Kingmaker in the Forgotten Realms [IC thread]

[Mercurion 2]

An hour or two before sunset, Dergosh took his new horse by the harness and led him outside the gates of Oleg’s Trading Post to graze. He attempted to get a sense of his new beast, but the half-orc wasn’t the most patient teacher, so it was very much a mutual feeling out process. Still, he treated the horse better than its former owners, seemingly, and neither one was injured during the process, so Dergosh counted that as a win.

“Horse not too smart,” he said to his companions as he returned inside, tapping his head without, apparently, any trace of irony. “SO I NAME HIM ‘BAHGTRU’!” he bellowed, laughing uproariously at his own extremely obscure joke.

[almondsAndRain]

Three nodded happily at the trader's request. “Okay, Oleg. I'll let you know what we don't need. And thank you for offering full price!” She finished her walk back from her table and rejoined her companions, still holding Happs' amulet in her hand. It wasn't worth much, so maybe they were better off keeping it for now. She'll run it by her party later.
Looking from face-to-face, Three didn't think any of the others were going to ask anything else. Not seeing the point, but also not wanting to be rude, she decided to ask Dergosh's question for him. The warforged shrugged her shoulders and looked between Happs and Kerwin. “This is a longshot, I know, but do either of you know how to fix catapults?”
Three looked away from the prisoners and spoke to her party. “Oh, and guys? After this, I think we should lock these two up somewhere and have a talk.” The prisoners can't be held forever, not by Oleg or by the party. Now seemed to be a good a time as any to discuss what is to be done with them.
-
After the interrogation, Three returned to her table and set up another makeshift workstation. She stared down at the blank parchment in front of her. What to scribe? She knew in advance what to expect today, and they planned on her having a Silent Image scroll. Tomorrow though? Well, that was a mystery.
Kressle was the greatest threat they'll face tomorrow, probably. So something to take her off the board early would be ideal. Deciding on what spell to scribe, Three crushed a live cricket with her left hand and began to chant words of power.

Spoiler: OOC

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I figure the magic item creation is happening after the interrogation, but before Mercurion2's sunset post. The bandits attacked an hour after dawn, and it's only been a few minutes since then, so she has plenty of time to work on the scroll before Dergosh names his horse.

Mechanics
Roll to create a scroll of Sleep: (1d20+8)[16]
Second roll: (1d20+8)[17]
If either one of these results in a 21 or higher, the scroll is created.
Bonus of +8 from four ranks in Use Magic Device, a Charisma modifier of two, and the masterwork UMD tool.
Regardless of whether or not the scroll was created, it costs 1XP (paid for by the Craft Reserve class feature), 9GP, 37SP, 50CP

Three had 18/20 Craft Reserve remaining. I'll calculate the money remaining soon, but she has more than enough to pay.
EDIT: Three has 81GP, 26SP remaining.

[Saintheart]

Oleg's Trading Post, Southernmost Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
Dawn, First of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

Happs said nothing to Three's question. He just sat there, one corner of his mouth pulled up in a mocking grin.
It was Kerwin who answered. "Me! I do!" The man turned towards her. He had light blue eyes somewhere in the grime of his face and the tangled mat of his beard. "I--I mean, I was an engineer. Bridgebuilder and propper, with Lady Aldinuth's guard--"
Happs strained to turn around in his ropes. "You cowardly scum--"
"Please, saers," Kerwin spoke over him. There was moisture appearing at the corners of his eyes. "I'm sorry. I am. I've a family, in Harethtoe, wife, two daughters. I was wrongly accused, I swear it on the Great Mother."
"Oh yes, he was wrongly accused. Kerwin of the Bottle, that's what they called you, wasn't it, because you had no last name when you'd go to the inn? What about the man you killed, what was his name?"
"He attacked me!" Kerwin looked at the Wolftooth Company in desperation. "But he was as drunk as I was. He fell, cracked his head on a flagstone. Died a day later. I didn't mean to do it. I didn't mean for him to die. But they were going to hang me then and there, so I ran. Left my family behind." Now the tears were real, carving paths of clear skin down his cheeks. "I didn't know what else to do. The man was a nobleman, and there was no truthteller priest in town, so they'd never know the truth of it. Please, my lords. I repent of my crimes, every last one, I don't want to die here to shame my family, leave my daughters with nothing."
"Y' didn't talk much about your daughters when you first came out here," sneered Happs. "Now you're remembering them?"
"My eldest daughter's turning sixteen this year," said Kerwin. He didn't so much bow his head as it slowly drooped towards his chest. "If I die, she'll have no father to remember her, she'll not remember me as anything but a drunken deserter. Please, saers, spare me, I'll work off all the debt I owe here and more. I beg you."

Spoiler: OOC

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If you want to lock these guys up for a discussion, either the stables or the guesthouse would do fine - no windows, no exits, and no weapons. Indeed you could use both if you wanted to split them up.

[almondsAndRain]

Three stared at Kerwin and said nothing, though more out of surprise that one of them actually could fix the catapults than anything else. She looked him in the face, trying to get a read off of him. Eventually, she shrugged her shoulders at the man and noncommittally said, “Well, we'll see.”
She looked up at the tower where Dergosh was... mutilating a finger? She put her hand up to her face, as if to keep the sun out of her eye-holes. No, that was definitely what he was doing. Choosing to ignore the sight of that, Three pointed at Kerwin and yelled back at Dergosh. “Hey! This one can fix catapults!”
“Here, you two, get up. Follow me.” The warforged helped the two stand, since they were tied together. She led them by the rope into the guesthouse. It was a little further away then the stables and the shed, so they would have more trouble overhearing the conversation. Three shut the door behind her and returned to her party, hoping to discuss punishment for the bandits.
“Right, so. What do we do with them?”

Spoiler: OOC

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Sense motive to see if dude was lying: (1d20+2)[22]
+1 from her Wisdom modifier, +1 from the Brigand trait

[Saintheart]

Oleg's Trading Post, Southernmost Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
An hour after dawn, First of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

Right after they'd dumped the two bandits in the guesthouse, Oleg came out of the house. He had a purse on him and seemed ready to trade with them, but looked around with sudden concern. "Where's those two scum gone? Did you kill them while I was gone?"

Spoiler

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Three has a distinct hunch that Kerwin is telling the truth. Dealing with the sort of men she has, Kerwin in many ways is familiar to Three: like a number of bandits she's met, he's a man of strong emotions and clearly wears his heart on his sleeve - the bandit had gone from aggression to shock at the killing of the teenager bandit to anger to fear and remorse in the space of a few moments. His story of drunkenness and then perhaps irrationally fleeing justice also seemed to fit that general coat of personality in such men. In Three's experience, these sort of men had a harder time deceiving people; it was the quieter ones who were usually the deceivers, because they'd learned to control their faces as well as their hearts and words. Such men were often driven by the company they kept.

Three has a fleeting but strong intuition: that the boy who just died had been a sort of proxy for Kerwin's family more or less since he'd been out here. Now the boy was dead, and Kerwin was for the first time in a while thinking about his family back home. Fork-in-the-path moments for such men didn't come along often, and it sounded like Kerwin was at one.

[Mercurion 2]

Dergosh came back over to the inside edge of the tower and looked down when Three shouted up to him. "Good," he replied simply.

He looked back over at the catapult, pondering, then shouted back down. "Once catapults fixed, we can test by shooting other one over the walls." With that, Dergosh settled back into his work of maiming the helpless tower with his doomed attempt at carving a wolf's paw.

[kjelfalconer]

"I mean, you can't have a town without people in it, so I guess it makes sense not to kill him. And I guess I can keep an eye on him. Two, if I had them." And he'd probably have words with said repentant bandit, down the line. After he'd checked out his story.

And maybe this stag lord as well. Someone like that had to have made a name for himself. So he'd root out every little bit of info he could. He'd have to slip a few birds off later.

[BluesEclipse]

"The bowman, Happs, should certainly be put to death," Korlann remarks, having listened to the conversations. "He clearly has no remorse for his actions, and our charter is clear on that matter. For the other..." He frowns for a moment. "He claims to be repentant, and says he wants to atone for his actions. I'm not certain if I believe him, though - I've seen men claim to be remorseful only to try and escape the moment an opening arises, and return to their ways." Glancing at the construct, he says, "What are your thoughts, Three of Three? You've been conversing with them the most - do you feel Kerwin is honest about his tale, and his desire to change?"

[almondsAndRain]

Three waved Oleg over, so he could better listen to the group. “Hello, Oleg. We were actually discussing that possibility right now. I've stowed them in the guesthouse, while we decide.”
She paused before responding to Korlann's questioning, trying to get her thoughts on the situation in order. The bowman is a simpler matter, so she'd decided to speak about that first. “I'm in agreement with the rest of you, especially in regards to Happs. All that really remains regarding him is the execution method. I vote for... anything other than execution by catapult.” She briefly looked towards Dergosh in belief, before laughing it off and continuing the conversation.
“As for Kerwin? Well... I've had a bit of experience with his type of man before, and I think I've read him properly. I believe that his story was true and that he'd change, if given the chance. ” Three glanced at Oleg. “If I had to guess, I would say it was when the younger bandit was killed. Geran was sixteen years old, same as Kerwin's daughter. The death may have hit him harder than we thought.”
Three looked Oleg and her party members each in the face before finishing. “That does leave us wondering what to do with him, though. We could do what Dergosh suggested and have him repair the catapults, I suppose, but that isn't a long-term solution.”

[BluesEclipse]

Nodding, Korlann answers, "For Happs, I'd say just cut him down and be done with it - he deserves no more consideration than that. For Kerwin, however... given what I know of Harethtoe, his story is certainly plausible. In most places, it would be unusual for someone such as him to visit the same establishments as the nobles with any frequency, but that town only has a couple of inns worth any note, so such an encounter wouldn't surprise me. And the clergy of Helm that oversee things are said to be... let's just call it morally flexible, if the proper incentives are offered."

Korlann thinks for a moment, folding and unfolding the spines on his arm rhythmically as he ponders the situation, watching as the light glints off of the blue edges. Finally, he says, "I don't believe it right for us to execute the man without giving him a chance to change. But I'm not willing to risk your safety," he nods at Oleg as he says this, "or that of your wife by leaving him here if you're not willing to have him remain. If you are, we'll offer him a choice - to travel with us, at least until we've dealt with this Kressle and the rest of her crew, or to remain here working for you. If you would prefer not to have him here, we'll simply take him with us when we go after Kressle. After that, we can revisit the situation and determine a more long-term solution then. And if he does slip back... well, he'll see that we're quite willing to carry out the terms of our charter."

[Saintheart]

Oleg's Trading Post, Southernmost Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
An hour after dawn, First of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

When Three mentioned the boy, Oleg glanced at the sad pile of bodies where they lay, abruptly jerking his head away. He chewed his lip for several long moments, and the more perceptive members of the Company noticed his hands clenching and unclenching. But the big man breathed out heavily, and finally, and raised his head to look at them.
"If y' say he seems to want to turn his life about, I'll trust your judgment. You've saved this place. I don't like the swine one bit, but ... well, me and Svetlana wouldn't be here if we didn't believe in second chances." The big man looked about at the trading post, from the wallowing catapults to the sagging roof of the stables to the dust and grime over the wooden walls. "Truth is there's more work here than one man can really do. 'Tis a bigger job repairing this place than I first thought. She could be beautiful, I believe it, the money's here to be made, even if we're too far from the Greenbelt or a river than makes sense, but it's damned hard to try and keep the money coming in and keep the roof from leaking. If he's got a daughter, well, he'll stand more chance of puttin' together a dowry for her alive and workin' up some honest sweat on a rooftop here than he would facedown in a dell somewhere in the Greenbelt. So look," he said, and with a sigh, "if you've no use for him, I could put 'im to work here. Work off his crimes against me and mine, see if he really wants to change."
"That could be a rather dangerous test," Korlann said.
"I know." Oleg's face was grim. "Saw plenty enough drunkards and low men back in Dunbridges. Change for those scum was like a mistress who'd take their money, give them a little hope, and leave them back in the gutter again. But I know how to keep a prisoner. And 'til he proves himself that's what he'll be here. As I said, though - assuming you don't have any other use for him." The big man's face hardened. "But that other swine, he doesn't leave this place alive."

[BluesEclipse]

"Absolutely," Korlann replies to Oleg, having waited while the man worked through his thoughts on the matter. "If there's no other objections, I believe we can deal with this now - Kuros, Gakan, if the two of you could bring Happs? Three, Ruk, bring Kerwin out as well. It's only right that he bear witness to Happs's punishment as well." He sighs for a moment, taking one of the swords that the bandits were using. "While I'm content to show him a better path, it's also for the best that we make it perfectly clear what awaits him if he chooses the life he's been living. Once Happs has been dealt with, we'll speak to Kerwin and discuss how we'll handle him - then, Oleg, we can discuss business. Better to wait until we no longer have such weighty subjects hanging over our heads, eh?"

[bcool999]

Kuros nods solemnly, and goes to fetch the prisoners. He'll be glad for Kerwin if he really does change, this trading post could be something with a little repair work and maybe a splash of paint.

[Zombulian]

"Sounds fair enough to me. Though," Ruk looked up at his party-mate and put a claw over his head to demonstrate his slight stature, "Is my physical presence really necessary? I appreciate my inclusion, but I'm not quite the restraining type."

[BluesEclipse]

Korlann nods at Ruk, and replies, "You may not be best suited to restrain him, but you'll be able to act if he does try something. It's the same reason I asked Gakan to assist Kuros."

[Saintheart]

Oleg's Trading Post, Southernmost Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
An hour after dawn, First of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

They came out quietly.

They did not resist, though there was a world of difference between their expressions when they emerged and saw Korlann with a sword in his hand. Happs seemed to give a small sigh and resumed his semi-mocking smile; Kerwin's eyes widened but he bit his lip, looking down at the ground.

The Company brought them out into the centre of the yard. The night's chill had faded completely but a taste of water clung to the air. The shadow of the palisade cut a knife across the two bandits, leaving them half in light, half in darkness. They knelt. The air was still, but a few errant leaves rolled, tumbled, and danced, and then came to rest in one dusty corner of the yard. Oleg shifted on his feet, coughing once into his hand.

[Zombulian]

Ruk stood by. Solemn and stern. "You meet your fate well enough Happs Bydon, that I grant you. I do not wish you rest, but I hope you find your gods in time."

[Saintheart]

Oleg's Trading Post, Southernmost Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
An hour after dawn, First of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

"Shove it up your reptile nose, you multicoloured moron," snarled Happs. His head snapped up to look at the kobold. His eyes were full of hate. "There's things out there in the forest you don't know anything about. They'll find you. Just you wait. You'll be drinking fire in the Nine Hells with me before the month is out." He whipped his head around, trying to get a look at where Korlann was standing. "Well? What're you waiting for? You going to say a prayer or something, or you going to go ahead and murder another helpless man?"

[BluesEclipse]

Korlann watched as the two came out, his face impassive and his eyes as hard as stone. As the two men knelt, he spoke, calling back to memories of ceremonies witnessed in Leshinnik Dalthor, and the language used by the Perfects when issuing decrees. "By order of the Lance Lords of High Emmerock, and with the Authority vested in them by the Office of the Regent of the Dragonmount Throne, we have been dispatched to the Greenbelt under charter - per that charter, among our duties, we have been directed to strive against banditry and other such behaviors. You came to this place to engage in banditry and theft, not just today but multiple times in the past, by your own admission. By your actions, you have been judged and found guilty." As he speaks, he walks around to where Happs kneels, standing just behind the man and taking a moment to bring the sword into position.

"By the laws of Emmerock, the penalty for unrepentant banditry is death. You have shown no remorse for your actions, no concern for those you have harmed, and no indication that you would not continue to do as you have been, given the chance. As such, it falls to me to carry out that sentence. I advise you to offer one final prayer to your god, that they may find you in the City of Judgement - whether they do or not, however, is not my concern." Pausing for a moment, allowing the man a moment to complete a brief prayer, he says, "May your soul find its path, and may your essence live on throughout eternity." With that, he thrusts the sword into the base of the man's neck, before drawing it back out.

Turning towards Kerwin, he says, "Per those laws, the punishment for unrepentant banditry is death." Taking out a rag, he wipes the blade down, meeting the man's eyes. "You say that you repent of your crimes, and wish to pay your debts, to restore your honor. Having considered this, and having discussed it with the one here you most wronged... we are willing to offer you an opportunity to do so. Oleg is willing to have you remain here, under his watch, to work until he feels your debt is paid. Alternatively, if you prefer not to remain here, you can come with us - you would be able to serve as our guide to the region, and there's no shortage of tasks that we'd be able to have you perform while we travel. In either case," he gestures to what remains of Happs, "this is the fate that would await you should you decide that repentance doesn't suit you. Take the remainder of this day, and make your choice."

[Saintheart]

Oleg's Trading Post, Southernmost Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
An hour after dawn, First of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

"There's no -- there's no need," stuttered Kerwin. They had loosed his rope and he now stood. He shuddered as he looked at Happs Bydon's corpse, then forced his gaze back to Oleg and the Wolftooth Company. "He -- he was right about one thing. The Greenbelt's dangerous. There's places in there I wouldn't go. I only really was up this end, the north end, and then never on my own, we always travelled with someone else. I mean, except for Kressle, she'd go off wandering the woods on her own, but she's crazy. I don't, I don't really know that much of the area anyway. If -- if it's all right, I'd rather stay here and work, I -- I said I'd fix the catapults for you. And there's a lot more I can--"
"Shut up," said Oleg, grimly, stamping forward. "You're going to fix those catapults, all right. And a whole lot more than that besides. You might regret wanting to stay here, in time. A place to sleep, and food to fill your belly. That's my word and all the pay you'll get 'til you've worked off what y' did to me. You might be some of the worst scum I've ever met, but Oleg Leveton never let a man go hungry under his roof if he did a service for him. That'll be true." Oleg glanced at the Wolftooth. "'Fraid to say, though, the promises of these warriors to come back and kill you isn't enough for me."
A look of fear came back into Kerwin's eyes. "But I promised--"
"To the Nine Hells with promises. If you've a wife and daughters as you say, y' already broke the most important promises you could ever make." Kerwin's eyes filled with tears, and he looked down. Oleg's arm snapped out, and he wrenched the man's chin up. Korlann expected the man to cringe, but Kerwin didn't; he just stood there, face wet with water. Oleg leaned in close. "I'll not have your promise. I'll have your oath. Swear. Swear by the god you hold highest that you'll serve here 'til I say your debt's done."
Kerwin swallowed. "I--" He coughed, swallowed again. "I swear I will stay and serve you, in peace, in amendment for my crimes, until you say my debt is paid. I swear I will raise no hand against you or your wife, now or ever again. I swear, by the Great Mother. By Chauntea, who lives in all places. May she rot me away like blighted berries if I break my oath."

Oleg held the man's gaze for a long moment. Then he straightened, releasing the man's face. Kerwin coughed, wiped at his dirty face, looked down.

He saw a hand in front of him. Oleg's. The big man was holding it out to be shaken.
Slowly, fearfully, Kerwin took the man's hand.
"What's your name again?" Oleg's tone was still gruff, but the fire in it was smouldering rather than raging now.
"Kerwin," said Kerwin.
"You got a last name?"
The former bandit looked up. His eyes were sad, deeply sad. "Bottler."
"Is that your real name?" asked Korlann. The Skarn was stern.
"Aye," said Kerwin. "'Twas my father's trade. He was a glassmaker. And his father before him, a glassblower. A bottler."
"Kerwin Bottler," said Oleg, nodding. He jerked his head in the direction of the nearest tower. "Catapults need mending. Suggest you get started. I'll have Svetlana bring food out for ye once we're finished up here."

[kjelfalconer]

Well, it had been an interesting morning for sure, Gakan thought to himself, as he quietly attached the letter to the birds leg, the wax freshly dried with the imprint of several claw marks in it.

All he had to do now was wait, he thought, as he slipped back to the main group, wings softly fluttering behind him. They had a day or two before they were planning to move out it seemed, at least. Ample time for such a simple question.

Spoiler: ooc

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(1d20+9)[16]

[Zombulian]

Ruk sniffed.
He took a look at the corpse of Happs and the others, then went and grabbed a knife.
Over the course of the a few hours Ruk carves and chops up each of them and puts their bits into a bag.
"Could anyone help me take these out to the fields?"

Spoiler

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We're going sky burial up in here.
Alternatively, someone can stop Ruk after seeing his butchery. He's not being cruel, but coming from the desert he doesn't know much about burying or funeral pyres. He's planning to feed these folks to the buzzards.

[almondsAndRain]

Three solemnly watched the execution, hoping to come off as disinterested. Happened definitely deserved it- as he reminded them all when he spat out more abuse. Still, Three was glad she wasn't the one to kill him. Killing someone in combat is one thing, but this felt different. Which, she supposed, was just one more thing that made Kerwin different than Happs.
She actually was disinterested in Kerwin swearing his oath. She already believed that he was honest and try to redeem himself, so her attention was elsewhere. Three was thinking about how to ensure his loyalty, long-term. Being on friendly terms with an engineer had to be useful. Something involving his family would do the trick, she bet. But transporting them out here would be expensive, and there was no guarantee that they would or even could come.
Ruk beginning to dismember a corpse caught her attention and broke her train of thought. That's the second time in one day one of her party members did that, and it was still strange. Then again, who says that bodies have to be buried? Maybe humans are the strange ones, putting their dead in the ground, as if they would grow into a tree. That thought gave Three an idea, and so she approached Ruk.
"Here, we should leave this one alone." Three squatted near Ruk, and then began to lift Geran off the ground. He was a bit small, for a human. "I don't know what you're doing, but I imagine Kerwin would prefer if you didn't do it to this one. I doubt he cares about what happens to the others, though. I have a shovel, so I can dig a hole for Geran after I scribe my scroll. It will let Kerwin have a quick burial, say some last words, that sort of thing."

[Zombulian]

Ruk looked up at Three and nodded slowly. I suppose she knows more about these lands than I do. But why you'd prefer someone's bones to rot in the ground rather than be carried off to the heavens... I don't know.
He continued working on his bandit carne asada.

[Mercurion 2]

Spoiler

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I am presuming that sometime in the course of the day Kerwin goes up to take a look at the catapults as Oleg ordered him to do.

Taking a break from boiling the finger bone, Dergosh returned to the tower where Kerwin was examining a dilapidated catapult. He watched in silence for some time before interrupting. “Good,” he said. “Good you know how to fix. You not a bandit anymore, now you an orc,” he stated, most likely thoroughly confusing the man. “Orc of the Wolftooth Company. Keep nose clean, else we have to come and cut nose off you.”

The cleric looked out over the lands outside of the fort, gazing in the direction of the Greenbelt. “Bring your little orcs out here to live. Plenty of space in new Wolftooth lands, plenty of jobs.”
He turned his attention back to the man’s work on the catapults. “So what you think, be ready tomorrow to shoot rocks at dragon if he shows ugly face?”

~~~

That evening, when the company was back together, Dergosh asked Three and the rest of the group, “So, we go after lady goblin bandit tomorrow? Or maybe dragon-thing from poster?” he said, unable to hide that he’d prefer the latter. “Need to know so Gruumsh can terrorize enemies properly.”

[Zombulian]

Spoiler

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I am presuming that sometime in the course of the day Kerwin goes up to take a look at the catapults as Oleg ordered him to do.

Taking a break from boiling the finger bone, Dergosh returned to the tower where Kerwin was examining a dilapidated catapult. He watched in silence for some time before interrupting. “Good,” he said. “Good you know how to fix. You not a bandit anymore, now you an orc,” he stated, most likely thoroughly confusing the man. “Orc of the Wolftooth Company. Keep nose clean, else we have to come and cut nose off you.”

The cleric looked out over the lands outside of the fort, gazing in the direction of the Greenbelt. “Bring your little orcs out here to live. Plenty of space in new Wolftooth lands, plenty of jobs.”
He turned his attention back to the man’s work on the catapults. “So what you think, be ready tomorrow to shoot rocks at dragon if he shows ugly face?”

~~~

That evening, when the company was back together, Dergosh asked Three and the rest of the group, “So, we go after lady goblin bandit tomorrow? Or maybe dragon-thing from poster?” he said, unable to hide that he’d prefer the latter. “Need to know so Gruumsh can terrorize enemies properly.”

Spoiler

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Wouldn't Dergosh call us the Wolftooth Tribe?

"That's a good question Dergosh. Happs said that they generally roamed for days at a time, so we don't necessaroly have to hit the bandits right away."
He stood and thought for a second, "I know you'd like to take on the beasty, but I was thinking, if we can manage to ally ourselves with that group of Kobolds we may be able to enlist their help in storming the bandit camp."

[BluesEclipse]

Korlann nods as Kerwin says his piece, and gives Oleg his oath. As the man does, Korlann finds the corners of his mouth turning up in a slight smile, as he finishes cleaning the blade he used to execute Happs and returns it to the rest of the items that were claimed from the bandits. Checking with the rest of the group to make sure there is nothing else anyone wants to hang onto, and allowing Oleg to give Kerwin his first instructions, he then approaches the man, saying, "Now that the unpleasant part of things has been dealt with, perhaps we can sit down and finalize our business regarding their equipment?"

-----

Korlann looks at Ruk and replies, "I'd rather we deal with Kressle and her group first - she may decide to come after Oleg when she learns what happened here, so we should work to head that off first. Besides, if Happs's bunch was an example, we won't particularly need the help."

[Saintheart]

Oleg's Trading Post, Southernmost Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
Some time in the morning, First of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

Kerwin cringed when Dergosh turned towards him, but once it was established that the half-orc wasn't going to express inappropriate interest in any of his extremities, the man calmed down somewhat. In particular some of the hardness came out of his eyes when the cleric mentioned bringing family out here.

And a little flare of interest came to the former bandit's eyes when Dergosh asked how the reconstruction was going. It was, sadly, a flare of frustration.
"Well ... this isn't going to be easy." His gesture seemed to take in all four catapults on the towers. "Won't be ready tomorrow, that's the truth. I don't know who's been maintaining these things, but leaving them out in the elements for, I dunno, years, hasn't been good for them at all. The throwing arm on half of them's rotted from the rain, gods know why they made it out of unwaxed pine. The one over there on the northwest corner's got a sagging fulcrum. I don't know why yet, I thought they'd use wanderwood for that, but either way, that'll have to be replaced. Worse is that the rope for the spring on all of them's gone very bad. Fraying, they won't fire at all. We'll need new rope and a lot of new wood, and that's goin' to take time. But the worst part of all ..."

Kerwin gestured Dergosh over to one of the catapult wheels, crouching down next to it. The former bandit pointed at a long, dusty brown line of something which crept from the wooden wall of the palisade, across the wooden floor, and onto the main body of the catapult. It had the look of a brown sort of vein, raised above wooden skin.

Kerwin stood up, dusting his hands off. "Termites. Most likely they smelled the pine on the throwing arm. Little buggers will just about build tunnels over firepits to get to it, it's like raw sugar for them, they'll eat through almost anything to get to pine. And most likely the damn catapult's riddled with 'em now. But the fact they've built a runner twenty feet up, this far, just to get to pine? I'd say odds are good this tower, if not the front wall of the fort, is crawling with the bostards. I'll get to looking it over proper soon, but I'd not jump too hard on the floor up here in the meantime."

-------

Oleg's Trading Post, Southernmost Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
Eventide, First of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

It was a hungry and tired Wolftooth Company that trooped into the common room of the main house for dinner, the locking beam down on the gates. Kerwin was in his "bedroom" in the stables, supping on a generous portion of stew. The man had all but stumbled to the stables; he'd been working hard the whole day, aside from an hour or two when he'd gone and buried Geran in a small grave outside the walls of the trading post, under Oleg and the company's watchful eye. The rest of the bandits had been left to the buzzards in the fields to the west of the walls; Oleg had shrugged but hadn't objected when they told him they planned to give the bandits a sky burial rather than let him hang the corpses off the walls.

They'd finished accounting and selling the bandits' goods and horses a few minutes before dinner, and the money (and notes of credit) was duly handed out amongst the members of the Company.

Oleg himself was looking grim again: Kerwin had passed on his findings on the catapults and the state of the south wall, and the big man had been swearing under his breath half the afternoon. They could hear him over in his stockroom even from here, laying curses on the parentage of the catapults' makers back to about the third generation or so.

Svetlana came in carrying an oversized pot of stew with two pieces of cloth to keep the heat from her hands, setting it down in the middle of the table with a thunk just as Ruk was finishing his question.

And it was just as well he had finished his question, because the aroma curling from the pot lit the kobold's head on fire and sent the most pleasurable feelings of anticipation bouncing up and down his spine. His mouth immediately started watering. This reaction was unique amongst all the other members of the Company; while the stew smelled nice enough (and was wholly immaterial to Three) it didn't seem to have anywhere near the same effect on them as it did on Ruk.
"Moon radish stew," said Svetlana, fetching a ladle from a nearby benchtop. "Although really a lot more stew than radish. There's only about a quarter of moon radish in the whole pot, and that's pretty much dried out - I haven't been able to find any fresh moon radish for months. Oleg! It's time for dinner!"

[bcool999]

Kuros aided in digging Geran's grave, but stayed well away from the 'sky burial' due to the gore and smell. The rest of the day was spent practicing with his new weapons, which was an interesting sight to be sure seeing one man swinging a two handed hammer, slash a longsword, stab with a gladius, and deflect blows with a shield all at the same time.

Needless to say, the exertion worked up an appetite, and Kuros quickly picked up five bowls and started filling them and passing them out. He gave the first one to Ruk who seemed especially hungry today for some reason.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Knowledge Nature check on Moon Radish: (1d20+3)[19]

[Saintheart]

Oleg's Trading Post, Southernmost Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
Eventide, First of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

A memory came back unbidden to Kuros: his woodsman mentor, Gerald, crushing up a bowl of vegetables, and very delicately setting a raw slice of a white, rounded root in the centre. "Moon radish," he'd replied, when Kuros had asked about what seemed an elaborate garnish. "Doesn't show up a lot down this way, I hear it's more common out west, in between Chult and Calimshan. Border Kingdoms seem to be the kind of place where it'd best grow. Nice enough to eat like this, but good cooks know how to heat it just right so it adds a smoky flavour to anything it's stewed with. Funny little plant -- kobolds love it. Can't get enough of it, there's just something in its smell, in the plant, that really gets their taste buds going. The kobolds who know what it is treasure it like a man does truffles."