lix Lorn]

"...he's gone." said Laen, relieved, following the two.

[Strawberries]

Kitra hurries to where the girl is, kneeling down to check on her "Are you all right, sweetie?" she asks, examining her for signs of wounds and giving a look over her shoulder to see if Laen is coming.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen follows, at a slow run, kneeling down next to them.

[The Dark Fiddler]

As the two kneel down to examine the woman, it become apparent that, although she is alive, she's not conscious at the moment. She doesn't seemed to have been harmed too terribly, but she's likely not going to be waking up for several hours at the least. Grith walks up and is carrying the unconscious body of the last orc. ["Is the girl okay?"]

[Strawberries]

["Yeah, I think so. We will carry her back"] Kitra answers, looking at Laen for confirmation [What's going to happen to our friend there?] she asks Grith.

[The Dark Fiddler]

["I'm going to bring him back to the village... we'll see if he can tell us anything about what was going on, and if there's anything important we need to learn. Obviously, making sure this doesn't happen again is a priority, if they have plans to continue."

[Lix Lorn]

Laen gave a nod.
"Should I help carrying someone?" he said.

[Strawberries]

"We have to think about the girl, honey " Kitra replies "Seeing as we don't want to stay here when it's dark." she adds, winking. "Do you think between the two of us we could bring her to the village? It is closer than the farm."

((Fiddler, should we roll something? Strenght checks?))

[Lix Lorn]

"I'm sure we could, between us." he said, blinking slowly.

[The Dark Fiddler]

["Let's return to the village..."] Grith takes off back to his home. As he passes by the two dead orc, a look of shame passes over his face, but he turns his head away quickly and he expression returns to apathy. It takes some time to get back to the village, but you manage to leave the forest before it gets too dark. As you arrive back in the village, the sun is setting and the sky is darkening. Grith leads you back to the elder.

["Ah, you managed to retrieve the girl! Is she well?"] The elder is speaking in Goblin this time.

[Strawberries]

["She seems to, but she is unconscious at the moment"] Kitra replies, in Goblin ["I'm more worried about that warrior of yours. Oh, by the way"] she adds, as if the tought just occurred to her "[If you wish to make nice with the humans, it wouldn't be a bad idea to send someone with us when we bring the girl back]" she actuallly winks at him, smiling ["That'd be great public relationships, if you'd take my advice"]

[The Dark Fiddler]

"[I planned on going to meet them myself when we returned the girl, actually. I believed this bad air had lasted long enough, and who better to try to improve relations than the leader?]" The elder turns to the girl you rescued. "[Though I suppose it would be best if we waited until she was conscious again to return her to her family, otherwise they might suspect the worse.]"

[Lix Lorn]

Laen gave a nod of agreement.

I hate long periods not at home. :smallmad: Sigh. Friday Night.

[Strawberries]

["Good thinking. They didn't make you leader for nothing, I see."] Kitra smiles Certainly better that that bunch of scallywags that rule us. I wonder if we could swap. she muses idly. ["One of your people escaped, however. You should keep an eye out."]

[The Dark Fiddler]

"[Thank you for the warning, I shall be sure to gather a team to be on watch. I would imagine you are staying here for the night? We can arrange for a place to stay, and a hearty dinner."]

[Strawberries]

"[Fine by me]" Kitre replies "Laen?"

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nodded.
["We would be honoured."]

[The Dark Fiddler]

"[Excellent! Allow me to find a family who will allow you to stay with them, and bring a healer in to look more closely at the girl.]" The elder leaves, but not before looking at Grith and the warrior he had carried back. Grith speaks a short phrase in orcish and the elder nods at him, before speaking in goblin again, correcting himself "[A healer for the girl and the warrior.]" The elder is gone for a short while, and returns with another orc carrying a few medical tools, as well as two mats. He motions for Grith to put down the warrior, which he does, and for you to put down the girl.

"[The family that you can stay with is waiting outside. A young couple with a child of ten years. The father speaks a very rough common, and the child speaks goblin as well as he orcish. The mother is a great cook, though, and would be honored to have you two for dinner.]"

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nodded.

["Thank you."] He said.

...that's the first time he's spoken before Kitra. XD

[Strawberries]

That is mainly because I'm in the same timezone as Fiddler,now, I think. Uhm...I'm sorry? :smallredface::smallsmile:

Kitra nods as well "[Thank you, mate]" she echoes, then, stepping closer to the orc with the medical tools "[You'll take care of her, right?]"

[The Dark Fiddler]

The healer looks up at Kitra with a confused look on his face, and speaks in orcish. The elder leans down and says a few words to him, then turns to Kitra. "[Sorry, he doesn't speak Goblin. However, he wishes to assure you that he will take care of the girl, even though he is mostly here for the warrior. The girl is already fine, and will only need rest, but he needs to be taken care of if we are to get information from him. However, should she need any help, he will most certainly do everything in his power. I assure you, the girl will be fine. Surely you fought hard, and need to rest, so please try to relax until tomorrow.]"

[Strawberries]

"[Very well. Please thank him on our behalf.]" she says, then she nods to the elder (even if she doesn't like authority figures on principle, he seems honorable enough to warrant her respect). "[We are ready to go meet our guests for tonight, I think]" she says "[Laen?]"

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nodded at her.

[The Dark Fiddler]

The elder bows and bids Laen and Kitra goodnight, as does Grith. The two step outside to find three orcs standing outside waiting. The tallest is the father, over a foot taller than Laen. He is wearing rather simple clothes, a shirt and pants. The next tallest is the mother, only roughly a half foot taller than Laen and wearing a dress that, while simple, manages to carry some air of elegance. The smallest is the child who had been running circle around his parents laughing and having a fun time, not much taller than four feet. He's not wearing a shirt and his pants are dirty, likely from playing with his friends earlier in the day. The father steps forward and bows to the two. As he bows, he speaks in a slow and rough common. "Greeting. Is nice meeting you. My calling is Crignor, this is wife Salnik, and child Deblin. Elder Griknik tell to me that you need residence for night, and also a dining? What are your callings?"

((Writing Crignor might not be that easy. I'm trying to not fall into two stereotypes here: Orcs can't speak properly and anyone who doesn't speak a language completely fluently fails at it miserably. So I'm trying to make it obvious he's not completely fluent in Common without making him sound stupid, and making sure you can understand him too. I think I'm doing a manageable time, but this is the first time he's spoken so yeah.))

[Lix Lorn]

"Greetings." replied Laen, bowing in return. "My...calling is Laen. This is Kitra." he said, motioning to her.

[The Dark Fiddler]

"I hope you will having good time with us, even if short." Crignor smiles at the two. "Sure you have noticed, but my Common is not excellent. If I say something very wrongly, do not be afraid correcting me, it is only way I will learn!" Salnik speaks and Crignor turns to listen, before turning back to Laen and Kitra. "Salnik wishes knowing if you have preferences for dining?"

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nodded, and then turned to Kitra. She was more likely to know the courtesy.

[Strawberries]

Huh, the girl grew up in a brothel. Proper etiquette isn't her forte, you know. :smalltongue: Well, Laen doesn't, I suppose (still looking forward to that conversation :smallbiggrin:).
BTW, Fiddler, I think you're doing a good job with Crignor's voice (I'm not the most qualified to judge, but i like it. :smallsmile:)

Kitra waves her hand. "Whatever your wife feels like cooking will be fine. Thank her for us, okay?" she replies "And if she needs help with anything, we can lend a hand in the kitchen". she adds I can, at least she thinks to herself Not really sure about the paladin.

Then she smiles at the child and adds, in goblin "[And hello, there, honey. Is Deblin, right? Didn't I see you earlier when I and Laen arrived?]"

OOC: I'm taking a guess, since you mentioned children were staring at us, earlier

[Lix Lorn]

Laen gave a nod of agreement. He could help, if necessary. A bit.

[The Dark Fiddler]

The kid looks up at Kitra and nods furiously at her question. ["Yeah, I saw you and your friend come in earlier today I think you're the first human I've seen even unless maybe when I was a baby but I can't remember back then very well but you and your friend look really impressive with your armor and weapons and you're pretty!"] The kid speaks quickly and without resting, until he's finished his rambling, run-on thought. His father chuckles lightly before speaking.

"Is Deblin saying kind things? Sometimes I wish he would not speaking Goblin as much, because I cannot understand him when he does!" This question seems to be rhetorical, however, and he turns to his wife to give her Kitra's thanks. "Salnik say is none problems, and you are our guests tonight, so should be relaxing, not helping!"

[Lix Lorn]

Laen gave a deep nod.
"Thank you." he said.

[Strawberries]

Kitra smiles to the child. "[Why, thank you]" she says, chuckling. Then she nods together with Laen "Thanks, Deblin." she adds in common, waiting for him to lead on.

[The Dark Fiddler]

With the introductions out of the way, Crignor and Salnik motion for the two to follow them and start leading you through the village. As it's getting late, most people are in their homes at this point, though there are still a few people out, and the kids still look amazed at Kitra and Laen. One of the kids even shouts to Deblin, who answers back proudly, though both speak in orcish. His parents laugh at his response. "Ah, to have childhood again..." Eventually, you arrive at the families house, and Salnik motions for you to enter. Going inside, it's a small house. There seem to be two rooms, and the main room is relatively empty aside from a table and a few chairs, as well as a spear and axe. "I am huntsman for community, and Salnik is woodshaper," Crignor explains.

"Make yourselves being home! From what small amounts I know, our home is a bit different from city living, so it may not have everything you want. If there is something you need, please be feeling free to ask, and I will see if we can find it for you. Dinner should be finishing in a few minutes, until then, please be relaxing!" Crignor bows as he and his wife leave for the next room. From the room you can smell meat being cooked. As soon as his parents leave, Deblin turns to you two.

["So what's life like in the city is it amazing and fancy and do you have wine every night and does everyone have a different pair of clothes for every day and time of day and weather?"]

[Strawberries]

Kitra laughs bitterly "[Yeah, and every day the rulers throw us a big party with flowers, and food and dances. That's really a wonderful place to live in[]" then she realizes a child this young may be unable to detect sarcasm, and amends in a hurry "[No, listen to me, honey. I was joking, the city is nothing like that. Only rich people have that, and you don't want to meet them, believe me. Stay away from it, okay? Your village is far better.]"

[Lix Lorn]

Laen sighed. ["She's right. For some people, very few, it's wonderful there, but for most people it's not good at all. Like Kitra said, you're likely best off staying here."]

[The Dark Fiddler]

["Oh, okay, that's what father said but all of my friends disagreed with him so I thought that it was possible he was just wrong so I was wondering! So what do you do for fun you're adults so you probably don't play games with your friends because that's 'childish' but everybody has some sort of fun so what do you for it?"]

[Strawberries]

Kitra laughs. She definitely likes children. Then, pointing at Laen "[Well, he hunts down and catches the bad people]" she says, grinning "[That's what he does for fun. Me, I make fun of him]" she says, fondly.

[Lix Lorn]

["That's what I do as my duty."] He corrected, looking at Kitra with some mixture of exasperation and amusement. ["I like to draw, but I profess I'm not good at it."]

[Strawberries]

Kitra turns to look at him: "Do you? I didn't know that.", then, again to the child ["Well, I can't draw a line straight, but I like to sing, sometimes."] As soon as she says this, she realizes all the songs she knows are...less than appropriate for children. I really hope he doesn't ask for a performance. she thinks.

[The Dark Fiddler]

["Ooh, maybe before we go to sleep I could teach you a song that everybody around here knows if you don't mind that! I like singing, even though I don't think I'm very good at -"] At this point, Deblin's parents return with a healthy helping of food, a large ham and some assorted fruits and vegetables, as well as a fairly large loaf of bread and two different types of cheeses. They set the table quickly, and motion for you to sit.

"I hope you like the dining... usually we do not have this much food, but when the others heard of your good doings, they simply wished to be thanking in any way possible!"

((I'll admit, I'm not a very good food person. Just imagine that there's a lot of really good, appetizing food there.))

[Strawberries]

"[I'd be happy to learn it, honey. And I'm not that good myself.]" Kitra replies with a smile. So at least, if someone asks, I'd have something to sing that doesn't immediatly peg me as a slums-dweller. Not that she minds being pegged as one (and people who have a problem with what she is can, frankly, go to hell), but sometimes it helps to keep some of one's cards hidden.

When the parents return, she sits at the table, next to Laen. "That wasn't necessary, but thank them all the same." she says, helping herself to some of the food. She waits for the hosts to give sign to eat, however.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen smiled.
"It looks delicious." he said. "Thank you."

He took some of the food, tending towards the extremes-either extravagant foods, or eminently simple ones. Like Kitra, he waited for them to start.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Crignor and Salnik both bow their heads and start muttering in orcish. Deblin however, goes to start eating, but stops when he notices Laen and Kitra not eating. ["You can start eating unless you want to pray with mom and dad to the Great Ancestor but you probably don't worship him that's okay I don't either."]

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nodded.
["Thank you, Deblin."] he said. ["I shall pray to my deity after dinner, if that is all right."]

...we know his name, right?

He smiled slightly, and started eating.

[Strawberries]

Yes, Crignor introduced him to us. :smallsmile:

Nodding and smiling, Kitra starts to eat as well
["You kinda remind of me when I was a child "] she says, quite fondly ["Who do you worship, then? Or are you like me, praying to noone at all?"]

[The Dark Fiddler]

["Oh I don't worship any gods right now and mom supports my decision she thinks I'm too young to get involved in something so big and I don't mind waiting until I'm a bit older. Most people in the village worship the Great Ancestor but there are a few that don't worship anybody and a few that worship other gods but I don't know all of those gods because there's a lot, especially when you count the ones outside of the village!" At this point, Deblin starts eating as well, and his parents finish praying and begin a minute or two later. Deblin sticks mostly to the ham and bread, but at one point his mothers speaks to him in orcish and he begrudgingly takes some fruit.

[Strawberries]

Kitra laughs heartly, sneaking a glance at Laen to see how he is taking this ["Well said, my little atheist"] she says, still snorting in amusement. Then she addresses Crignor "My compliments to your wife. Everything is really good" And really more than she is used to eating, but they don't need to know that.

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Ah, thank you! When Elder said you would be staying with us, we decided to be working hard on this dinner, to make you feel welcomed." Crignor turns to his wife and translates, and she smiles widely at Kitra.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Eventually, dinner comes to an end. Deblin teaches Laen and Kitra an orcish song often sung by children, which he says is about a hero from long long ago fighting a dragon. As night starts creeping in and it gets later and later, Crignor and Salnik bring out two mats and explain that everyone sleeps on these mats in the village. They also give the pair two hand-made blankets, because it is supposed to be a fairly chilly night, and Crignor mentions that they can keep them if they want, as a gift from the village. And everyone falls asleep as the day ends...

After a wonderfully refreshing night of rest, Laen and Kitra wake up to find breakfast already on the table, with the family just about to sit down. "Ah, you are waking! If you want, it is time for breakfast! We thought of wake you up, but we didn't want to interrupt any nice dreamings you might have had!" Crignor ends this with a bit of a laugh, but he motions to the spare chairs at the table anyway.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen gave an appreciative smile, before standing up and headed for the table.

[Strawberries]

Kitra whistles under her breath "Wow. Service's better of some of the posh places in the upper quarters" she mutters to herself. "Thank you" she says aloud "For the blankets too" she sits next to Laen and grabs something to eat "We should head to your elder soon" she continues "And then we'll probably take our leave. Thanks for your ospitality" she finishes with a bit of a smile.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Breakfast goes by quickly, and almost as soon as it began the family sens you off with a smile and a kind farewell, as well as an invitation to come around if you're ever in the area again. Eventually, you two go to see the elder and healer. The elder is standing outside, and up against the wall of the building, a longbow is propped, along with leather armor. "[Ah, I trust you two had a nice night, and a wonderful rest? The healer says the girl should be up within the hour, and once she is, we can go to see her family. Before that, though...]" The elder turns and takes the bow and the leather, before turning back and bowing to you two, holding the leather armor out to Kitra and the bow out to Laen, "[...I would like to present you with these gifts in the name of the Great Ancestor.]"

((Three guesses as to what the bow and armor are? :smalltongue:))

[Lix Lorn]

"[...thank you.]" said Laen, bowing deeply and taking the bow reverentially.

Mageek?

[Strawberries]

"...yeah." Kitra says, but she seems a bit confused How is it they are so nice? That's not normal she thinks. She comes from a...different ambient "You...you didn't have to do that, hon. " she says, embarassed, but taking the armor all the same. Then "How is your warrior? Did he say anything?"

[The Dark Fiddler]

["Perhaps I didn't need to, but I wish to. Your help in this matter is greatly appreciated. The bow and armor are empowered by the Great Ancestor... I believe his blessing may be useful in the future. As for the warrior, he has yet to wake up either. His injuries were much more severe than the girl's... it wouldn't surprise me if he were unconscious for another day, personally."]

Just as the elder finishes his sentence, there is a quick sentence of orcish from inside the hut, followed by a grunt and a thud, before a female voice shouts out, "Damn orc! I swear, if you did anything to me..."

[Lix Lorn]

Laen was about to call to the girl, and decided that Kitra would probably be more calming for her.

[Strawberries]

"Aw, dammit" Kitra mutters, then heads quickly into the hut, all the while speaking in common to be heard by the girl "Now calm down, sweetie. You're among friends, you know."

[The Dark Fiddler]

As Kitra pokes her head into the building, she notices the healer on top of the girl, pinning her to the ground. "Thank the gods, another human! Will you get this damn orc off of me?!" She's obviously struggling against the healer, though he isn't doing anything more than restraining her. He speaks an sentence in orcish as the elder enters the building, his hand glowing briefly.

"He says he intends to do nothing, and wishes to point out the girl attacked him without provocation."

"A-another orc? W-where the hell am I?! You're not working with them, are you?"

[Strawberries]

"As a matter of fact, yes. Kind of. Look, sweetie, there's no "working with" here. Your parents send us to find you, these people helped." she shakes her head, realizing that the story doesn't seem very likely.
"That fellow on top of you is actually the healer who took care of you, and will release you in a couple of seconds, if you calm down" she adds, looking meaningfully at the elder. Then, as an afterthought "If you don't believe me, feel free, but I got a paladin here that will confirm my story word for word." she says, smirking at Laen.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nodded at her cue, coming in and bowing.
"Your family was worried about you." he said softly. "These orcs helped rescue you."

[The Dark Fiddler]

"But... uh... why'd I need help in the first place then? The last thing I remember is getting ambushed by a group of orcs like this one!"

[Lix Lorn]

"Different orcs." said Laen softly. "Just like men and elves sometimes do wrong, sometimes, so do orcs. But these are the ones who helped us against their misguided kin to rescue you."

Look, Kitra! Words!

[Strawberries]

Yay! :smalltongue:

Surprised, Kitra looks at Laen for a moment, trying to remember when was the last time she heard him put so many words together. "What he says, darling" she says "Now, what do you say if we take you back home?"

[The Dark Fiddler]

"I... uh..." After a moment of considering her position, the girl stops struggling against the orc on top of her, who promptly gets off of her, allowing her to stand up and brush herself off. "Fine.

"Before we go to bring you home, is there anything you need? Perhaps food?"

"We? You mean, you're coming too?" The elder nods. "Haha... can't wait to see dad's reaction." The girl rolls her eyes and steps closer to Laen and Kitra. "I'll just eat when I get home."

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nodded.
"You've helped more than enough." he said. "I'm sure what she wants most is to hurry home."

[Strawberries]

"As you wish, sweetie, but it's your loss. Food here is excellent" Kitra says. Then, shaking her head "Very well, let's get you home, then."

[The Dark Fiddler]

And with that, the small group leaves to return the daughter home. The elder stops only shortly to give a few orders to Grith on the way out. As Kitra and Laen pass, he says ["Farewell. May we meet again some day."] He bows deeply as well, before returning to his sentry position on the outskirts of the village.

As the four travel back to the house, the daughter does her best to stay far away from the elder. He tries to make small talk, but as he realizes she doesn't want to talk, he eventually gives up. The rest of the trip is fairly silent. Eventually though, you all reach the home of the man who originally asked for your help. "Well thanks a lot, I guess this is where we part ways then?" The girl seems to be speaking in a rush, almost as if she was hoping you wouldn't argue this point. However, the elder does that for you.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to stay a bit longer, personally. I wish to mend relations between your family and my village... it's too long now that we've been fighting."

"But... wasn't it you guys who started it?"

"Actually, this whole thing... it's been a great misunderstanding. You don't look very old now... you couldn't have been much older than 10 when you first moved here, no?"

"Right, I was 8."

"So you probably don't remember what happened. No offense meant of course. It's just that I was still fairly old back then, so I still remember... it was all an unfortunate misunderstanding, and one I wish to fix now. It's been too long, far too long..."

"Huh... well, I can't promise my parents will be very receptive to you..."

[Strawberries]

Kitra smirks. She can imagine the men being less than thrilled to have the elder in his house.
"That's why we'll be here, to smooth things over." Or possibly to get dishes thrown at them by an angry housewife, depending on how rough things could get. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm sure you can work it out."

[Lix Lorn]

Laen gave a nod, hoping things would go well.

[The Dark Fiddler]

The girl shrugs. "Well, you two will probably have your work cut out for you. Still, thank you for rescuing me... and I suppose if he's going to be here," she motions to the elder, "it's best to have... backup." She walks up to the door of her house, takes a deep breath, and opens it, motioning for you to follow her in. Her mom, standing inside making a meal, nearly drops the food in surprise.

"S-Samantha! You're home!" She puts down the pot she was holding rather hastily and runs up to hug her daughter, babbling incoherently. The rest of the family comes in from the next room, and they're all nearly as surprised as their mother was. The two eldest sons stay off to the side to give their parents and younger brother room, but are obviously happy to see her safe and sound. Her father runs up to hug her along with his wife, while the youngest son runs up to hug Kitra's and Laen's legs. "Thanks you for bringing sissie back peoples!" Samantha is obviously a bit surprised by the quite sudden outpouring of affections (or perhaps the hugs were just a bit tight), but is laughing and trying to calm her parents. Her father eventually breaks off the hug and walks up to the two heroes, hand extended.

"I can't thank you two enough... I can only imagine how much of an inconvenience it must have been for you..." As the father's words seem to get lost (although it's quite obvious how grateful he is to you), the littlest son pokes his eyes between your legs and looks at the elder.

"Look daddy, that man has green skin!" The whole family freezes at this; in the rush of getting Samantha back somehow all five of them had managed not to see the elder. The father's face falls instantly as he sees the orc.

"Wuh... what the hells is he doing here?!"

[Lix Lorn]

Laen immediately placed himself in between the family and the elder, hands in a concilatory gesture.
"This is the elder from the orc village. He has provided immeasurable help in rescuing your daughter." she said quickly.

[Strawberries]

"Yeah, honey" Kitra says, placing herself beside Laen "Why don't you listen to what he has to say, hm?"

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Listen to him? Bah! It's his damn race's fault that any of this happened in the first place!"

"Sir, if you-"

"Oh, it speaks Common, does it? So you'll understand when I tell you to get out!"

"Please, I can explain..."

"Explain nothing, it's been ten years that you've been harassing us for! I'm damn tired of it!"

"But sir, it's all a misunderstanding."

"I'm sorry, but ten years and you're going to say it's all a misunderstanding? All those years? I'm calling bull**** here."

"Dad, the least you could do is listen to him. These two said that he was part of why I was saved in th-"

"Samantha, I know you're not a little girl anymore, but you just got back and you're probably a bit messed up in the head. Please, let me handle this."

"Honey, can't you at least listen?"

"Damnit, are you all against me?!" After the flurry of conversation, the father looks around as the rest of his family looks down. He grunts.

[Strawberries]

Kitra is sick of it as soon as the man open his mouth. She walks to him, invading his personal space and squaring off against him. She is very angry, and being very trasparent about it.

"Now you listen to me." she says. No "honeys" or other monickers this time. She is all business. "Next time you address a sentient creature as "it" to his face, you'll have to answer to me. And I assure you, it won't be pretty. So, first of all, I'll say an apology is in order. And second, we can confirm the parts of his tales that involved us. So, if you are such a bigoted racist that you won't listen to him, there is a paladin right here beside me, that'll tell you the same things, and if you don't believe him either, you can go to hell."

She almost spits the word "paladin", then stands there scowling, looking at the man with a fierce expression.

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Listen, it's not like I'm being unreasonable. You expect me to just be able to believe him after more than a decade? But fine, if you're gonna call down the holy warriors on me, I'll listen." And he does listen to the elder's explanation. The elder explains everything with the misunderstanding and the small cult, as well as the fight to retrieve his daughter. "That sounds a bit far-fetched still. I mean, you say you couldn't explain earlier, but you're speaking Common right now!"

"Because of a magical spell granted to me by my god."

[Lix Lorn]

"Maybe," said Laen quietly, keeping his voice level. "He didn't try and help sooner because he didn't want this to end in a fight?"

[Strawberries]

"Beause he knew that you probably wouldn't look past his tusks and green skin" Kitra says under her breath, still seething.

[The Dark Fiddler]

The man turns angrily to Kitra. "Listen, you, I'm not a racist. This is based entirely on my experience with him and his tribe in the past, not just because he has green skin!"

"I have to admit, he relations with our tribe have been less than pleasant in the past. As for why I didn't come to explain sooner, I figured after a gaff like that, it would be better for us to simply live in peace through not interacting. I had no idea you were being harassed by that group." The man sighs, turning back to the elder.

"I suppose if you're telling the truth, I can forgive. It won't be easy; ten years of anger is hard to get rid of, but I'll certainly try." The elder smiles.

"Thank you. The effort is really all I can ask of you. I hope that we can stay on good terms in the future."

[Strawberries]

Kitra snorts in hearing the man's protest, looking quite obviously skeptical, but doesn't comment any further.

[The Dark Fiddler]

The man turns to Kitra and Laen. "I suppose your job here is done... my daughter's back, and he's here now. I promise you, I'll talk peacefully with him. And thank you again for getting my daughter back."

"I should be fine now... thank you for this chance to reconcile and make amends... remember that you are always welcome at our village." Samantha steps forward and hugs both of her saviors.

"And come back here some time and say hi, alright? Don't be strangers now!" Their mission complete, all that's left for Kitra and Laen is to return to the city. Perhaps they'll find another job there, or perhaps not. Such is the mystery of life.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen smiled slightly, and bowed formally, interrupted by Samantha's hug, which he tentatively returned.

[Strawberries]

Kitra hugs Samantha back "You need me, just ask anyone in the slums for Kit. Okay, sweetie?" she says to her, before releasing her, and nodding to Laen that she's ready to go.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen forcibly withheld a grin, with some effort, and nodded back.

Kit? He thought.

Kit? XD

[Strawberries]

Street kid, remember? She has to have a nickname. :smallbiggrin:

[Lix Lorn]

It's cute. It may slip out some time, leading to embarrassment on Laen's part. XD

[The Dark Fiddler]

And so, the duo travels back to their town. It's a fairly uneventful trip, compared to the short but eventful journey they just were on. Nothing much has changed in the city, and everything is much the same as it was before. The question now is, will they search for more work actively, or wait for it to come to them? And then, will the do it now, or relax before they go out and put themselves in danger again?

[Strawberries]

Kitra takes a deep breath when she is back in the slums "Well, same rotten smell, same jailbirds running around, same deeply screwed political system, I'd bet. I'm glad the city hasn't changed" she says mockingly.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen gave a slight nod.
"Indeed." he said wryly. "Shall we storm the leaders now, or wait?"

She can probably tell he's joking. XD

[Strawberries]

Kitra smiles, surprised that he is joking. She had not pegged him for the kind to. "Anytime you're ready, just say the word and I'll be at your side" she answers, amused.

[Lix Lorn]

"Certainly not soon." he smiled slightly. "We wouldn't stand the slightest chance."

[Strawberries]

"Oh, but we'll go out in a blaze of glory, and our deeds will be sung as an heroic battlecry against tyranny " she replies "Or, more likely, our bodies will be hung from the walls to rot and people would be to scared to look at them directly" she sighs, then smiles again, leading him to the nearest watering hole. "Come on, honey, I'll pay you a beer. How can you stand being a paladin in this mess?"

[Lix Lorn]

"Likely." he agreed. "Someone needs to stand up. It might as well be me."

[Strawberries]

"Yeah. But I don't see the rest of your order rushing over themselves to overthrow the government" she looks piercingly at him "And don't tell me they wouldn't have the strenght for it, because I won't believe you. They looked strong enough to harrass me and mine, when I was a kid."

OOC: :smallamused:

[Lix Lorn]

He all but winced.
"...most of us tend to focus on the big things. There's nothing more powerful than a dragon, so logically, nothing more evil than a bad dragon. But the mortal races can cause just as much damage."

[Strawberries]

"Logically. Right." she scoffs "Let me tell you that, cupcake. The times I've been hurt, dragons had nothing to do with it. Not one single bit."

She guides him inside the pub (for the occasion, she would have chosen one without a too bad reputation), motioning the service for ale.

[Lix Lorn]

"That's why I'm here in the city and not praying to Bahamut to become one of His favoured." he said, still smiling, with slight sorrow.

[Strawberries]

"Hey, I'm glad you're here, sweetheart. You make me laugh." at him or with him, she doesn't specify "But I reserve the right to punch in the face any other person from your order I may run into, 'kay?". She grins at him.

psst...your color is slipping:smalltongue:

[Lix Lorn]

"...seems fair." he said with a shrug.

Oops. >_>

[The Dark Fiddler]

As Kitra sits down and motions for service, the bartender walks up and drops two large glasses of ale for the pair. "That'll be si'cops, ma'am."

((6 copper, in case you couldn't tell through the accent :smalltongue:))

[Strawberries]

Kitra pays a silver piece, leaving a generous tip, then leans back in her chair enjoying the ale. However, she is keeping an eye on the crowd "Well, sweetie, those are the slums" she motions around "If I know the slums, we won't be out of a job for long - even if I can't guarantee that most of the offers we'll get will be...palatable for you." She smirks, takinf another sip of ale "For how I see it, might as well relax and enjoy the beverages. Or" she says, winking "I could see which one of my...acquaintances here needs a favor. Your choice, cupcake."

[Lix Lorn]

"It might be nice to relax briefly." he said, brushing off the 'cupcake'. "But we'd best search for a job soon."

[Strawberries]

"Slums, honey. Those kind of places, it's the jobs that come looking for you." she says, confidently. "After all, people here know what I do for a living, and thank the gods you look like anything but a paladin."

Fiddler, I'm pretty confident someone will show up soon with an offer we can't refuse, but in case it doesn't happen, Kitra is going to make some discrete inquiries among her acquaintances. At the moment, however, she is enjoying her beer. :smallcool:

[Lix Lorn]

"A good point." he conceded.

[The Dark Fiddler]

The bartender is quite obviously surprised by Kitra's payment... it's not normal to tip enough to pay for an entire extra drink.

As Kitra and Laen continue to talk, the patrons of the pub continue to live their lives, until the bartender walks up to them, and leaves two new glasses of ale, conveniently as their current ones were feeling a bit... empty. "Paid fo' by..." He looks around for a few seconds before shrugging. "Guess 'e left a'ready." He doesn't wait for an acknowledgment and returns to his job. There's a piece of parchment between the glasses, but the bartender doesn't seem to have noticed.

[Strawberries]

Kitra smirks "See? Told you, honey" she says, opening the parchment to see what it is about.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen smiled Slightly. Kitra certainly seemed to know what she was doing.

[The Dark Fiddler]

The note is written rather elegantly, though it is a bit rushed.

"Dear You Two,

I couldn't help but overhear that you might be looking for work soon. How coincidental, as I may just be hiring within the next day. Take a day or two to rest, and when you're ready, come to the address listed below.

Oh, and sorry for eavesdropping."

The note isn't signed, though below the main body, there is in fact an address within the city.

[Strawberries]

Kitra reads the letter a couple of times, turning it over and examining it carefully for possible clues "Well, there you are" she says, finally passing the letter to Laen "Now we start to play the lovely guessing game: a trap, someone up to no good, or someone who actually needs help" she smirks "I'll give you an hint: third option? Very rare."

I'll throw in a spot check to examine the parchment more closely. I doubt it'll help, but ou never know. :smalltongue:

[roll0] EDIT: told you. :smalltongue:

[Lix Lorn]

"Quite possibly a combination of them." he said.

[Strawberries]

"Someone really needing our help while being up to no good and stuck in a trap? That would be new.". She smiles, to show him she is teasing, then, with the tone of someone who is back to buisness. She is keeping a low voice to avoid others eavesdroppers "I'm going to talk to the owner, here, get a description of our friend, possibly some other info. Guy got a pretty big tip, should be willing to chat a bit. Unless you think the entire affair is too shady for you to get involved."

[Lix Lorn]

"Might be worth trying." he shrugged.

[Strawberries]

"Very well, honey, I'm going to do my thing, then" Kitra says, downing the rest of her beer and approaching the bartender, waiting for a moment when he is serving no customers. She leans on the counter, smiling a bit at him "So, buddy" she starts "The guy who sent us those beers, was he a new face here?". Her tone is casual, but anyone with a bit of experience on how the slums work could tell she is looking for information.

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Hmm? Oh, him. Nah, he shows up e'ry now an' then, maybe every two o' three days."

[Strawberries]

"Right." Kitra takes out a gold piece, putting it on the table in front of the barman "What can you tell me about him?"

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Oh, well i' wa' Gar' Bluefin, I'm sure ya know who 'e is!" And indeed, both Kitra and Laen have heard of him. He's a gnomish wizard that lives in town, who doubles as an inventor. He's brilliant, but he's pretty young and inexperienced, so he's not quite well-known outside the city yet.

[Strawberries]

"Really? I wonder what he could want from us." Kitra muses almost to herself, then addresses the barman again "What does the grapewine says about him, hon? Has he had some sorts of troubles recently?"

Since it seems appropriate [roll0]

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Can't say I heard nothin' 'bout 'im bein' in trouble, bu' you know how he is, always got some new spell'r invention to test. Wouldn' be s'prised if he was on'y lookin' for some'ne to test 'em on!"

[Strawberries]

"Huh. Thank you so much" Kitra answers, before turning back to Laen "There you have it, sweetie. All the buzz on the perspective employer I could gather in five minutes. What do you want to do?"

[Lix Lorn]

"He might be trustworthy..." said Laen quietly. "And if he were out to get us, then our notr accepting his invitation would simply result in his sending of people after us, no?"

[Strawberries]

"Besides, I'm curious" Kitra adds. "Very well, let's say the wizard is in luck. Shall we go immediately?"

[Lix Lorn]

"Let's." he nodded.

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Hope whatever he's looking for ain't too dangerous, fer you're sakes!" The barkeep waves nonchalantly as the pair leave the tavern, though it's obvious he awaits their return... probably because of the wonderful tip he got.

The address in the letter is relatively easy for the pair to find, if a bit out of the way. At the address is a large stone building, just a bit bigger than a house. It looks strangely sturdy for its build and size. There is a fairly large wooden door, far larger than one would expect for the residence of a gnome, though there is a handle nearer to the ground. There are strange runes scribed around the door, and a strange button sitting next to the door.

[Strawberries]

"This has "trouble" written all over it" Kitra mutters to herself, motioning to Laen to stay back a little.

Looking for traps (yay for paranoid rogues) [roll0]

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nodded, staring carefully at the building with his pally-vision the true sight of the holy.

Detect Evil towards the building.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Neither of you detect anything.

[Lix Lorn]

"I don't think there's anyone dangerous in there." murmured Laen.

[Strawberries]

"Well, then, let's see if there's anybody home" Kitra replies, knocking on the door. She leaves the button be, for the moment.

[The Dark Fiddler]

As Kitra knocks on the door, what happens is quite similar to what happened before. That is to say, nothing at all happens.

[Strawberries]

"Oh, what the hell. I wasn't planning to live forever anyway" Kitra says in a low tone, apparently to herself. She hesitates for a split second, then presses the strange button.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen flinches away, covering his head with his arms.

[The Dark Fiddler]

As Kitra pushes the button, a bell rings out from the tower, fairly loudly. It's at this point that Kitra and Laen remember hearing this bell occasionally, despite being on the other side of the city sometimes. After a few seconds, the door opens, and there's a short gnome standing there. He has an apron on, stained with a few mysterious substances. He has a short black beard, and one of his eyebrows is missing, and there's a strange smell about him. "Ye-oh, it's you two! I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you quite so soon! Please, please come in!" He steps to the side and motions for the pair to enter. "The name is Garl Bluefin, by the way! Not quite sure how I got it, since that's not what my parents named me, but that's what I'm called, so I figure it's just easier to go with it, you know?"

[Lix Lorn]

Laen blinked.
He seemed odd.

[Strawberries]

Kitra smiles a little. She finds she quite likes the little guy. "I'm Kitra. This is Laen. It's a pleasure." she says.

[The Dark Fiddler]

"A pleasure to meet you two. I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here, no? A simple matter... I require a few things to be gotten, but I have a few very important research projects going on currently. I require the seeds of a very unique flower, as well as a few fragments of a special rock. Surely I could simply go buy them... except neither of these things have been used as far as I know for any real purpose, meaning there's no real market for them. I could also go and get them, but as I said, I already have a few important projects that require constant attention, and the cave in which you can find these things (yes, both of them, how fortuitous!) is several days away. I was hoping, quite frankly, you could go fetch them for me." The gnome smiles at the both of you. Strangely, he didn't seem to need to take a breath at all during that rapid stream of words, as most people would. Perhaps he made rants like this quite regularly.

[Strawberries]

Kitra blinks. "A fetch job. You want to hire us to do a fetch job." She looks at Laen, shakes her head, and then addresses the gnome again. "Alright, out with it, what is the catch? Because you usually don't hire two armed and armoured people to go fetch a flower and a rock. Hells, half the street kids I know around the slums would do it for a hot meal." She crosses her arms, looking down to meet the gnome gaze.

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Like I said, these things are found in a cave several days away. Additionally, you have to travel through a desert for it. While the desert isn't particularly dangerous, it's still something many people would avoid. Oh, and the flower fights back, and there's the very distinct possibility that the rocks will explode." Garl hurriedly pulls a vial of some blue liquid from his robe, holding it up as he talks. "However! This oil should prevent the rocks from exploding for long enough to harvest them, and the flower shouldn't be a problem for two warriors such as yourselves!"

[Lix Lorn]

"...should?" asked Laen, raising an eyebrow.
Garl Glittergold... Grrrr...

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Yes, should. I find it helpful to never speak in absolutes." He thinks that previous statement over again for a few seconds, before shaking his head dismissively. "But I am quite confident that you will be able to handle the flower without any trouble, and that the rocks won't explode thanks to this," he says as he brandishes the liquid again.

[Strawberries]

"Probably." Kitra rubs her temple, looking at Laen with an half-esasperated expression. "Alright honey, question time. What exactly are you going to do with a flower and an exploding rock?"

[The Dark Fiddler]

"The flower's seeds I want for nothing other than experimentation. As I said, nobody's found much of a use for them yet, but I'm sure there must be some use. As for the rock..." Garl smirks, motions for Laen and Kitra to wait there, and runs off into the next room. He returns after only a few moments, carrying a small box. "The rocks have an innate explosive quality, and are quite volatile, which is why you will need the potion to harvest it safely. However, I am currently working on a device to focus this, and... well..." He opens the box, revealing a sleek metallic tube with a handle at one end. "It's quite possible that I could use the explosion to fire a projectile. This is the first prototype of mine for what I've tentatively dubbed 'The Blaster'." Garl is beaming with pride at his prototype, holding it out for the two guests to observe.

[Strawberries]

"A weapon. Who would be probably acquired by people who can afford it." Kitra stiffens, and her tone becomes icy. "And people like that usually are the ones that take arms against my people. Don't you think we have more than enough weapons as it is, hm?"

Sorry. Anarchist rogue. Have to say that. :smallbiggrin:
OOC, I'm all for scientific research. Just to make it known. :smalltongue:

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Perhaps, my dear, but the first step to making a new invention affordable for the masses is to make sure it works, no? To be perfectly, honest, I was thinking of giving you two my first working model... hopefully you wouldn't turn against 'your people'." Garl seems completely unfazed by Kitra's sudden change in demeanor, not losing his smile.

[Strawberries]

"I see. I need to talk with my companion." Kitra doesn't smile. "Laen? Would you come over here for just one second?" she says, tautly.

[Lix Lorn]

Laen nods quietly, and goes off to the side with Kitra.

[Strawberries]

Kitra takes him aside, putting an hand on his arm and speaking in an undertone. She is unusually serious, not using any of the pet names that are customary for her "Well, what do you think about it?"

[Lix Lorn]

"I'm not sure." he admitted. "I would be interested, purely for the sake of research, but like you said... dangerous. We have no way of knowing whose hands they'd end up in."

[Strawberries]

Kitra shakes her head "I don't like it. I'm going to tell him he can put this job where the sun doesn't shine." She starts to turn back to the gnome, then something occurs to her "However, what's to stop him to offer the same job to the first two other people he sees? Damn it!" she bursts out, automatically rubbing her scarred temple.

[Lix Lorn]

"Well, if we do it, we can try and have a little influence." he said.

Haha. We're getting moral dilemmas in your adventure.

[Strawberries]

Kitra doesn't seem convinced in full. However, she reluctantly nods "I suppose you're right. Better than to wash our hands of it completely." She turns to the gnome, with a grim expression "We'll take the job" she says "What else do we need to know?"

I'm fond of gray morality and moral dilemmas. I hope you guys don't mind. :smallbiggrin:

[Lix Lorn]

So am I. XD

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Hmm... is there anything else I need to tell you...?" Garl seems to drift off in thought for a few seconds, muttering to himself. "Oh, yes! The flower! When you are fighting, please be very careful not to damage the bulb if at all possible! After the flower is subdued, you'll need to open the bulb and remove as many seeds as you possibly can." He puts the box and the prototype device down and walks off again, only to come back with two large glass vials and two smaller picks. "This vial," he says, handing Kitra one of them, "is for the seeds. This one," he says, handing the other to Laen, "is for the rocks. The picks," he continues, handing one to each, "are for the rocks. What you'll need to do is subdue the flower and obtain the seeds. Oh, but be careful when you do, as the flower contains mildly poisonous gases in it bulb. A sort of last revenge against those that harm it. It's not too particularly potent, however, so you should be fine. Anyway, after that, splash this," he says, handing the blue liquid to whoever will take it, "on the cavern walls. You'll know where because the explosive rocks are a darker color than the rest of the wall should be. Anyway, splash it on the wall, and don't be stingy either! Rub it in gently, and wait a minute or two. It should be safe to mine after that for several hours, and safe to keep for roughly five days." Garl rummages around in his robes and pulls out a rolled up piece of parchment. "Oh, and here is the map. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNpLXo55yfw) It shows you quite clearly to the area... you may need to look around tiny bit for the cave, but it shouldn't be too far. Anyway, it's roughly a two day travel through the desert, so you'll need supplies. I think that's everything..." any questions?

lol wall of text
I'm a fan of grey and gray morality myself, though I'm not great at pulling it off personally. But hey, if you guys can do it for me... :smallamused:

[Strawberries]

Kitra takes the vial, the pick and the blue liquid. "Nothing I can think of" she replies. She is still pretty tense, mulling over the decision to accept the job in her head. "Laen?"

[Lix Lorn]

He shook his head.
"I don't believe so."