Isles of the Small Folk - Artho side thread

[hoverfrog]

Lord Stilt calls his household guard to the stables, not an unusual occurrence as he has a habit of accusing people of leaving the place a mess, of petty theft or other misdemeanors. Once he even had the stable boy beaten and dismissed for theft though the lad maintained his innocence throughout. Young Calkin Cotsman, second of his name, is nothing like his late father who was a well respected merchant. The elder Lord Stilt worked hard to build the town up from its humble roots. Dead only a year the young noble has taken many risks with his wealth, some have paid off and some have failed spectacularly. This meeting seems to be an announcement of his latest scheme.

He paces up and down the stables, which you notice are full as five extra steeds are present. There are four small, wide bodied ponies and a tall and fierce looking black charger, far too large for anyone native to the Isles.

Lord Stilt announces that, "These are the steeds of my other guests. You are to make no mention of them to these new heroes and slayers of Old Claws. I want a guard placed on the stables in case they get curious and two guards on the front door and two in the main dining room. I will surprise the 'heroes'" there's a touch of scorn in his voice when he says this, "with an offer from our other guests that they may not take kindly to. I want you to ensure that they don't make a fuss."

He dismisses you with a wave of his hand and heads back into the manor. You spot a tall figure, perhaps one of these giants that you've heard about, just in side the main entrance who bends down to say something to the Lord.

Accustomed to his Lord's short manner, Artho stands blank faced as the instructions are given, nodding as he finishes "Perhaps, my Lord, it would be best not to anger the Slayers of Old Claw, clearly they are capable fighters and they have done the Island a great service" he knows that any contradiction is likely to anger Lord Cotsman, but it grates against Artho's sense of honour to invite guests who have rid the Island of a monster into your home with the plan of angering them in some way. Especially since he knows of his Lords character, or lack thereof, and the addition of the unknown 'Guests'. "As for your other...guests, sir. Will they be armed? I have had no chance to search them, or even meet them"

I plan on listening in on the conversation between the tall man and the Lord but thought I would let you respond first

[hoverfrog]

Lord Stilt snaps at Artho, "Never you mind about my other guests. They are my business and you're not to interfere with them in any way. Do I make myself clear?" He stalks off before you can so much as salute.

Can you make a listen check?

[Mr.D]

Artho bows his head respectfully "Yes..my Lord". As the Lord pauses to speak to the guest Artho strains his ears to see what he can catch.


[roll0]

[hoverfrog]

You can barely make out what is being said but a few phrases reach your ears, "Citizens of the Empire.....returned quietly.....rewarded" The voice isn't your Lord but the other, taller figure. His voice is very melodic, almost music itself in the way he speaks. You can see how such a speaker could easily charm his audience.

[Mr.D]

Artho is troubled and confused by what he hears. He knows of no Empire, but knows his Lord would likely stoop to various lows for any type of meaningful reward. Coupled with his mention of an offer the Slayers of Old Claw might not appreciate, this doesn't bode well.

Approaching the horses and their equipment he searches for any sign of insignia or heraldry he might recognise to try and find out about this "Empire" or any clues as to the origin of the guests.

Not sure if it should be;
Search 1d20+2 or
Spot 1d20+5
Knowledge (Nobility) check incase he see's anything [roll0]

Whether or not he finds anything, he leaves back into the Courtyard if this is the time when the others are arriving, or enters the house and goes to the dining room if there's time

[Mr.D]

bugger, spaces!

Search [roll0] or
Spot [roll1]

[hoverfrog]

Those rolls fit in quite well.

Artho searches the horses and gear left in the stables. Each steed has a distinctive brand that you don't recognise and the saddles and horse blankets also have a unicorn motif. You don't know of any noble house of note who uses a unicorn. The stout horses are of the kind that you'd expect to find throughout the isles but the charger is very different. As you approach the stallion snaps at you, stopping you from getting too close without risking a bite. You do note that it is too tall and too thin a breed to be a native. It makes the dumpy pony used by the lord seem a drab thing in comparison.

[Mr.D]

Artho is perturbed by the Charger. Clearly a War-Horse of some kind, no horse could be that violent AND tame enough to ride naturally. But War-horses are uncommon in the Isles, and this one is clearly not native.

If he has time before going out to greet the others, he will find a stable-hand or other nearby worker and ask if they have heard the visitors say anything about where they're from, or who they are. If not, he goes out to meet the arriving party.

I'm assuming War horses are rare on an archipelago like the Isles due to lack of open spaces to make use for them, if that's incorrect and there's some Island known for using them, please disregard.

Gather information roll [roll0]

[hoverfrog]

You're right about the lack of war horses. Not only are they too big for halflings to ride but the isles are generally too peaceful to require anything like a horse trained for war. Dogs and ponies are the preferred steed of halflings.

The stable hands have only been told to keep clear of the tall horse and to keep the visitors away from the stables. They were even sent away when the visitors arrived and one of them shares a bit of gossip with you before rushing out to see the visitors, "Megan, the maid wi' blonde hair, said tha' she seen one of th' master's guests. Big fella, four feet high an' just as wide. Not like a man o' the isles at all."