Echoes

[Diful Takveh]

The noonday sun burns brightly over the town of Redwater. The skies had been clear for the majority of the day, and were only marred by storm clouds to the north which seemed to ever so slowly advance upon the town, and while the sun still dominated the sky, it was only a matter of time before the downpour started. Despite this most glorious of days in late spring, Redwater was practically devoid of sounds of joy.

In the part of town south of the river, children were kept indoors by cautious parents as they had been in the two weeks since the incident. Even those children who managed to escape their house arrest to join their peers remained rather quiet so as not to draw attention to themselves. The market, while abuzz with the latest shipment to Fort Redwater, was muted by a shared dread.

In the northern part of town, things were not much better. The goblins worked as a community to rebuild what had been destroyed; however, barring the occasional low-voiced request, they worked in silence, sweating in the heat of the sun. Those who weren't working on rebuilding were helping bring the crates of disaster relief goods requested from the duchy from the north side of the bridge where the guards had left them to the church which was the only building large enough to serve as a temporary general store as that had been one of the buildings lost in the incident.

Among the boat hands who had come into Redwater with the barge, there was a dwarf who could almost pass as a short human. She looked more like she belonged in the midst of battle than aboard a ship, and in truth, she was to accompany the supply wagons to the fort later in the day and remain there as a hired mercenary.

In the market, a half-elf works his ways with words, portraying himself as a poor soul whose home had been destroyed in the attack two weeks prior. He was in the middle of convincing the baker's husband, who looked little more than a 6 foot tall stick with thinning brown hair, to part with some small scrap of food when he saw that a hooded youth, who could be no older than 11 had made his way into the back of the stall unnoticed and was putting handfuls of sweets and bread into a bag.

In the northern side of town, an elf leans against the side of the church, careful to remain in the shade because it is still too early for the sun to be shining as brightly as it is. Who is he kidding, the sun is always too bright, no matter what time of day it is. He watches over the fields where a gnome is teaching goblins the best ways to regrow their fields. A solemn tune played on a variety of stringed instruments could be heard through the thin walls of the church. There were still those in mourning, and they had gathered in the church where an enchanting half-elf played to inspire hope in them. So far, it had worked, as only a handful of those who had been most distressed or most stubborn now remained.

In the most eastern part of town, in a tavern with its own dock on the northern bank of the river, a wood elf brazenly enters through a pair of swinging doors and sits down at a table, letting the sound of a full coin purse landing on the table call over a server. The man behind the bar, who had been talking with an elf with a cloak with the hood down, looks around at the new arrival and is about to speak, but as the sound of a handful of coins falls onto the bar, and the cloaked figure exits, pulling his hood over his head as he leaves. With the cloaked elf gone, the man asks the newcomer, “What can I do for you?”

[Shinovar]

"It's too early for this" Kinduvas mutters to himself as he pulls his cloak up to protect his eyes and leaves the shadow of the church. "And the sun is doing nothing for my headache."

Kinduvas, while not yet recovered from the night before, feels the need to be moving and doing something. Nothing he could find to do would satisfy him for long, but anything was better than boredom. Boredom let his mind wander, remember his past. And his present, for that matter.

Kinduvas walks among the town, noting those who are there to help, and those who are not. He always tried to deliver something extra to those who were being the most helpful, especially if he knew that they were struggling themselves. And if anyone was abusing the situation, then he might need to have a nice quite chat with them, or maybe just with their belongings.

Nothing that anyone on this side of the river did, however, would be worse than the one who caused this situation in the first place. Kinduvas was trying to give the courts time to deal with those responsible, but his patience, like those of many in the town, was wearing thin.

Distracted by his own thoughts, Kinduvas finds that his feet have taken him East, to his favorite tavern. "No, I can't. It's still too early for that, and too much to be done.... Still, I guess it won't hurt to see who is in. Maybe there will be more news, either of the trial, or of someone southside abusing the situation that may need a visit." Almost reluctantly, Kinduvas enters through the swinging doors, pulling his cloak down and allowing his eyes to adjust to the change in lighting.

[Bladehunter217]

With plow in hand, staff tied to his sack, Sadi helps with what he can, the goblins hadn't done anything to anger the spirits of the earth so they could count on his help this one time. Sadi liked these goblins, they we're doing a fair job of surviving off the land and he judged that they weren't the type to over harvest these fields. He makes a mental note to make sure they know to change which fields have which crops so that the isn't over taxed. He fixes his hat and gets back to work, it would be better to finish before the day was done.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

no, he's not wearing his pack, it's at the edge of the field.

[SiegeTower]

Freyalise had been spending her time in the church helping those in mourning. She wished to lift the spirits of all those who had suffered a grave loss but at the moment, they all needed to weep. Trying her usual bit of always remaining cheery would likely have only made those who were already in pain hurt even deeper. She lets the church bask in the sounds of their melancholy hymns for a long while.

After a time, Freya thought she could turn the mass funerals and vigils that were being held into a wake. After all the tears needed were shed, it was time to laugh again. If you laugh the whole world laughs with you, when you weep, you weep alone. These goblins and other folks have been alone long enough, it was time for the whole world to laugh.

Freyalise begins to play.

Freyalise begins her song slowly making it seem like another hymn but as the tune progresses, she raises the pace of the strumming of her lyre. Her words become a bit more cheerful and she tries to convince those mourning in the church to join her in the new tune. Some goblins couldn't sing or play any instruments but they did know how to hit things. She showed many of them quickly a small rymth that could be tapped on any wooden box. Something to add percussion to her song. Freya did her best to convince anyone who was able, to add to her impromptu orchestra and have her song gain volume in the church.

With some success, Freyalise's song gains a small band to perform and after the mood of the church is lifted, she tries to bring the performance outside as well. The funeral proceedings were a private affair but now it was time for those who were in mourning to rejoin the outside world in high hopes. Freya does her best to convince those in charge to open the gates of the church and let the final verse of the song burst out into the open. During any instrumental bit where she wasn't singing, the bard coerces someone else into helping with the performance and with any luck, the last of the melody would explode in an orgasm of sound letting those both inside the church and many of those outside feel the wave of sudden joy. It was Freya's hope that even those down in the taverns trying to drink their pain away could lift their heads from their glasses and hear this one joyful tune.

[sparky9042]

Liarramasthan looks briefly at the kid. Another poor sap who'll probably never earn an honest living. Oh well, this kid really isn't Liam's concern. As far as he could gather in a week's time, the south side of the city is largely responsible for the misfortune of the north. Doesn't matter all too much if a few northerners take advantage of a few southerners to even the balance a little. Which reminds him, that kid is probably going to either get caught by or exhaust the gratitude of his marks. You don't utterly bankrupt someone, not someone who doesn't deserve it, that's cruel, and more importantly, it takes a good mark off the map entirely.

Liam glances up at the baker, wringing his hands, exhibiting a look of worry. "Please, good sir, I'm not asking for much, just a stale loaf of bread. It's been hard getting by back home in the north side ever since..." Liam gasps, clutches his mouth shut, then casts his eyes at the ground while his lips tremble.

[CeaseofMorality]

"Whatever you have with alcohol in it. " Jasper grunts. "It has been far, far too long since I have had a good drink. I am also looking for information on a fellow. Big pirating sort. Hear anything?"

[Diful Takveh]

Sadi:

---

The goblins work well under Sadi's direction, and rather seem to like working with one who is about the same size they are. Tilling the fields without a draft animal is hard work, but it is rewarding. In between tilling the field himself and instructing the goblins on how to do it, what to use as fertilizer for different crops, how deep the seeds of each type of plant should be, and similar, Sadi notices a young goblin girl standing at the edge of the field, a doll hanging by its arm which she holds in her hand. She watches the farming for a while, sits for a minute and then walks away. It is at this point that all manner of joyful music can be heard pouring from the church. He turns to watch as the half-elf leads the congregation out into the sun. While those working the farm don't physically follow the half-elf, they do join along in singing, and their tilling of the fields is made much more rhythmic in the process.

Freyalise:

---

While it wasn't her usual cup of tea, the mood set by the tragedy was reflected in both the song being played and in Freyalise's mannerisms while playing it. Many a goblin was brought to tears as emotions that had been pent up over the past weeks were finally flowing forth. Just as the congregation was prepared to heal, Freyalise shifts her tune, and the goblins who had been crying now found themselves singing along with this hopeful tune. As she takes her flock out into the world to be reborn, the farmers join in the song even as they continue to plow the fields. She ends the procession by one of the homes which had been burnt down, but due to hard work, it had been almost entirely rebuilt. Those goblins still working on it hammered in time with the song as they nailed the baseboards of the roof onto the trusses they had constructed. Well, all but one who continued hammering at the speed he had been hammering which was annoying enough that one of the others working on the roof threw a coin at him. The non-musical goblin stops what he is doing, rolls over on the board and grunts. Much to his chagrin, he had actually grunted on the downbeat. Well cheering up all but one was an indication of a well-executed performance.

Liam:

---

The man smiles as benevolent a smile as he can as he hands over a rather warm, if small, loaf of bread. "I truly am sorry for what happened to you. It must be hard living there, and now that you've lost your home--" He doesn't get to finish as the boy accidentally knocks over a glass jar with cookies in it. It shatters as it hits the interior counter which is lower than that on the outside to allow the vendor more room for goods. In a panic, the boy scrambles over the counter and runs down an alley. He does, however, leave a bloody hand print where the cookie jar had been. The baker's husband moves as though to follow after the boy, but one look at the glass-covered counter and he changes his mind. Instead, he leans his head out the way the boy had gone, "Get back here, you rapscallion. You windsnickering curmudgeon!" With a huff of surrender, he waves his hand at the boy as though pushing him out of his mind. With that, he turns back to Liam, "Thought he was a good kid once, gave him food when he asked, but then I heard he was just giving it to the little monsters' spawn. Disgusting, really. Here I thought my bread was going to a good cause. The nerve of some people." There was no indication that the baker's husband would ever stop, and if he wasn't stopped, he would likely continue this rant for a good long while, descending to ever deeper levels of scum as he continued.

Kinduvas:

---

Kinduvas' path takes him by the building which had formerly been the general store. Whether lucky or not, most of the support structure remained, so new pilings wouldn't have to be driven into the wet ground. The floor, along with most of the walls and the roof had fallen through, and any merchandise which had not been burnt beyond recognition had fallen into the water. Now this meant that many of the tools the goblins would have used in repair were rusting. This didn't matter much for hammers and the like, but most of the saws and other cutting instruments were unusable. In fact, it was a designated hazard zone as there were many sharp objects that had fallen in the water. The danger could be alleviated by wearing thick boots and shuffling your feet, but boots don't dry well, so most people avoided it, leaving it to a select few to clean the area, one of whom was working on that particular job at the moment.

He reaches the river and the tavern at about the same time, walking on the road closest to the river that was made by raising soil into a walkable path rather than constructing a walkway of wood as was the norm in the town. In fact, there was one such walkway closer to the water, and, given its length and its view of the river, was quite the romantic spot for young couples to walk. He had happened to glance at the walkway between two buildings and saw a hooded figure take a flat pebble out of his pocket and skip it on the water towards the city before heading west.

After a few minutes of walking, Kinduvas reaches the tavern, walks through the doors and notes that there is indeed one patron, a wood elf, sitting at a table near the middle of the room, half-empty drink in hand. Little did he know of the conversation which had taken place only moments before.

Jasper:

---

The bartender takes the coin and wipes the counter down in one smooth motion. He grabs a glass stein from the shelf behind the bar and promptly fills it from one of the wooden kegs that more or less make up the wall behind him. As he does so, he speaks, "You must be talking about Melvin the Magnificent. Yeah, he came through not too long ago, left not too long ago either. I don't know where he went; though, even if you're of a mind to catch him, you won't." He turns back to the elf, full stein in hand, "Man's ship is legend. And if you have any business with him, I would ask that you please keep it out from under my roof. Last time he was here, I had to pay Antwen a king's ransom to come fix this place up. Hell, I've had to fire my entire staff and raise drink prices, not to mention rent out my room-- MY room, mind you to some stranger who came in from the old road last night. So don't be bringing that man up so long as you are under my roof, or I'll triple your drink price." He slams the stein down on the table in front of the elf. "Now, how about the weather?"

[Saskia]

Brynhild looks to the sky and sighs. Yet another day where the sky is pissing on her. She'd rather have driving sleet than more damn rain. On the plus side, it does mean the horsemen probably won't attack. Maybe. Ache as she might for something interesting to happen after a couple boring days on a barge, following a couple boring days waiting on the caravan, she didn't want interesting at the expense of innocent lives. She shouldn't have agreed to this boring mercenary work, but she did give her word.

She decides to walk around town, anyway. If anyone whined about it, she wasn't given a post to leave, and she could just say she was making herself useful looking for threats, or something to that effect. In reality, she was looking for trouble, but only if somebody else started it.

[Diful Takveh]

As the port is outside the southern town's walls, Brynhild walks in the general direction of the bridge as the sailors and dock hands work to unload the cargo from the barge and onto wagons. It doesn't take long for her to see the actual gate in the wall, open but with guards posted on both the interior and exterior of the opening. Before they notice her, the guards outside are more than at ease, carrying on and joking, but upon noticing the dwarf mercenary, they straighten up and look straight ahead as guards should do. As Brynhild is entering the town, a human woman, barely taller than the dwarf and almost as wide; though that was due more to a wider bone structure and muscle than fat, and carrying a large basket filled with all kinds of baked goods makes her way out. She stops and smiles as she sees Brynhild, "I don't think I've seen you before." She shifts her basket to her left hand and reaches out her right for the dwarf to shake, "Name's Sylvia, resident baker here in Redwater." Whether or not the hand is accepted, she continues to talk, "Judging by your weapons, I suppose they want you down in the fort, but a lot of us would feel safer if there were more battle ready here in town. I don't know if you heard, but there was an attack of sorts on the town two weeks ago. I thank the divines that none of my family was injured in the assault, but knowing that there were people affected by it... Well, I'm doing the best I can to help." There is a rumble of thunder in the north, and Sylvia looks up at the looming cloud, "Well, I guess I'd better get going. Soggy bread is still edible, but only marginally so. Feel free to join me and stretch your legs after staying cooped up on a boat for so long. If not, I'm glad to have met you, and I hope to see you again."

[SiegeTower]

When the sounds of thunder are heard, Freyalise looks to the sky and sees there is indeed a dark cloud approaching. Freya was just ending a performance and about to start her encore but she was not going to do that in the rain. Wet clothing was most unpleasant and she was too fine a lady to be uncomfortable in that way. She bows to whoever was still looking at and informs no one in particular that she was to continue her show in the nearest tavern.

Freya rushes out of the streets to the nearest inn she could find and much to her disappointment, there was a less than healthy amount of patrons. There were two she spotted right away and maybe one hiding in a corner she wasn't paying attention to. This place would have to do though as Freya was not going to risk getting wet to find something else. She might even have to spend the night here if the rain doesn't let up.

The woman pondered for a moment and then thought maybe she could make the best of this situation. If she was going to potentially spend the night here, maybe she could do that with some company. There were two lonely looking patrons who didn't seem like they had anything else to do.

"Well hello there." Freya said to neither of the two specifically. "I feel I'll need to be spending some time here with the weather going the way it is. Would someone be so kind as to get me something to drink? I get tipsy raaaaather easily so please, nothing tooooo strong." Freya feigned a bit of dimwittedness with her last statement trying to sound both naive and seductive.

Spoiler: Rolling for persuasion against the PCs if needed.

Show

(1d20+6)[15]

[Bladehunter217]

Sadi listens to the music, not joining in, he enjoyed it just fine but was wholly unfamiliar with the song. The Goblin girl catches his eye, he had some sympathy for her, having lost his own family at a young age, when the work for today was done he might try to find her and offer his condolences. He offers a smile to the nearest Goblin, "I've always liked a good days labour, but today was not supposed to be a seeding day. What caused the smoke that brought me here?

[Shinovar]

Kinduvas sits down at a table in the corner, his back to the wall. He catches the barkeeps eye and motions, lifting his right index and middle fingers fingers, signalling the barkeep to bring him his usual beverage, and giving him a chance to catch up on some local news.

[sparky9042]

Idiot boy. The baker's husband will probably not let him wander about the stalls quite so easily anymore. Oh well, what should I care, this guy's pretty clearly part of the problem here. The kid'll figure things out someday, hopefully.

Liam looks down at the bread, cherishing it. "Thank you, sir. This means a lot to me." He smiles somewhat at the baker's husband before walking off, making sure to hold the bread as though it were the most important thing in the world until he's out of sight of the baker, eventually looking for somewhere out-of-sight to eat the bread.

[Saskia]

Brynhild smiles and nods at the guards as she walks by. "Carry on, men. You have my permission."

She takes Sylvia's hand and, somewhat dumbly, stares at her while she talks. She's really not used to anyone talking so quickly, let alone in her second language, and it takes a moment to process what she said.

"Yes, ma'am, name's Brynhild. I'll be glad to come with. What sort of attack was this? Gnolls climb the walls, then? Orcs hit the farms outside?"

[Diful Takveh]

The wind begins to pick up. It isn't anywhere near strong enough to be dangerous, but it is strong enough to be annoying to anyone with loose hair.

Freya:

---

Most of the goblins at the construction site remain where they are; though they switch from construction to covering any unfinished parts of the building in tarps and gathering tools to keep them out of the rain. A few of those who had been at the church stay as well to help, but the rest and a small handful of the build crew follow along to the tavern, starting up an impromptu encore of that most joyous of refrains as they went.

Kinduvas:

---

The barkeep pours Kinduvas his drink, loosely based on a drink popular in the capital when he was there, one of the few things he kept from his home city. In the capital, it was made by pouring rice wine over a hot pepper as it was poured into a glass. During his stay here, Kinduvas had improved it, using a stronger drink, distilled from the sweet potatoes which grew rather well in the lands south of Redwater. As for the pepper, it was out of season at the moment, so they weren't as hot; as such, Greg the barkeep had gotten in the habit of simply cutting one in half and adding it in.

He brings over the drink, "Not much to report, I'm afraid. Haven't had many customers 'sides you since I had to raise drink prices. There was an elf who came in from the old road, rented my room for a sizable amount. Said he was some kinda mercenary, but didn't get much else out'a him."

Tavern Folks (Freya/Kind/Jasper):

---

Spoiler: Count of Patrons

Show

I believe the count is two patrons and one barkeep with both patrons being PCs though I have been known to miscount. The other hooded elf has already gone.

Greg the barkeep turns to the new arrivals, bringing joy (and potentially some coin) to his establishment. He throws up his arms, beckoning them to sit with large gestures, "Welcome, welcome, all of you. Have a seat wherever you please."

Sadi:

---

Most of the goblins turn away to focus on their respective work, not really wanting to answer the question. One of the goblins behind Sadi speaks up, "We... were attacked." Turning around, Sadi sees that it is a male goblin, who stood out as an exemplary laborer even with amongst his peers. "The humans want us to believe that it was a band of orcs on horseback, but orcs are too honorable to cover their faces with masks." He shakes his head, "They burned our houses and fields and killed anyone who got in their way." He looks up at the sky as thunder rolls across the farm, "We should finish tilling the field before the rain starts. We can continue talking inside if you wish." With that, he returns to working the field.

Liam:

---

The baker's husband smiles, but it isn't a comforting sort of smile, more of a sneer as he tries to show his teeth without spreading the corners of his mouth. Maybe the emotion behind it was real, but he certainly didn't look happy that he had given bread to an unfortunate man. Liam makes his way toward the northern part of town. He didn't have to far to find an almost deserted stretch of industrial buildings. The goblins who normally worked there were forbidden entry to this part of town at the moment, so it was likely the most deserted spot he would find within city limits. He sits down to partake in his loaf, but his keen half-elven ears hear quiet swears and curses against the divines coming from somewhere behind him, nothing too distinct, so it was some ways off.

Brynhild:

---

Brynhild starts to walk across the bridge with Sylvia, passing another set of guards manning the retraction mechanism of the bridge. Once the pair is out of earshot of the guards, the baker speaks in a low voice, "Well, not exactly. Officially, the true identity of the assailants is unknown, and there are hearings in Vandre, but anyone with half a brain knows that it wasn't the Krill but an enemy much closer to home." The two have reached the end of the bridge and Sylvia stops to face Brynhild, "Let's just say that it wasn't a coincidence that the attack happened the night that a goblin was elected as one of the aldermen." Saying that, she starts walking again. A wooden pathway extends to your right, following the river bank to a two story building about a quarter mile away. Nearby, a young goblin sits on the path, letting her feet dangle into the water below. Farther away, a hooded man is walking down the path toward the bridge. Sylvia doesn't take that path, instead taking the one directly ahead, formed of raised dirt and gravel. One can scarcely hear the faint sounds of a song in the distance, but the wind soon picks up and any music that might have been heard is lost in the wind.

[Bladehunter217]

Sadi nods, anyone who was hiding their face and didn't steal anything had a grudge and the goblins clearly knew who it was. He bent down and focused on the work at hand.

[Shinovar]

Kinduvas nods Greg in thanks for both the drink and the news, or lack there of. "It seems this trip was a waste of time" he thinks to himself as a takes a drink. He reconsiders as he takes the time to enjoy his last sip. "Well, maybe not a complete waste." Still, he wouldn't accomplish anything by just drinking, not until he had accomplished something.

He rolls his eyes as the half elf walks in an announces her presence to the bar. Silly fop, with nothing on her mind other than flirting with men. She's probably never suffered loss or had to do a hard days work in her life. Still, she doesn't look like she is from here. She might have some information he can use.

Kinduvas scoots over, making room next to him and motions to a seat at his table. He motions to Greg, again raising his right hand. "I'll have another for the lady."

[sparky9042]

Liam starts to raise the loaf to his mouth, pauses, looks around briefly, then stows the loaf in his pack and heads in the direction of the voice he heard.

[Saskia]

Brynhild sighs. She takes a ribbon from her belt pouch to tie back her hair, with something of a scowl. Brynhild doesn't like goblins much, either; they attack their miners and loggers, they steal horses and tools. But there are also fourth, eighth, twelfth generation goblins in Överhavet who are just fine. Some of them even serve as warriors, and Brynhild even counts a few among her friends. If they're living with you, they probably aren't much of a threat unless you go out of your way to alienate them. It's not only hateful and cruel, it's also stupid. That's awful. I hope they get shingles for what they've done. Even we don't treat goblins like that back home, and we're nearly constantly at war with one tribe or other." She looks to the sky again, and asks "Can I expect similar treatment, or is there some special animosity for goblins here?"

[CeaseofMorality]

Jasper looks up from his drink and grins. Bartender! Another drink for this fine lady!

[SiegeTower]

Freyalise smiles profusely when she hears the additional drink order. "My it's so nice to meet a real gentleman around these parts." She struts her stuff down to were Jasper sits but instead of taking the seat next to him, she makes a show of standing behind the sailor and wrapping her arms down from his shoulders to hug his torso. "My name's Freyalise hun. But you can just call me Freya if you like it that way."

Freya enjoyed the tease she was giving Jasper but soon she noticed that other had followed her into the tavern. It seemed that there were many who did want the show to continue after all. Freyalise lets out a happy sigh and crawls back up Jasper's body ending it with a stroke on his cheek. "I'll have that drink with you in a moment sweetie, I have guests to entertain."

Freya had begun to feel more mellow when her thoughts had turned into where she was sleeping for the night and because of this, the song she played this time for her audience was a lot calmer. Instead of trotting about and starting a parade, Freya takes a seat on a table in the middle of the tavern and beings to play a melody for all that wanted to listen.

Something more somber and relaxing.

'You've wept, you've laughed, you've worked, and you've played. Now it is time for all of us to relax and drink. Please, no need to tip me tonight. Simply spend any coin you were going to gift me and instead buy yourselves a nice drink from our tavern keeper here. Sit, drink, rest, and enjoy the music."

[Diful Takveh]

Sadi:

---

The work is hard, and the hot sun isn't making it any easier. The goblins finish their planting in due time, and just as they finish, a dwarf and a human come in sight of the group, the taller (if only marginally) of the two carries a basket of baked goods.

Brynhild:

---

Sylvia remains quiet for a few moments as the two walk farther northward, "I don't mean to, and I don't want to justify what was done, but the empire was rather thorough in the dehumanization propaganda, an easy thing to do when your enemy looks so different from you. Well, at least where I came from it was thorough. I can't say much about the rest," she shrugs. "Anyway, I think some people might have a harder time purging it from their systems than others. I thought they might just need more time, but then..." She frowns as she trails off, shakes her head, and looks Brynhild in the eye, "I truly am sorry that you had to come at such a time. But at the same time, I'm glad you're here. Redwater doesn't need any more mercenaries who think of nothing but gold, glory, and girls." The two of you come upon a small group of goblins working a field with a gnome.

Sadi/Brynhild:

---

She starts, "Well, I see you've had a busy day. Why don't we sit down and--" she is interrupted by the flash of a nearby bolt of lightning and the crack of thunder immediately following. Moments later, the rain starts in a downpour, almost as if the thunder had knocked all the water from the sky all at once. The goblin who had talked to Sadi before shouts to be heard above the wind and the rain, "Hurry, let's get to my house at the edge of the farm. It's big enough for all of us. Ely, Mai, help Mrs. Breda with her basket." Two of the goblins who had been working in the field take Sylvia's basket from her, covering it as best they could with their bodies. The goblin who had spoken up extends his hand to Sylvia to lead her through the rain. Either of the other two goblins mirror this gesture with Sadi and and Brynhild. Sylvia unties her apron and holds it over her head as a makeshift umbrella.

The house is small, but unlike many of the other houses in the town, it was built with the expectation of human-sized visitors, so the doorway was easily traversed by all who entered. The interior of the house was dark with the shutters on the paneless windows closed, and the lamp that the homeowner lit revealed the house to be a single room with a loft on the back half of the building. "Please, take a seat," the goblin says, patting a table with one hand and pointing to a larger chair in the corner. Ely and Mai had put the basket of bread on the counter that somewhat defined a kitchen. An advantage of their shortness relative to the human average, Brynhild and Sylvia can stand up perfectly well in the front half in the house and only have to slightly duck under the loft joists. That being said, there were eight bodies squeezed into around a hundred square feet, and if the storm didn't pass quickly, it could become cramped rather easily.

Tavern Folk:

---

Greg smiles at the lady's suggestion. Yes, this seemed it would be a very profitable day indeed. As she goes to a platform raised some four inches off the floor in the back of the room to play, he eagerly starts around the room, pulling out chairs for his customers and taking orders, but by the time he had finished, his step had lost its spring. He goes over to the bar and pours two pints of beer, taking them to the two out of ten or so goblins who had ordered anything. He sighs, shaking his head and looks out the window at the town morosely when a bolt of lightning strikes somewhere close enough to the tavern that the difference between the flash and the crack was negligible. As the rain starts, he closes the storm door so the floor wouldn't get wet. He didn't need any more problems today.

Liam:

---

Liam creeps quietly toward the voice, managing to find the source rather easily and without being detected. It was the boy from earlier. Either this was a coincidence or Liam and the boy had similar thoughts about where the most deserted place would be. The boy was trying to bandage his hand, but every time he almost finished properly wrapping it, it would come loose somewhere. As he tries and fails another time, he kicks a workbench, eliciting a thud which is echoed by a crack of thunder and continued in a downpour of rain. More deliberately, he takes the cloth and wraps it around his left hand, holding the other end in his teeth. When he has finished wrapping, he uses his hand to tie the bandage with the piece held stationary in his mouth. Smiling, he leans back against a wall and closes his eyes.

[Bladehunter217]

Sadi runs as fast as possible. Stopping to grab his pack on the way. He stops at the doorway to wring out his hat before placing it back on his head. "That's going to either be very good or very bad for your crop." He sits, not minding how cramped it is, the better to stay warm. He places his hand on the table and whispers a prayer. A tiny orb forming in his hand, filled with clouds and lightning.

Spoiler: druidcraft

Show

Tiny senser, it will predict if the storm will stop in the next 24 hours. It does so over the course of one round.

also, is there a fireplace I can light?

[sparky9042]

Liam walks up to the boy and sits down next to him, sighing. "You're the boy that bigoted baker's husband chased away, aren't you? Did you manage to get away with a decent haul, at least?"

[Diful Takveh]

Sadi (Brynhild too):

---

The orb forms above his hand, a turbulent mass of clouds and small lightning strikes. Almost immediately, it clears and brightens for a fraction of a second, so quick that it almost seems that it doesn't happen. After that, it clouds and fades to a dim gray cloud that somehow seems damp, remaining this way until it pops out of existence. The goblins appear fascinated by Sadi's abilities, looking intently at the cloudy orb, some even staring at the space it had occupied for some time after it left. The goblin who had taken the lead before does so again, nodding his head to Sadi, "Thank you, good sir, for your help today," and turning his head to Sylvia, he continues, "And for the bread which you brought us... which isn't all for us." He raises his voice ever so slightly as he speaks to Ely and Mai who had taken to mindlessly eating the food rather than introduce themselves. "No, no. It's fine. Doesn't look like I'll be getting out anytime soon."

There is a fireplace under the loft, but it is practically devoid of wood, and the only pieces rest against its frame. There is no rack for the wood to sit on, and water must be leaking into the chimney as a drop falls into a small puddle below.

Liam:

---

The boy looks up, startled, but he quickly regains his composure. "Yeah. I generally asked his wife for food, but since he started his own business selling her day-olds, I've become quite a customer of his." He holds up his bag to show Liam, and there is certainly enough for the boy to eat for a few days, "He doesn't have many customers, save scum and the occasional beggar like you, so I do my share as any concerned member of the community would. He's gonna need regulars, way his marriage is goin'." He flops the bag down at his side and looks Liam in the eye, "So, what's your story? You're not from around here."

[SiegeTower]

The storm had started and now Freyalise knew for sure she wasn't going anywhere. The town was right in the middle of it and it sounded like a bad one. Freya's plan was already in motion for this scenario so she continues with what she had started. She continues to play her lyre for the audience she had drawn into the tavern but as she does, she simultaneously strikes up a conversation with Jasper.

Freya plays her tune, her hands independent of her mouth.

"It seems as though I won't be leaving this place any time soon. Did you have any plans for the rest of the day sweetie? I was thinking when I was done playing for these folks I could drink with a generous gentleman until this storm passes."

[Shinovar]

Kinduvas chuckles under his breath as Freyalise goes over to Jasper. He shouldn't have even tried to waste his time. Well, he may not have gotten any information, but at least he didn't have to spend his time with someone so foolish.

He looks outside as the storm picks up. Perhaps it would drive more people inside, and he could learn something. The goblins were usually good for some tidbits on who was abusing them today, especially if you could listen closely while they think you are too drunk to pay attention. Besides, many of the goblins in the town know of his work, and will even try to be overheard.

The storm will be good too, if he hears anything. The rain will mean that there are few outside and the sound will cover any mistakes he might make.

He finishes his drink and decides to start on the second that he had bought for the ungrateful Frayalise while actively trying to overhear the conversation of the others, pretending like he is only concerned with his drink.

[SiegeTower]

Out of the corner of Freya's eye, she noticed that the other patron of the bar she first encountered had begun the second drink he had purchased on her behalf. This wouldn't do. If he had waited there with a full drink sitting next to him while she gave the other man all the attention, then she would have known for sure she had won over the lonelier man. It seems that one wasn't as desperate as Freya had predicted. She liked a little confidence in a man so she moved on to her other target.

Freya twirls while still playing her harp and stops her small dance when she is within arm's reach of the other patron. She wraps up the song she had just been playing and makes it seem as though it was an intentional ending. In reality, Freya wanted a hand free so she could place a finger on the rim of the glass which Kinduvas had just put to his lips. She gentle pushes down against the glass preventing him from taking a sip.

"And here I thought that one was for me. I've simply been busy entertaining the patrons. All you had to do was wait for me sweetie.

[Shinovar]

Kinduvas looks up at Freyalise, and, while making eye contact, takes another sip of his drink. He maintains the eye contact for a moment, thinking, and then makes himself smile and motion to a seat at his table. "Not to worry my lady, I'll just get you another. This particular drink has the tendency to get flat if you let it sit too long, and I wouldn't want you to have an inferior drink."

He takes another sip of his drink, his mind churning on how to get information from her. It would be so much easier if he could just ask straight out for the information he wanted, but that tended to only make others even less forthright.

"You must not be from around here. I am sure I would have noticed you around town before if you had been for any length of time. Where does one such as yourself come from, and what misfortune brought you to this place?"

[SiegeTower]

Freyalise pouts when Kinduvas continues to drink. His explanation following was satisfying enough for her though so she drops her fake sadness quickly.

"Oh you know. I come from here there and everywhere. I go wherever a song is needed. So you can say it is always the local misfortune that brings me to places." Freya takes the seat offered by Kinduvas ages ago but makes a special attempt to scootch closer to him than was usually expected. She lets her hip rest against his to give more of a, intimate, connection. It's so hard to go into details on things with such a dry throat though. If only there was another non-flattened drink at our table."