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  1. - Top - End - #391
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Flumph

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    Default Re: Travels amongst the Border Princes II (WFRP 2e) IC

    "Careful, Gabriele! Don't go on the causeway by yourself!" Severin called out.

    OOC: Maybe I'm misremembering, but I thought that Vorgrimler was last seen near the other end of the causeway? Seems dangerous to go looking for tracks by your lonesome...

  2. - Top - End - #392
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    OrcBarbarianGuy

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    There is a clang as one of the men drops the axe. Beauregard gives Harman a dirty look and says, "Jes' grab everything and we'll show it to the boss when we get back." The men look at each other and none of them seem to want to pick up the weapons. Gretchen picks up the weapon and takes the two others and wraps them in a coat. "I ain't afraid of no curse," she grins at Harman and Severin as she does so.

    Gabriele moves to head down the steps but nobody follows. She can see movement in the water but the bodies floating, both human and animal, are being quickly torn apart and are unrecognizable from the shore.

    After a few moments, Beauregard then says, "I think we're done here, yeah? Let's get moving..."

  3. - Top - End - #393
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    Flumph

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    Severin nods, makes sure his shield is firmly strapped to his arm, and picks up his makeshift torch. "Let's stick close together, eh?" he mutters to Gabriele and Harman when he thinks no one is listening.

  4. - Top - End - #394
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    BardGuy

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    Harman shrugs his shoulders at Beauregard's glare. It's your sleepless nights.
    Hope you speak Dwarven.
    Harman is still sitting on the ground catching his breathe and nursing his wounds. Severin we either take those eggs or we smash them. Can't have any more of these giant lizards being born. I think we might try to take one back for Sol.

    Spoiler: OOC
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    Can you describe the size of these eggs, are they larger than a chicken egg? Could Harman fit one in his backpack? Harman is going to wait to be the last off the nest platform and he will return the sword to the stature that didn't have a weapon when he got to the top and draw out his normal sword.

  5. - Top - End - #395
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    Flumph

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    "Smash 'em, or burn them if we can," Severin agrees.

  6. - Top - End - #396
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    'Curse or no curse, we got other things to worry about at the moment.' Gabriele chooses to be practical. On the eggs, 'Normally I'd leave something like that alone, but I don't think anyone should have to come down here and do this again at some point.'

  7. - Top - End - #397
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    OrcBarbarianGuy

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    The eggs are large enough that it takes two hands to hold it. They feel solid, but not solid enough to place in a backpack unless you don't mind a huge mess. A few moments shows that there are about a dozen eggs clustered together in the center of the nest, and it takes a few swift blows to reduce them to a bloody, yolky mess.

    The rest of the mob starts heading across the causeway and back towards the stairway leading up. With Gabriele, Severin and Harman taking up the rear. As Harman places the sword back on the statue, he sees, just for a moment, an image of a ghostly dwarf picking a ghostly sword and fading into the darkness. But then, out of the corner of his eyes, he thinks he sees ghostly forms emerging from the coffins... and then darkness again, as the light of the torches starts fading in the distance.

  8. - Top - End - #398
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    "I'll be sorry if Vorgrimler didn't make it. He seems like a decent enough fellow," Severin confides in the others as they make their way to the stairs. "But once we're topside, I'm going to hit the sack, collect our pay and steer well clear of any dwarven ruins for a while."

  9. - Top - End - #399
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    'And it's not just the lizards. If you can't see all you have to do is take a wrong turning and get lost down here.'

  10. - Top - End - #400
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    OrcBarbarianGuy

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    It takes a longer time to climb up the stairs from the watery crypts, with the wounded being supported by their comrades. Eventually you find your way back to the central pit of the mine. There is some shouting as they push their way past the slave laborers, yelling at them to move out of the way. As the wounded men are slowly helped up the long ladders towards the surface level, you start to notice that there are maybe a score of halflings clustered around the small tunnels leading to the ore veins. They are not working, they are just watching coldly. They seem to reserve their coldest scowls when they see Gretchen and Severin. When Severin makes a brief eye contact with one of the older halflings in the crowd, he slowly and deliberately spits on the ground.

  11. - Top - End - #401
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Gabriele will catch Severin's attention and gesture towards the other Halflings. 'Should we have left them to it?' she'll say quietly. She wasn't against letting the lizards eat Beauregard and the others if they could avoid going down with them.

  12. - Top - End - #402
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    "I'm not sure. Maybe there's more than one of 'em found a way out through the dwarven tunnels, and now they're worried that Sol's people will have a free run of the place again. Or maybe they just don't like to see another Halfling working for Sol," Severin mutters back so that no one else can hear.

    "Those are some mighty frosty looks we're getting," he later points out to Gretchen. "Any idea what that's about, other than them not liking the look of two Halflings helping the man that's keeping them here?"

  13. - Top - End - #403
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    BardGuy

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    Harman continued to lag at the group's rear as they passed the mining halflings. He noted the sour looks and reflected that these were the slaves that Sol had been forcing to be down here. They would now once again be forced to work long hard hours under the ground. There was good reason for their disdain. He would have to speak with Severin and Gabrielle in private when they reached the surface.

  14. - Top - End - #404
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    "Eh?" Gretchen hands the bundle of weapons to one of the men climbing the ladder. She turns and scowls back at the halfling slaves. "Get back to work, Riverhopper!" she shouts. "If you ain't movin, yer fallin' behind!" She scoops up a chunk of rock and throws it hard at the old halfling. He grunts in surprise and pain as it hits him. A few of the human guards emerge and start shouting as well, and the miners turn and shuffle slowly back into the darkness of the mining tunnel. The old halfling is the last to leave the central cavern. Gretchen doesn't wait, though, she turns and climbs back up the ladder muttering about fresh air.

    Once you emerge, blinking into the sunlight, you can see Beauregard talking with Vorgrimler and his bodyguard. Beauregard is clearly relieved to see them safe and and presumably sound, although Vorgrimler looks pale and shaky while Jedidiah has a bandage wrapped around his arm.

  15. - Top - End - #405
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    "Riverhopper? I think I've heard that name before. One of the local clans?" Severin asks Gretchen innocently as they continue the ascent from the mine.
    Last edited by rax; 2022-12-02 at 03:01 PM.

  16. - Top - End - #406
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    Herr Vorgrimler happy to see that you found your way back safely. Those creatures proved very deadly. We killed one of the larger one but it's mate is still down there. Quite a few of their offspring as well. Harman greets the survivors when noticing them standing next to Beauregard.

  17. - Top - End - #407
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    Quote Originally Posted by rax View Post
    "I'm not sure. Maybe there's more than one of 'em found a way out through the dwarven tunnels, and now they're worried that Sol's people will have a free run of the place again. Or maybe they just don't like to see another Halfling working for Sol," Severin mutters back so that no one else can hear.
    'Wasn't like we could not fight off the lizard.' Gabriele mutters back. 'Maybe we can make it up to them.' She'll grimace at the rock thowing but can't exactly intervene. She'll follow Severin out of the mine.

  18. - Top - End - #408
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    OrcBarbarianGuy

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    Gretchen scowls and says, "Right bunch of bastards. My sodding in-laws. If ya see them, give them a kick from me, alright?" She starts reciting a litany of complaints, but stops when you reach the surface and spot Vorgrimler.

    Vorgrimler nods at Harman and says, "Sometimes the best course of action is to run for it, your friends know that lesson well, as I recall. I am glad that the beast was slain, if that was the female guarding her nest, perhaps the others will move elsewhere for their hunting. If the way is safe now, perhaps I can return and examine the beast? I would like to bring a specimen back to the university. What else did you find down there?" He spots one of the soldiers carrying the bundle of weapons and asks to take a look at it. He picks up the axe and examines it carefully, tracing his finger over the dwarven runes. "Interesting. An antique. I would be happy to purchase it off you as a souvenir..."

    "Hold on. Talk to Sol about it," interjects Beauregard. "And nobody's goin' down there again today, we gotta figure out what to do about it if there's more of those big beasts lurkin' around."

  19. - Top - End - #409
    Ettin in the Playground
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    To Vorgrimler, 'You're not wrong, but it seems a bit dangerous when you're that far underground. How did you know you wouldn't meet another one of those things on the way out?'

  20. - Top - End - #410
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    BardGuy

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    When Harman sees the Vorgrimler inspecting the ancient dwarven weapons he waits until Beauregard leaves before seeking Vorgrimler alone. I must warn against the ancient weapons I fear them cursed I found one and took it as my own for a time. I was visit by a dwarven lord ghost. If you speak their language perhaps you'll fare better than I did with reasoning with the spirits. I tried warning Sol's men but it only angered Beauregard.

  21. - Top - End - #411
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    Flumph

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    Quote Originally Posted by dojango View Post
    Gretchen scowls and says, "Right bunch of bastards. My sodding in-laws. If ya see them, give them a kick from me, alright?" She starts reciting a litany of complaints, but stops when you reach the surface and spot Vorgrimler.
    "Bad marriage, eh? Sorry to hear that," Severin commiserates. "And the old one? He someone important in the clan?" he asked.

  22. - Top - End - #412
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    OrcBarbarianGuy

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    Vorgrimler looks chagrined for a moment and says, "Ah, I did not think of that, only that it was best to flee... better the danger unknown then the one in front of you with terrible teeth and jaws, eh?" To Harman he says, "The dwarves have their secrets, but I did not think such dark magic was one of them, are you sure that you saw a spirit? Come, tell me..." there is a thud as the soldier carrying the other weapons drops them and backs away, looking pale and making the sign of the evil eye. Vorgrimler continues, "perhaps it would be best if we discussed this later? Meet me at the Millstone tonight, I'll treat you to dinner and you can tell me what you saw."

    Gretchen says, "The geezer is my husband's uncle, I think. Waleran. Wish I'd gotten my mother-in-law instead..." She grabs Severin's arm. "C'mon, let's ditch these guys and go get drunk."

  23. - Top - End - #413
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    The notion of a Dwarf ghost has Gabriele glancing back towards the mine in case she can she anything. To Harman, 'That was what you were scared of wasn't it? You handled it better then I would of. You think it was mad at us for trespassing?'

  24. - Top - End - #414
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    In a hushed voice to Gabriele. Last night I dreamed I was visited by a Dwarven spirit that screamed to me in an incomprehensible language I can only assume is dwarven. Thought it was strange but no more troubling than the usual nightmares. Until as I approached the nest where those statues were the spirit from my dreams charged right at me. Damn near ruined my trousers. Fell off the ladder and crashed into Beauregard. I now fear for what may happen with all of these other looted weapons. in an even soft volume he adds I returned that sword I found and hopefully that's the end of it.

  25. - Top - End - #415
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    Severin gives Gabriele and Harman an apologetic shrug and then allows himself to be dragged off by Gretchen. "Catch you later," he mouths silently.

  26. - Top - End - #416
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    Quote Originally Posted by LarsWester View Post
    In a hushed voice to Gabriele. Last night I dreamed I was visited by a Dwarven spirit that screamed to me in an incomprehensible language I can only assume is dwarven. Thought it was strange but no more troubling than the usual nightmares. Until as I approached the nest where those statues were the spirit from my dreams charged right at me. Damn near ruined my trousers. Fell off the ladder and crashed into Beauregard. I now fear for what may happen with all of these other looted weapons. in an even soft volume he adds I returned that sword I found and hopefully that's the end of it.
    'If he's actually mad at us for even being down there we can't do much about it now. I don't suppose they have a Morrite Priest around here somewhere?'

  27. - Top - End - #417
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    OrcBarbarianGuy

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    Severin finds himself led by Gretchen away from the mesa into the surrounding scrubland. As they walk, she gives Severin a rambling account of her unpleasant marriage and shoe-leather divorce. She has a lot of negative things to say about the personal and intimate habits of the Riverhoppers, life in Stralwald and the Southern Ranges generally. After a short walk Severin finds himself in a sheltered dale where the halfling scouts have made a camp. There are a few tents and a campfire where a few of the scruffy-looking halflings are roasting some birds. They give Gretchen and Severin a knowing grin. Gretchen mostly ignores them and pulls Severin into her tent and she rummages around a pile of clothes and belongings before pulling out a bottle. She pulls out the cork and takes a long pull before handing it over to Severin. "Good stuff, from the boss's private stores. All the longshanks that come and scrape before the boss bring him some ta curry favor. He don't miss a few..." The wine packs a heck of a punch.

    Spoiler
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    If there's any information you'd like to get out of Gretchen about Sol or Northdale or the area in particular, let me know, she is in a chatty mood. But she does seem to want company for the night.


    Gabriele and Harman find themselves ignored by Beauregard once Vorgrimler heads out. With the hard stares of the guards behind them, they leave the mine behind. A few hours later they head up to the Millstone Inn to meet with Vorgrimler. True to his word, he has the old woman bring out warm bowls of stew and bread to everyone, as well as mugs of pulque. "I have been thinking about what you said," he tells Harman, "The clans of dwarves are as different from each other as the nations of men are, much as they would deny it. I think the dwarf-lords of this region believed that they need to be buried with what they used in life... craftsmen their tools, warriors their weapons, and the like. Their caste system persists even in death..."

    Spoiler
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    If there's any information you'd like to get out of Vorgrimler about Sol or Northdale or the area in particular, let me know, he is willing to talk. He does want Harman to tell him everything about the apparition he saw. If there's anything else you two want to do in the afternoon as well, let me know, and if Gabriele wants to do something else, let me know.

  28. - Top - End - #418
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    Quote Originally Posted by dojango View Post
    Severin finds himself led by Gretchen away from the mesa into the surrounding scrubland. As they walk, she gives Severin a rambling account of her unpleasant marriage and shoe-leather divorce. She has a lot of negative things to say about the personal and intimate habits of the Riverhoppers, life in Stralwald and the Southern Ranges generally. After a short walk Severin finds himself in a sheltered dale where the halfling scouts have made a camp. There are a few tents and a campfire where a few of the scruffy-looking halflings are roasting some birds. They give Gretchen and Severin a knowing grin. Gretchen mostly ignores them and pulls Severin into her tent and she rummages around a pile of clothes and belongings before pulling out a bottle. She pulls out the cork and takes a long pull before handing it over to Severin. "Good stuff, from the boss's private stores. All the longshanks that come and scrape before the boss bring him some ta curry favor. He don't miss a few..." The wine packs a heck of a punch.

    Spoiler
    Show
    If there's any information you'd like to get out of Gretchen about Sol or Northdale or the area in particular, let me know, she is in a chatty mood. But she does seem to want company for the night.
    Spoiler: @dojango
    Show
    OOC: Well, Severin pretty much walked right into that one. He'll take one for the team and do his best to keep Gretchen happy.

    I went back and checked over the summary of our mission I wrote in this post.

    Gretchen doesn't seem all that interested in the business side of things, so she's likely not a candidate to ask about who's buying the copper, but I'm pretty sure we already know the answer to that - it's the Tileans. Or have I misinterpreted what Galeazzo and Lorenzo have told us?

    She also seems unlikely to know any details of the mine's output, though obviously we may just have helped solve the problem of the current drop in output.

    Having seen the inside of the dwarf hold, I think we've also got a pretty good grasp on the defences Sol has in place apart from the general inaccessibility of Inselberg. If Le Houet wants a means of staging a surprise attack, the best bet would probably be to enter through the mines, though the only way inside that Sol's people probably don't know about is the tunnel Severin and Gabriele crawled through...and that would be tough going for any human-sized soldiers.

    I suppose that leaves three areas of questioning which Severin might be able to weave into a conversation:

    1. Who's been attacking the river traffic? Severin's heard rumours that there might be an independent gang operating in the area (Tick's story). What does Gretchen think about that? (Yes? No? Is Sol doing anything about it?)

    2. Sol's losses - does Gretchen think getting rid of the lizards will be the end of it? Did she lose any of her scouts or anyone she cares about? (I.e. Severin is trying to get her to spill how many men Sol had before and how many he has now)

    3. How did Gretchen get to know Sol and what are her plans for the future? Does she foresee an end to working for Sol or is she personally loyal to him?

  29. - Top - End - #419
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Gabriele will take the offered food and drink gratefully. To Vorgrimler, 'So no ghosts following us up here unless someone is stupid enough to steal their stuff. Seems like a sad thing to be that attached even after you've moved on. Do you intend to try going back down there Herr Vorgrimler, or did you find what you were looking for?'

  30. - Top - End - #420
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    OrcBarbarianGuy

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    Afterwards, Severin and Gabriele are lying in the tent and talking. She tells him about how during the rains of ash her village was starving to death, and she and Sol had struck out together, doing what they could to survive. Now that he's got a position of power, she's in a great spot. Better than in, well, her whole life. And she ain't going to give that up, although nothing lasts forever, she's loyal to Sol. Unlike some of those other jerks, hangers-on, who haven't known him their whole life. She says Beauregard is too stuck up and full of himself, and Renn the Chiseler is just a thug; useful to keep the slaves in line, but not for much else. Brandmeister Ethan is a mercenary Sol picked up somewhere, he runs most of the boring ****, taxes and supplies and whatever.

    As far as losses are concerned, she and her crew o' halfings are mostly outcasts and outlaws from the halfling villages scattered around the Southern Ranges. None of them were down in the mines so they haven't lost anyone. As far as Sol's losses are concerned, she doesn't know for sure, but she does say "There were a bunch of deserters from Otto's crew a while back, give em' a club an a place to sleep and they'll do for grunt work. Wouldn't trust them as far as I can throw them..."

    About the river bandits she blames Otto's crew for that. Says they got real vicious all of a sudden, sinking boats and killing the crews. Some northerner named 'the Drunken Weasel' had signed up with Otto and was leading the gangs. Seemed to want to shut down the river trade, because it's all but stopped lately. Turns out that means there's more work that Gretchen has to do since all the trade now goes overland through Nirena and the Tileans instead of the halfling clans of Appledel. Although she heard things are starting to start back up back Stralwald way after Otto's failed invasion. There's mostly been quiet peace between Otto and Sol, but she says "There's not really any peace with a rabid dog, ya just hope he's distracted by easier targets..."

    The next morning she is in a good mood and slaps Severin on the back as bowls of mush are served. "We're packing out, see you next time yer in town, Proudfoot," she grins as the other halflings are striking camp. "Try not to get eaten by flippin' lizards, OK?"

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