The Search for Count Sigurdr IC - Olo Foxburr's Search Party

[Maralais]

Year 1000 of Elven Calendar, Shest's First Décade, Quintidi, Day
City of Loamsdown, Freestate of Loamsdown
http://i.imgur.com/EHtWFb9.jpg
Lunchtime in Loamsdown is utter chaos. All the streets get incredibly crowded, the bridges connecting the city over the river become actually dangerous due to the risk of falling over, and finding a place to eat becomes a nightmare. Everyone tries to find a place at the same time, and most people have to queue for the most part of their lunch break to eat for a few minutes.

Three people find themselves to be the exception to that rule, however, as they are comfortably seated in the Sly Fox, one of the most lavish ristorantes in the area. All have a bowl of soup in front of them, and though the bowls are of the same size, the one in front of the Half-Orc sitting in the middle seems smaller due to blue-eyed halfblooded's sheer size. On his right and left are two people of smaller builds: one is a Half-elf clad in comfortable robes, and the other an olive-skinned (possibly Hafeezan) female in ragged clothing.

In front of them is a halfling (namely, the halfling known as Olo Foxburr, businesswoman extraordinaire) happily eating her soup, ignoring their silence since the beginning of the lunch. After gulping down the rest of her bowl, she turns to them with a cheery disposition, saying "Well, I'd like to know who I'm hiring before I start working with them. Not that I doubt you, you did pass the initial interview with my assistant - sorry about making you think he was actually me, but you need that kind of secrecy in my business - but I like a bit of intimacy, you know! Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

[Gorgon_Heap]

The young woman sits patiently but not without a noticeable hint of annoyance at the halfling woman's deception. She wears an ordinary and largely formless brown robe secured by a broad, heavy belt around her slender waist. She brushes loose strands of light chocolate hair from her wide, dark eyes.

When she addresses the halfling, her accent confirms her Hafazeen origin. "Miss Foxburr, I am Asriyah Badri. I am honored to meet you and await your proposal."

[Zak the Paladin]

The Half-Orc looks at the bowl of soup in front of him with a look of equal parts intrigue and disgust. The spoon given is, as expected, too small for him, so instead he wields a bone spoon he carved and polished himself. To any onlooker, it would appear as normal, save the size, but one end still holds the shape of the femur it was carved from. A quick bite tells him all he needs to know about civilized cooking.

This meat is overcooked. Too much spice crowding out the natural flavors of the meat and these vegetables have no taste. And this portion for 40 copper? There are places I could get a whole goat for that price! At least the bread is fresh.

Having made up his opinion on the matter, he moves the bowl slightly to the side, and looks up at the halfling at the other end. He sits comfortably in his chair, the majority of his possessions in the backpack below his chair. A shield hangs on the back, bearing the symbol of his Haelgan religion. He folds his hands together and places them on the edge of the table as he speaks, trying to stay as non-threatening as possible.

"I am Edward, originally from the orcish midlands known as The Kresh*. I must say, from what little your assistant said of your plan, I am intrigued."

His Tigianian is impeccable, yet an astute listener could pick up on the clues to his orcish heritage; certain consonants, mainly c-'s and k-'s with the occasional d-, are harder than expected, and slightly louder. The large man switches his gaze between the halfling and his soup throughout the conversation, knowing that were he to look elsewhere, the eyes upon him would only display the hazy racial tensions inherent towards his kind.

Finally had time to post. Sorry for the long one. One thing I wanted to make sure was spelled out, *The Kresh was something I made up to give his name some meaning. He had long ago given up whatever family name may have been imparted on him by his original clan, and only describes himself in relation to his place of birth and child residence. Planned to have it somewhere in the middle region of the Orcish lands, perhaps directly on the border. As such, he does not consider himself loyal to either of the Hakanates. Also the bone spoon I just threw in there for fluff. No mechanical benefit.

EDIT: Changed color to Slate Gray, as I believe I somehow got color-ninja'd

[NATEINCAPS]

The Half-Elf sat there slurping down his soup in quite a rude manner. Despite his best efforts to appear professional Ras hadn't eaten a meal this good in months and he wasn't about to pass up free food this good.

And Ras had tried hard to look professional. The robes he had on looked normal despite coming from a theater, he was cleaner than he had ever been in his entire life, his blond hair was combed back and any signs of his draconian heritage were well hidden beneath his robes. To anyone passing by Ras looked like a normal half-elf and not some street rag who had just gotten magic powers and a fancy robe.

Ras stopped eating when the halfling started speaking, and waited for the other two to finish introducing themselves before he spoke. "My name is Alessandro Rasyax, but you can call me Ras. I was born and raised in this very town, and I must say that I am deeply interested in this proposal of yours, Miss Foxburr". He said, finished with a sly smile. Ras' ascent comforted his claims, it was pitch perfect to your usual Tigianian accent.

Well I didn't see this for quite a little bit. Sorry for stalling everyone. :smallredface:

And yes Ras was born in Loamsdown, for you see I had planed this all along and totally did not just make this up on the fly to be super convenient.

[Maralais]

She attentively listens to your remarks, occasionally nodding and can't help but smirk Ras' (mostly futile) attempts at looking professional. Pleased to meet you all, then! Looking forward to doing business with you three. She put aside her bowl with a precise movement of her hands, making a hand gesture at a waiter at the same time. I'll explain precisely what this proposal includes over main course, and we can go over the details in dessert.

While waiting for the food to arrive, she starts humming a short tune. The situation gets slightly stranger as she starts thumping on her chest to make a rhythm. Before she gets into it, however, food arrives at your table: well-cooked steak, except for the Half-Orc whose meat is practically not cooked at all. "Not sure how you'd like it so I played into the racial stereotype." she says with a wide grin, then gets to slicing her meat with a knife.

"Now, I know that the notice in the streets only said you'd help me retrieve an unpaid debt, and tracking down Incarnates would be a required skill. Now how can these two ever be related you might ask. Well, to put it simply, my debtor died." She bites a big slice of meat before she continues. "The guy's name was Sigurdr, 'The Snake' they called him. He was a hotshot adventurer, a bit too short if you ask me. Wanted to become an Incarnate, but he just couldn't find a willing spirit to merge with him. So he borrowed from me an elven artefact that was practically a spirit bait - you activate it, a spirit who could merge with you is drawn to you. Mind-blowing stuff. Elves supposedly only made them to create heroes at their hour of need, but humans are more practical people, so it ended up being used the way Sigurdr used it."

"So the Snake promised me to return the artefact after he finished whatever he intended to do, but then he goes and conquers a fief of his own so I'm guessing he never got around returning it. Can't blame him, I only have a shop to run but I can't get to my creditors to save my life!" she starts chuckling, but noticing nobody is laughing, gets back to her story. "Anyway, I got word that he passed away recently, and my contacts suggest that none of his relatives or friends knew about the artefact. So that leaves only one person who can tell me where the artefact is: himself! He must have been reborn as a new human - or a half-human, that's always possible - and I know a way to get the newly-reincarnated baby to get talking as its past life.

Stopping eating for a moment, she sits up and looks at you, as if expecting you to ask an apparently obvious question. She doesn't wait for you to ask, however, and with a sigh, adds: "I just can't bother doing all the tracking and leaving the city myself, so I'm passing the job to an able-bodied search party."

[Gorgon_Heap]

Asriyah digs into her meal with a meticulous delicacy that belies the rapidity with which she attacks it. She eats as one who doesn't know where the next meal is coming from, but wishes to show better manners than the half-elf.

As the halfling speaks her brow furrows. "Just so we understand," she says, swallowing and stabbing at the saucy asparagus, "You wish us to find one baby in all the world so you can question it. I've heard of this request before, and it is not undertaken lightly. Before I accept and ask for details, I have broader concerns.

"Will you travel to the child once we find it, or are you asking us to steal it away? And will it come to harm? Also, what is your proposed compensation?"

[Maralais]

At Asriyah's comment, Olo grins; clearly she was expecting such a reaction. She shakes her head as the Hafeezan finishes her question. "I was planning to delve into details during dessert but I guess clearing a possible confusion is more important." She takes a wooden cup that's obviously too big for her with both hands, takes a sip from her wine, grimaces slightly, then puts the cup back. "I actually don't ask to see the child at all. I definitely can't leave the city - that's why I need you guys - and a lengthy travel would be too much for a newborn. I just need the artefact back, and to learn its location you'll have a tool you can use on the child on the spot.

With that, her hand delves into what you think is a pouch on her belt, you can't see since the table's blocking the way. After a few seconds of moving her hand in the same spot, she conjures a Halfling-sized helmet and three tiny marbles. "Don't worry, it changes size to fit its wearer." She inspects the helmet from every side, before putting it on the table. "This is another Elven artefact. It allows you to reach the mind of whoever wears it if you meditate with one of the marbles here. From the mind, awakening the dormant past life and asking a few questions is pretty easy. If you do everything correctly, there shouldn't even be permanent psychological damage on the child."

She then rises on her seat every slightly, keeping an eye contact with Asriyah."And for the payment? One gift from my shop of your choice. I've got hundreds of artefacts like these down there."

[Zak the Paladin]

Testing the meat for its rarity and quality, Edward makes a slight shrug with a look suggesting that he has eaten worse.
At least it was somewhat cooked. More trouble comes from raw food than city dwellers tend to expect. Smells good as well; not over seasoned.
He makes a quick gesture with his left hand and bows his head slightly, before putting away his personal spoon to slowly, and delicately cut his meat. The cuts seem to suggest some experience in this endeavor; direction changes in the cut to best break or preserve certain muscle fibers. Listening to the explanation, and response to his temporary colleague's question, he muses his thoughts over his glass of water. Edward never had the stomach for alcohol; it would always leave him reeling with none of the buzz of intoxication.

Placing his knife down to his right and use delicate motions with the fork to punctuate his words, the Half-Orc raises an eyebrow as he attempts to confirm his suspicions, " 'Shouldn't'? You are saying there is a chance that something bad can happen even if everything goes as planned? I speak for myself, but I do not wish for the death of an innocent child on my hands, acts of his previous life or not. Just how sure are you of this artifact's...success?"

He stops to take another swig of water before moving on to his other topic of interest. "My other question is one of more...down to earth roots. You said that you had some sort of deal with this Sigurdur gentleman. Just how formal was this deal? A handshake? Or did you have a written contract? While such information may seem trivial, given that most lands would call such a contarct void upon death, I'd like to get a feeling for how much of this man's honor was laid down in this transaction. And perhaps just something I can use to delude myself that my actions would be in the right, given the..*Ahem* worst case scenario."

He takes another large bite of his steak, before smiling and adding in a last thought,
"At the very least, the idea of a reincarnation being held accountable for a previous life's actions is a very interesting philosophical topic, in my opinion."

[Gorgon_Heap]

Edward's question regarding the right of harming the baby echoed Asriyah's thoughts exactly, and is why she'd asked the question. But the perceived strength of the contract - just how "binding" it may seem - between the former noble and the halfling was one she hadn't considered. Though she was also unsure how it would affect the legitimacy of their mission. Being as her work was largely outside the law anyway, she was merely willing to entertain what complications might arise from what they learn.

Still eating, she meets Edward's eyes and gives a brief respectful bow of her head to acknowledge his foresight.

[Maralais]

Olo takes the last piece of meat on her plate, chewing it slowly as she listens to the Half-Orc's remarks. She nods as he speaks. She scratches the side of her nose, taking another look at the artefact in front of her.

"Like I said, the damage would occur only if you delved into parts that are best left untouched on a mind. Latent parts of the soul and all that. And there is absolutely no fatal risk. It was used by Elves, and I think they'd be mindful of such risks."

She takes another sip from her cup. "He did sign a lease that specified that he would be obliged to return the artefact, and I quote, 'Under any and all circumstances.' I'm sure jurists will have a field day with the judicial and moral ramifications, but the fact is simple: there's an object which belonged to me, and I wish to reacquire it. I am willing to give you the necessary tools so that you can find it, and the child is merely a means to that end. It's a tertiary complication that won't be harmed as long as you use the tools I'm giving you properly."

[Zak the Paladin]

Edward leans back slightly in his chair as he pushes his empty plate away.
"Well, that answers that question. Would it be possible to get a copy of this contract? Or do you wish to still keep such things under wraps? Either way, if he signed a binding contract..." He trails off, catching himself from moving into philosophical territory that would, at best, probably bore the other individuals here. Clearing his throat slightly, he moved to another topic.
"In any event, we have covered just about everything, save perhaps the most pertinent: Do you have any leads for us? Outside of its potential race, is there anything we would be able to pick out as distinguishing? As Asriyah said, otherwise we would have to search for one child amidst thousands anywhere in the world. Information is key, unless you are fine with your item being returned somewhere within the next decade. I admit, I have been away from civilization for some time, and so all I know of this gentleman is what you said earlier. Perhaps you could give us a quick rundown of his places of interest."

He finishes off his water glass and exhales slowly. As he waits for the response, he muses on a previous comment.
As though the elves know what they are doing. They no doubt faked their results just to seem more advanced and special than they really are...Plus, whats to say that their artifact works at all. Melding with an Incarnate spirit is intricate and dangerous. I would never trust my soul with some point-eared stick's new toy. He does his best to hide a grimace that attempts to cross his face at the thought of elven "magic."

[Maralais]

With her plate also emptied, Olo makes another gesture towards a waiter. While waiting for him, she merely nods at Edward's remarks about the lease. The stout man quickly takes emptied plates, and Olo gives a quick "Thanks." as the man turns to the kitchen, then looks back at Edward.

"Well, honestly my knowledge is limited. We halflings don't care that much about the spirity stuff. If I had the time to go on my own, I'd contact a psychometrist. Their job description is locating and contacting spirits through related objects, after all. Though for that you'd need an object that the Snake was often in contact with..."

Her speech is interrupted this time by the arriving dessert, date loaf. Olo nevertheless continues, not diverting her attention: "Other than that, the Elves should know about this stuff, being the ones who popularised the bind after all. Or if you're feeling particularly up for adventure, go to the Spirit Wilds down south and ask the Spirits themselves!"

The Spirit Wilds are the lands south and southwest of the Dwarven lands. They're practically this world's South Pole.

[Gorgon_Heap]

The Hafazeen woman looks distinctly uncomfortable with the idea of tromping through the Spirit Wilds. "The man was a noble and adventurer of repute. I would think finding one of his possessions would be far easier than another trip afar. Let us begin there. We can make some inquiries easily enough."

[NATEINCAPS]

While the others were discussing the details of this job, Ras was quietly hacking away at his stake with one of his knives (the knife provided was a little too dull in Ras' opinion). The steak was good, but Ras was more interested in what the others were talking about to pig out on it like he did with the soup. He didn't have much to say about the whole thing (the other two had been asking his questions anyhow) and he was mostly thinking over what the others were talking about, specifically the artifact they were going after. 'Spirit bait'? If that thing can draw in spirits to your location, Ras thought to himself as the half-orc talked about some silly ethics concern regarding the baby, then there has to be more uses for it than just hero making. The spirits have more uses outside of Incarnate making, right?.

Ras hardly even payed attention to his dessert when it came, as he did want to give his two cents on were to go. "I think you're right" he said after Asriyah finished. "There's little need in wasting time and energy traveling to a far away place when we could simply do our job near by. Sigurdr owned a kingdom for peat's sake, it should be easy enough to find something the guy treasured. Besides, if the elves or the spirits find out our true intentions for finding this baby they might turn hostile. I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to help someone find an artifact that draws my people towards someone who then merges with them for all eternity, or however long an Incarnate thing last".

Ras then turned his attention to one of the windows, admiring what a gorgeous day it was. "Still, it would be interesting to visit The Spirit Wilds. I've always wanted to meet a spirit for some reason, they might be able to give us an insight on the way this artifact works, and they might even be able to tell us were this artifact is, skipping this whole baby thing altogether!". Ras turned his view back to the table. "At the very least it'd be an interesting experience. You only live once, after all". Ras chuckled a bit at his last remark.

[Zak the Paladin]

Ah, the Spirit Wilds, Edward muses to himself. He promised himself long ago that he would one day go there, and see for himself the majesty of the spirits' world. Perhaps even engage in some nice philosophical debate with the residents. But not with these individuals, and not in this circumstance.

"Despite my predilections towards the wild areas of this world, I feel as though searching around this man's previous areas would be the simplest and most useful starting point." He munches on a chunk of the loaf in front of him before continuing, "If there is no other topics of interest here, I suggest we be off. I'd like to find a cartographer and buy some maps, but otherwise am ready to leave at any point. Unless my new colleagues have anything in particular to get done first," finishing with a small wave of his hand, opening the floor to the other two on his side of the table.

Upon another taking up the talking end of the conversation, he slowly pushes the loaf in front of him towards the side and away. A slight grimace comes over him as the taste floats around his palette. Note to self, never order dessert at places like this. Too much sugar for my liking.

[Gorgon_Heap]

Shaking her head, Asriyah says, "No, Edward, you speak wisely but for one thing. I admit to a curiosity, Miss Foxburr, and mean no disrespect, but I wish to visit your shop to verify the legitimacy of your wares. I would have us visit your store and will agree to your proposal once we're all satisfied there."



I don't want to prolong this. If we go directly there and get a good description we're happy with, we can begin our search without further pause from me.

[Maralais]

With her dessert also finished, Olo pushes the plate in front of her. "Eh, if you insist." she says with a shrug, and stands up. "It's not far from here anyway."

Year 1000 of Elven Calendar, Shest's First Décade, Quintidi, Day
Foxburr's Magical Pawn Shop, City of Loamsdown, Freestate of Loamsdown
http://i.imgur.com/vjQYbdh.jpg
Once you get inside, you find that there's another man in tasteful clothing holding a helmet. He gets startled once you enter.

Around you, however, is magical items of many shapes and sizes. Some have no name written on them, some have a sign giving their name and price - presumably popular items like a Bag of Holding. There are stones that float on their own, rings with ornate stones, unmatching pieces of armour, even some seemingly ordinary items - like a necklace or a bottle - that have the sign DO NOT TOUCH on them.

"I normally work on a 'lend one item, get one' principle and in some very rare cases accept money. In your case, however, your service will be more than enough to get you one of the items that interest you."

[Gorgon_Heap]

Asriyah carefully looks around Foxburr's shop, impressed with the array of items on display. She assumes there may also be items hidden elsewhere, and wonders that such a treasure of magic would be so publicly known yet remain safe. She casually cases the shop's exits and security measures.

But within minutes, not wanting to hold up her collaborators - or at least Edward, who seems eager to get to the mission - she compliments Miss Foxburr's business and nods her assent.

She asks Miss Foxburr for that list of locations, but also asks if she knows if the count had business partners in the city.

*************

Once they are on task, she asks Edward and Alessandro how they would like to begin, while also giving her own thoughts. "There are surely some in this city who are familiar with Sigurdr's exploits, at least in a manner of tavern tales. But they usually have some kernel of truth. But just as importantly is his business. If we follow the money we'll find a trail. If we do both we may find some key item from his past."

[Zak the Paladin]

Edward sighs as he dodges yet more foot traffic. One would expect that his generous and imposing size would be enough to clear a path, but people in the city seem too distracted to notice.
"In my experience, Those who create stories tend to exaggerate and embellish to the point where finding any truth is an adventure in itself. The number of times I have run into a story of a deadly beast turning out to simply be a small wolf and overactive imaginations is absurd. But perhaps I am being biased," as he nearly trips dodging a fast-moving group of workmen and their gear, "As, in all honesty, I would prefer to leave this city as fast as possible. Whatever you believe will give us the most information for our time, I will follow. Perhaps we can set a meeting point, and I can go get my maps while you poke around. My talents lie in the natural side of things; I am not much of an investigator inside city walls."

The last few words are strained out as he squeezed his massive frame around a pair of stopped carts, Barely making it through without spilling anything. At a time like this, I would take your sizes without hesitation...

[NATEINCAPS]

Ras kept moving through the crowd like on any normal day, noting how much trouble the half-orc was having doing just that. It was decently telling of Edward's nature and made them all stick out, even if he wasn't stepping on anyone or breaking anything.

"I think we should just start heading out to Hælga as soon as possible. There'll be more people who know of Sigurdr in the kingdom he found, so I think our best bets at information gathering will be in said kingdom. Still if you want to do some info gathering here," Ras paused to think for a second, "...there's a couple of tavern's that are popular with the foreigners around here. There's bound to be at least one Hælga bard that can tell us about Sigurdr in one of those taverns. I can show you to them if you want.

And Edward," Ras said, turning his attention to the half-orc, "if you want to gather up some supplies for the journey ahead that's fine. We can meet us up at the, umm" Ras paused for another second, "...east gate. Yeah yeah it won't be that busy at the east gate, and even if it is you stick out in these crowds; there aren't to many half-orcs in Loamsdown. Sound good everyone?"

[Gorgon_Heap]

OOC: Asriyah has her scant few belongings on her right now and is ready to travel. Zak described Edward having his pack with him already as well. Unless Ras needs stuff, I think we're already prepared to move.

[Zak the Paladin]

Edward nods in assent and shoves off, eager to be away from the crowd. Moving down side streets to get some space, he eventually is forced to ask directions to the nearest cartographer. Inside, he attempts to buy three maps: A full known-world map, a map of the country he is currently in, and a map of the area the group has been pointed towards.
Good, I can replace my previous world map, it was getting too beat up to read properly. Should also prepare for the area in question; haven't been there before, won't know my way around.

Edward has 6gp, hopefully these maps aren't too expensive or large. After acquiring the maps he can afford, he heads off towards the East gate, and waits around looking for this companions.
Otherwise, He/I am ready to head out.
Didn't have enough proficiencies to get survival and still get the stuff that would be important for fluff, so he makes up for it with past experience and maps. He will take time to read just about any map we come across.

[Maralais]

The three maps cost 3 gp together, and I'll be sending them to you ASAP. You guys are good to go unless Ras has something to do in the city.

[NATEINCAPS]

Nope, everything's good on my end. It's about time we set out.

[Maralais]

[roll0]

You meet at the city's Eastern Gate as the sun starts to set. The crowds, whom you came across first while heading for lunch, now seem to be behind you, thankfully a few streets away. They move in all directions to leave for work and get back home. You notice one trade cart leaving through the gates at a slow pace. Behind it waits a lengthy caravan, guarded by bulky armoured men, and headed by a Dwarven driver. "Be quick, ye clobberhead!" he seems to yell from time to time, to no avail.

As you meet, a quick reading of Edward's map shows a list of places you could go. The Kejserriket's capital, Osshague, stands in the middle of the empire and would take one week to reach. The map he purchased also shows that Sigurdr's County, Tergaron, is not much detailed (not showing the cities and towns in the area, for example) but the general region could be reached with a two and a half week-long trip. His hometown is even farther.

[Zak the Paladin]

After studying the map for some moments, and asking the name of areas of interest for the third time, Edward sighs and scratches his head. He always liked maps, but was never quite keen on traveling via them. He more often just used them as a general guideline and wandered. But this current situation, and his companions require a significant change in tactics. He tries to place himself into a different mode of thinking. What is the plan? What are we trying to find, and what would be the best way to get there?

"I suppose we should start here," as he points at the capital city, "If we are going to search for this Sigurdr's money and where it goes. Either way, I suspect we would need to stop off there to resupply."

He leans back slightly against a wall, waiting for the inevitable response and discussion. However, his mind constantly heads back towards the yelling dwarf, and how annoying his voice is. It is almost painful to even look at him, much less listen. Edward muses to himself,
Such an annoying, loud creature, that is. Creatures that loud and obnoxious set themselves up to be caught...and eaten.
Edward shakes away the thought. That he allowed such bloodlust into his processes was disquieting. It had be steadily getting worse, recently. This is not the world of the animals, and such thoughts will not be allowed to linger in such society.

The entrance of my secondary thought colors. I will use Fire Brick for the Orc-blood side of his thought processes, and will choose another for the Incarnate side once it becomes more relevant.
Also, That dwarf's color choice of voice is eye-piercing. I think that is just about the worst you can get besides slightly off-white on white.

[Gorgon_Heap]

The crowds offer no difficulty to small, lithe Asriyah, and she ignores the dwarf and other loud residents with the practiced ease of any Hafazeen visiting a souk. Her clever eyes watch feet and hands, looking for anyone following too intently or going for hidden weapons.

If Edward was expecting some sort of debate, he doesn't get it from her. With a task at hand, she seems eager to leave. "A plan is good. Let's go." She immediately starts walking.

[NATEINCAPS]

"Then it's settled, we'll head for Osshague," Ras commented, eyes still fixated on the map, "we should leave as soon as possible, I don't want to hang around here any longer than needs be".

As Ras got up to catch up with Asriyah he took notice of the yelling dwarf, giving his caravan a passing glance. "It was always the rude ones who charged the most for food and such, but I guess that's what you got to do to make it out there..." Ras said, half speaking to himself and half speaking to Edward.

I think the dwarf's text color is fine. It accurately displays how annoying he is in a convenient, colored format.

[Maralais]

Just to make sure, you're leaving on foot right? That's completely fine by me, just wanted to ask.

[Zak the Paladin]

As far as I am aware, yes. Also, the color works well for the intended effect, it just was painful to look at for me at first. Perhaps it was my screen brightness or something else.

[Maralais]

Year 1000 of the Elven Calendar, Shest's First Décade, Octidi (3 days later)
The Crimson Gates, Hælgan-Tigianian Border
http://i.imgur.com/AmUqHCm.jpg
Your first three days are uneventful, as you come across nothing notable on your way - several villagers travelling between their village and a nearby town, an annoying wandering minstrel or two, occasional harmless wild animal that didn't probably even noticed you. But as you go farther south, you notice that the flora around you is changing. The humid climate with short, thorny plants gives way to taller and taller trees, more frequent rain, and finally even cold. As you approach the Hælgan border, you leave behind Tigiania's coastal nature.

As the Crimson Gates get closer and closer to you, you see the red banners hung from the walls - the gate's namesake. It seems the area is guarded by very few soldiers, as you only see one soldier on the wall, who hurries downstairs at your sight. When you get to the gate, the same soldier appears with two other soldiers behind him. "Halt, wanderers! You are now at the border of the mighty Hælgan Kejserriket, and the Kejser denies access to his lands for those who come from the treacherous Tigianian Cities. Unless you can prove that you are true Hælgan citizens, you cannot pass!" He seems resolute in his attempt at stopping you.

[Gorgon_Heap]

As the guard make his semi-hostile speech, Asriyah nods to her companions, acknowledging she will talk first. Her bearing changes perceptibly and she approaches the guards meekly, demurely, but her voice is loud and clear.

"As-salamu alaykum," she says, reinforcing her and the group's very non-Tigianian origins. "We are not Tigiani, sir, but pilgrims in search of spiritual truths. My master is a priest of Enkidu, who seeks balance. He has shown us on our journey some of the frightful wonders of nature, and now he would show us the centers of learning and culture. He has said no society is greater than the mighty Hælgan Kejserriket."



As always, I find no lie is better than the truth. We actually have been trekking across the country with this cleric who has almost certainly sought to teach us things in our days together.

If I had Inspiration I'd use it now.

Deception [roll0]

[Zak the Paladin]

Not entirely true, but I can run with that. Edward smiles slightly as he repositions himself. He folds his arms in front of him such that his equipped shield, bearing the symbol of Enkidu, is prominently displayed. He bows slightly to the speaking guard and tries to keep himself standing in good posture, so as to project a less brutish personality; staving off lingering racism would be highly important here.

So, this is my attempt as a circumstance bonus/help action/whatever. I'm going to go with knowing only a few greetings/pleasantries in Haelgan, so if questioned, I'll talk it off as using my Orcish, or another party member, as a translator.

And you are correct, Edward does want to teach you things. He simply has the wherewithal to not try and wax philosophical with new acquaintances.

[Maralais]

That aid grants Gorgon_Heap an advantage. Can you roll again?Never mind, you obviously win.

Also, rolling for the guard's sense motive:
[roll0]

The guard takes a step to the side after hearing Asriyah's explanation. "Apologies, ma'am. It is always a pleasure to see those who have found the righteous Hælgan path and wish to follow it. We merely needed to make sure you weren't Tigianian, in which case we could not let you through." He seems oddly pleased, as if he was the one who "converted" the foreigners in front of him.

"Onim dui naldvysser, duii'li nesblepr!" he yells to a figure upstairs that you can't see. The portcullis gives way, and the Hælgan lands stand before you. The guards waves and wishes you a good journey as you leave: "If I may, I suggest visiting the Temple of Sarevok. It's right on the path leading to the capital, and it's one of the mightiest temples you can find."

[Gorgon_Heap]

Asriyah retains her demure bearing, but smiles and returns the guard's obvious pride in his home and religion. "You honor us, sir. I'm sure we will learn much in your country."

She turns toward Edward and, keeping her head respectfully down, quirks a brow at his regal stance bemusedly. Hafazeen cultures are subtle and often misunderstood in these southern lands, and she knows well a woman's guise of subservience to a powerful man is rarely questioned. Edward himself seems quite respectful and rather reserved, so the aloof face he was putting on tickled her a bit. But she couldn't break character now.

"Master, the Crimson Gate welcomes Enkidu's chosen," she says as if it were inevitable. She bows a hair deeper as Edward passes her, and she falls in behind him and Ras.

[Zak the Paladin]

Edward checks behind them occasionally to make sure the guards aren't following them, but otherwise continues on.

--------------------

After getting enough out of earshot of the guards, Edward lets out a long sigh.
"Dodged the proverbial arrow on that one. That was some quick thinking Asriyah; you have the guile of a great fox. I respect that." He pauses for a moment to replace his shield on his backpack. "I'm not much for deceit. I learned well how to hold up a polite and civil conversation, but I don't think fast enough for a good lie. But you don't want to hear about me."

"There are two things I feel are relevant, however, to our being in this land. The first is, as you are no doubt aware, I am not exactly a common sight, nor usually a wanted one. As we move farther south, we move farther from the Orcish lands, and so are likely to encounter less of my kind, and more overt racism. If my time in backwoods area has shown me anything, that is. The reason I bring this up is that we may end up under extra scrutiny, or our later ruses may not work, because of me. Just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page with that fact."
"The second point is that, due to my rather strange entrance into the service of my god, I have very little knowledge of the other religions in the Haelgan region. What I have gathered is that this Sarevok is the god of trickery, so if you wish to stop there, watch yourselves. I personally want nothing to do with those who follow someone such as that."

Catching himself rambling, Edward shakes his head and lets out another, smaller sigh.
"Sorry about that. I have been away from long-term company for so long, I forgot how liberating it feels to talk with those who can understand. Talking with rabbits and deer gets old after the first few times. They are terrible at holding conversation. In any event, feel free to stop me in the future if I should ramble on again."

A thought crosses his mind as his finishes his last statement. He turns to the Half-Elf and asks, "Rasyax, did you say earlier that you could speak Haelgan? I can't remember, but I might have heard you mention it before. We will need some translation regardless, but it would be more efficient if that one was in our group." Thinking to himself, he adds an additional point. My Orcish doesn't work in that respect.

[NATEINCAPS]

At the gate, Ras simple stood by his companions and nodded when the guards let them through, not wanting to ruin their chance of getting through with his obviously Tigianian accent.

--------------------

As they walked away from the gate, Ras looked around his surrounding environment, casually paying attention to what Edward was saying. Ras had never been outside of Tigianian before, so he was differently interested in seeing this new world.

Although he wasn't really paying attention to what Edward was saying, Ras' ears defiantly picked up when he heard the half-orc mention his name. "I iss seqi pi' lovi vuari gy-, gyrd aesich dui bopi pordil'r nsomr, in case you were wondering" While Ras was defiantly speaking Haelgan (as far as Edward/Asriyah could tell) it sounded rough and very Tigianiany. "So, if you need me to translate, just say so.

Also, Edward, don't worry about your appearance. I'm sure the capital will be full of so many strange faces that you'll blend right in. And even out here in the countryside you'd be surprised at how accepting these people can be of others if you're willing to just explain yourself. Just stay calm, act normal and no one will even notice your orcish side. That's how I've gotten by as a half-breed".

I applied the Tigianian speaking guidelines to some standard 1 text in order to create some super special bad-Hanelgan text. Probably didn't do it well but hey at lest it's something.

[Gorgon_Heap]

She nods her thanks to Edward's compliment, but listening to him and Ras talk thing over, she sees they both make good points, but she feels uneasy with their discussion of the treatment of half-breeds. While she has certainly experienced discrimination, it was based on social class and wealth, not race. She wasn't comfortable speaking to something she had no experience with, and didn't wish to insult either of her companions.

"You may be right. The language issue is simple enough and can easily be explained - such as we just did - but I have no idea how the people here may continue to react to our appearances. We should carefully observe and speak with the people from here out to measure their ... um, temperament. And, if I may, I suggest we might be ready to maybe reverse the roles we used at the gate. If the people are less likely to see me as a servant, I mean. I don't wish to make you uncomfortable, either of you, but it is a reality of our circumstance.

"Also, it may prove useful for us to share some simple hand signals that are subtle and avoid speech. I know any number of these and can teach you at least a few of the more useful signals. And Edward, I think we may take advantage of the institutions here to broaden your knowledge of the gods. I mean no disrespect, and certainly not to your faith, but I can't lie my way past a knowledgeable priest who questions our pilgrimage, for example. If you don't wish to find this temple the guard spoke of, perhaps I should. Or we can find books or scrolls at a market?"

[Maralais]

Year 1000 of the Elven Calendar, Shest's First Décade, Octidi, Dusk
Hælgan Countryside
http://i.imgur.com/5yk4s6d.jpg
For several hours after your encounter at the Hælgan border, you travel in peace. The roads are empty and the only creatures you see are several critters coming by the river going beside you to quench their thirst. As you start to think "Maybe encountering someone wouldn't be that bad", a man in brown robes appears on the road. As he gets closer, he notices you and waves his hand, though he can't understand what he's saying from the distance.

Once he's near you, you notice the man's peculiarities - he seems to carry an obviously expensive spyglass on him, which hangs on his belt, as if inviting bandits. More peculiar, however, is the paper and quill apparently floating in the air right next to him. You realise that the quill moves on the paper as he speaks.

"The river seems to come from a waterfall about 10 miles from here, after which the area is increasingly mountainous, above the waterfall stands an abandoned castle--" he stops once his attention is taken from the view in front of him to you. "Stop writing. Hello travellers! Are you coming from the general direction of this castle by any chance? I'm a cartographer trying to map the area, but the name of the castle eludes, would you know it by any chance?" He seems oblivious to his own peculiarities as he extends his hand to you.

[Zak the Paladin]

Noticing the man's disregard for our apperances, Edward, deciding to take point on this encounter, shakes the man's hand with a firm grip.
"Greetings, Good sir. I am afraid this place does not immediately come to mind. I have my own maps of the area, not incredibly detailed, and perhaps they might shed some light on this, if you are up for corroboration."
Edward reaches into his pack and pulls out his map of the area *(either the full-state or the capital, whichever had this place)* and unfurls it carefully. While doing so, he makes a quick peek over at where the quill and parchement are,assumidly, still floating in the air. He nods his head towards it, and states, "Quite the interesting magical effect you have there. I can imagine that such a thing would come in handy for a man traveling on his own."

Upon fully opening his map, and finding the area in question, Edward searches to see if this place is listed anywhere, or if even the nearby natural formations are drawn in.

So, attempting to be friendly, but non-threatening. All that cha has to mean something.
Checking the map to see if it has useful information. If not, I assume the man will be ribbing me over having bought a low-quality map.
What check would I have to make to potentially recognize whatever is keeping that parchment and quill up? OOC I think it is some form of Unseen Servant, but Edward most likely doesn't.

Sorry about the late post, but yesterday at work was hell, and my cat got sick. Had no time to post.

[Maralais]

The regional map (that is slightly dated, still showing the Tigianian lands beyond the mountains as a part of the Kejserriket) seems somewhat detailed, but nothing is marked for the castle. The man takes a close look, and gives out a disappointed sigh.

"Ah, that's a shame. It must have been built recently then. Have you seen any locals on your way? Maybe they could help me out..."

He notices Edward's attention to the -still floating- quill and paper next to him. "That's my personal stenographer. Quite a handy thing, my father's nameday gift from a few years back."

You could roll for INT(Arcana) if you have a proficiency for it, or you could simply roll for Intelligence to try and understand what it is.

[Zak the Paladin]

"Quite the gift. Shame about this place, though. Always been a fan of maps. Animals have a deep connection with the land, and can find their way around without help. We upright races lost that, and so I study maps to try and get that sense back. I'm always on the lookout for a good map. Perhaps I may find one of yours in the future."
Edward catches himself rambling, and moves back on topic.
"The last people we really spoke with were some guards not too far north from here. Perhaps they might know." He gestures back towards the path they took here. He takes his own look up at the castle in question and seems a bit perplexed.
"Seems a bit strange, though. Why would someone so quickly build this, then leave it abandoned? Sounds like trouble."

No proficiency in Arcana, but I'll try the check to get an idea.
[roll0] May the dice gods smile upon my no-bonus.

[Gorgon_Heap]

Asyriah is wary when the odd man approaches, and she watches him as if at any moment he might explode into a fireball or transform into a giant snake. His off-putting mannerisms and open friendliness to suspicious strangers on the road makes her distrustful. He she eyes the magical device floating at his side as if actively wishing it away; even if it's not moving, it an active magical record of their presence on the road and in the country.

[NATEINCAPS]

As Edward and the cartographer talked maps Ras' attention drew to that of the castle. He had never seen such a building before, and the mist surrounding it only added to its mystique. The cartographer's talk of it being abandoned didn't help, either.

Just as Edward finished talking Ras started talking, still looking at the castle. "Trouble? Maybe, but it certainly is interesting. Who knows what could locked up in those old ruins. Ancient treasures, demonic monsters, forbidden knowledge, maybe even Sigurdr's most prized possession".

Ras turned to face the rest of the group. "And I'm sure the guards at the gate know but the castle probably has its name plastered on it somewhere; the mailbox would be my guess. It might be an idea for us to take a quick detour to the place, check it out a bit, get its name, maybe rest there for the night hour permit's; I'd hate for us to be trapped out here if it started to rain".

[Zak the Paladin]

Edward turns towards his companion before voicing his response, "That would be the logical course of action, but I believe it to be the wrong one for us for two reasons. First, we have a mission to do which does not include this place. While exploring might be useful, it takes time, which we might not have. Second, and while I despise the phrase, it contains a seed of truth, 'Curiosity killed the cat.' Entering a creature's lair is only done by those who believe they have found it empty, or those wishing a quick demise." Despite his words, the half-orc's eyes belie the curiosity he so quickly dismissed. He seems to be almost looking for a compelling reason to search up there.

Turning back towards the man, Edward asks, "Despite the conversation, I never got your name? I would like to look for your products should we reach a city."

Man, 14-hour workdays suck. :smallsigh:
On a more related note, just how 'abandoned' does this building look from our vantage point? Is there anything that would stand out to a casual onlooker?

[Maralais]

"I'm Breder. Breder Aldringsson. It would be mighty strange if someone would buy one of my maps for the moment, as none of them are published yet. Maybe in two years or so." he lets out a small smile at his last comment.

First, your INT(Arcana) roll: you can tell that it's a mage spell that has been somehow enchanted so that its effects are permanent, but you can't really tell what the specific spell is. Perhaps a Mage Hand? Perhaps an Unseen Servant? Or maybe even an invisible summoned creature bound to this plane?

As for the castle itself, it's bereft of all signs of life. There are no soldiers visible on its walls or towers. It equally lacks any kind of plant overgrowth, which suggests that it hasn't been abandoned for a long time.

[Gorgon_Heap]

Though she continues in calm stillness, the girl doesn't like the half-orc's open talk of their task with that recording device so near at hand. And while she agrees with his sentiment about moving on and avoiding an unnecessary delay, Ras had a point in an earlier question the stranger didn't answer.

"Mister Aldringsson, we've been on the road some time and our journey may have no real end. We seek knowledge, you see, and is it ever truly attained?

"I wonder if we invite you to camp with us you can repay our hospitality with knowledge of your fine country? Perhaps lore of this desolate place or of the people and cities we will soon visit?" She is much more respectful and inviting than she feels, but this is an opportunity to gather information. She eyes Breder's travelling gear. And maybe see what else he may be keeping from us. A man with a magical stylus will no doubt have plenty written down.

[Maralais]

At the mention of camp, Breder looks around, as if realising just now that the sun is setting. "Oh my, it does seem to be getting late... I suppose there isn't inn or the like near the guards? It would be safer to camp in bigger numbers I guess..."

[Zak the Paladin]

Edward looks around with a look of slight confusion. The night seemed to have snuck up on him as well. Rolling his map back up, he tries to remember the details of the guard buildings.
"I don't recall anything like an inn back there. Perhaps we should find a place to camp out?"

Or, if they feel dangerous, we could try and camp up in that building. A terrible idea, but the traveler is correct; the more people in one spot, the less likely we are to be in danger.

This is your regularly-scheduled thread-check. Please respond to confirm that this thread is, in fact, not dead. Thank you for your cooperation. [/joke]

[Maralais]

I'm very much alive, just waiting for input from you guys.

[Gorgon_Heap]

I didn't have anything to add after I suggested we camp, and didn't want to dominate the conversation. I figured Edward is friendlier and would steer us from there. But Ras hasn't participated very much so I thought maybe he'd want to jump in at some point.

Works with others to find place to camp. Camps.

[NATEINCAPS]

Ras let out a sigh of defeat at Edward's comments. "Well, if you want to be boring I guess we should start looking for a place to camp out; there isn't much of an inn around here. And I would love it if you spent the night with us, Mr Aldringsson. I'm always one for a good story or two to pass the night, and I'm sure you'd like to have a little company yourself; camping along is dangerous and I wouldn't want some trying to steal your valuables". As Ras finished he gesture towards the cartographer's spyglass, having taken notice of it just moments ago.

Finals suck, and I am ready to move on. Let's set up camp.

[Maralais]

Year 1000 of the Elven Calendar, Shest's First Décade, Octidi, Night
Hælgan Countryside
http://i.imgur.com/IhE6PoW.jpg

It's a peaceful night with little disturbance. Breder talks about what he has seen so far, from Glaciers close to the Dwarven homelands to mighty mountains all around Hælga, from underground-dwelling pesky goblins to grandiose animals. He seems quite happy to have finally found some people to communicate after what you guess has been a lengthy, lonely trip. He sleeps quite early, however, retreating to a small tent he made for himself. That leaves you three in front of the campfire, under the starlight.

[Zak the Paladin]

Edward sees the traveler's actions as slightly peculiar, but nothing out of the ordinary. It was nice to speak with another who traveled as much as himself. He leans back against a nearby tree and stares up at the sky. Almost without thinking, he blurts out,
"It continues to surprise me that something so simple and consistent as the night sky can be so beautiful. There was a time I thought about becoming an astronomer, but I was never that good with all of the book learning involved. Though I supposed star maps exist, and I do like maps."
He pauses for a moment, before he feels something poke at him from the deepest parts of his body. He flashes a small, sheepish smile as he gets up from the tree and walks towards the edge of the encampment, behind the cover of trees.
"Excuse me, but I need to go and, uh, relieve myself. We can finish this discussion when I return, or we could work more on the hand signals." He is careful to keep the last part low enough so as not to reach the guest's tent, just in case.

Nature Calls. Plus, the urine may (if things work even slightly like here) act as a deterrent for some predators. From that direction at least. :smallbiggrin:
I hope nothing tries to get me in the process.

[Gorgon_Heap]

The three have their nightly schedule down by now, so far as shifts as such. But Asriyah still wonders about the solitary traveler and why he refused to so much as show maps. She supposed he could simply be a typical awkward artist, but she was in foreign territory and needed information. And while she didn't think him dangerous, she wasn't about to trust Breder either.

She will watch for the use of light and listen carefully for activity such as the scritching of a quill on paper during the night. Or anything more like delicate workmanship or the care of weapons. If there's no moon tonight (how many are there, by the way?) she'll just have to stay satisfied with that. But if there is she may try to take a look.