CH. 12: Testing Grounds

[TristenC]

Grubnick nods, realizing that this must have been Arulia. I hope you haven't had any troubles today. Any issues? he asks the old plainswoman.

[BishGada]

Tulbas looks around for makeshift bridge or cloth that may serve as a rope so they can pull him to them. "You can run few a steps and jump."

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(OOC: I got the impression the gap length is the room width but the gap width is not too much. How wide is it? does he have enough space to take a swing and jump? What about the makeshifts suggested and how much Cantrips may add to lighten him up to make it easier to pass the jump? Or maybe Selowen or the other apprentice have spells that can help? Can grease help to gain speed and actually save the guy or the odds are slim to none?)

[spyguy1503]

"I don't think they're our biggest fans right now. Give it a shot if you want."

[Haahque]

Strange to see Gobax here, and for him not to talk to Haahqae, but it must be getting pretty close to Curfew now, so Haahqae doesn’t want to detain him for any longer then necessary. It appears that Gobax has his own important business to attend to.

Instead Haahqae decides to go upstairs and start phase 2 of plan ferrit. Or, perhaps he’ll wait until morning for that. For now he should probably rest and recover his strength so that he can do the entire phase 2 without interruptions.

[Chris1234]

"Well, it might be better than killing all the buggers," answers Shima. "Hey, is there any bounty on giant rat heads?"
And then starts to head back to the Gullies.

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{OOC: Is it unlikely that the pair would get back to their sleeping places before Curfew hits?}

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (Steel Tankard Inn)
Haahqae starts for his room, but as he's heading up the stairs he hears someone speak his name by the bar.

Kendra Greylock (2527 Market Street, Greylock's Gorgeous Gems)
"You're right about that," Sadron agrees. "We can rule out any of my people then. While we were trying to set up a rebellion, none of us would dare risk innocent lives for any reason. Although I'm not even sure any others survived aside from me. All of my people are likely either dead or in Ergoth by now."

Tulbas Erogund (Tower of Wayreth)
"I...I'm not sure I can make that," he says warily. There are no bridges or cloths on Tulbas' side. However, the wardrobe, if pushed over, could be used as a bridge. It might not hold the man's weight, though. A more athletic person could make the jump easily, but the human seems out of shape, no doubt to spending most days studying books instead of exercising.

(OOC: The gap is about 4 feet wide; it's possible to jump, but not guaranteed. There's not much room for a run and jump, maybe a step or two at best if he pushes his back to the wall. Grease would increase his speed but there's a chance it would just cause him to slip and fall instead. Any cantrip to make him lighter would be so minor (a few ounces at best) that it would have no impact on the jump itself. As for Selowen or the human's spells, Tulbas would need to ask them.)

Arulia Seroth (Steel Tankard Inn)
The woman tending the bar is not a plainswoman, but rather an Abanasinian (the innkeeper at the High Hand is the plainswoman). "The gnome? Yes, he just got dinner a little while ago. Usually he puts on a show in the evenings, but..." She looks around the room. "Oh, there he is. He's heading up the stairs now." Sure enough, Haahqae is on the stairs, ascending.

Grubnick (High Hand Inn)
"Not here," the plainswoman responds. "But I heard there was some kind of commotion today at the Old Fort. Couldn't get any details, but it sounds like it might have been some kind of attack of some kind. The soldiers have been pretty tight-lipped about it."

Ne-Chanz and Shima (North Haven Sewers)
(OOC: They will only make it back if they leave right now. Otherwise, they'll be forced to spend the night in the sewers. By the way, neither of them have had anything at all to eat or drink today. So if they are attacked in the middle of the night by monsters while resting, they'll suffer penalties.)

[Chris1234]

"Ok, got a little bit of food, but no water. Think we need to get topside quickly, else it could be a rough night down here," states Shima after a quick rethink. He heads off at a trot, realising that Ne-Chanz can probably overtake him without even having to walk quickly. "Maybe bring Felran to just before we leave the sewers? Don't want anything munching on him, but neither to explain a corpse at curfew," the dwarf suggests, then adding, "Hmm. Has Felran paid for his room tonight? Think I could use it? Don't think he'd object too much.."

[djhyland]

Arulia nods her thanks to the innkeeper and pushes her way through the crowd towards the stairs. "Haahqae! Haahqae!" she calls. "A moment, please!"

[Haahque]

The more Haahqae thinks about his plan to get some sleep, the more he feels more tired. It has been a long day, between the adrenaline of putting his life on the line multiple times and the joy of victory, he has plenty of reason to feel exhausted. And when Haahqae puts his mind to something, he does like to go through with the idea.

However, he also likes conversing with potentially interesting people who might be able to give him what he wants, he doesn’t recognise the woman calling him over. Or wait, yes he does, that was one of the girls who helped him with the Belzorite raid wasn’t it?

“Oh hi… A, Arulia was it? Nice to see you again.”

Haahqae’s fatigue is clearly displayed, however he does offer Aulia a bit of a smile to encourage her that he’s willing to speak to her. Perhaps she has information on the Belzorites that he would be interested in.

[djhyland]

"It's nice to see you again, too," Arulia replies. "But...well, there's not much time until I need to be home for curfew. Do you remember when you hired me to help with the...the Belzorites? How you offered me either five steel pieces or a share of the take? Well...is it too late to opt for the five steel?" She shakes her head to hold off unnecessary bargaining. "I'll still help look for the thieves and if we find them, I'll give up my share, but I really need some steel right away. Would that be okay?"

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra frowns lightly, and turns her head to look at Sadron. "Have hope that they made it to Ergoth," she says. "I'm doing everything I can to make sure that we both survive through this."

[Haahque]

Arulia’s words stir up more memories then she’s probably hoping for. The complete failure that that mission entailed. The anger, the pain, the loss.

“You want me to pay you for that fiasco? Let me tell you, I lost more on that mission then any of you! I nearly died… not once, but twice. I spent days tracking down the hidden base and recruiting people to help with the mission and most importantly of all, I used multiple doses of a very precious and expensive magic potion so that we could get as far as we did. And what did I get in return? Nothing. Not a single reward. Not even enough to cover the costs of putting food in front of me and a roof over my head while I was scouting. The Church refused to give us anything for doing work for them, all of our loot was stolen by a couple of loose screws and the friend that we rescued has so far managed to NOT help me with my show and NOT lend me a book in return for the book I lent him. The only possible slim hope of anything useful coming from the mission, the documents and ancient texts that could have possibly had some value were destroyed, as I’m sure you remember, since you destroyed them. And now you want me to pay you for that complete disaster so that you can forget about it and not help track down those blockheads that stole from us? Why would I ever want to do that?”

If Arulia had approached Haahqae this morning, that would have been his final answer as he stormed off to do more important things then stand around to be treated like a charity that the patrons feel entitled to for no reason or merit of their own. However, he has just had a successful mission, and there’s something about her look that makes his resolve falter a little, and it makes him hold off his storming off for long enough to listen to whatever she has to say in response to this.

[spyguy1503]

Ne-Chanz hoists the body of his best friend. "He shared a room with me. If you want, you can share. I'm starving, let's eat in the inn."

[djhyland]

Arulia's lips narrow at Haahqae's words. When his tirade is finished, she speaks in a cold voice. "I fought and bled just as much as anyone down there. If you mean to imply that I didn't contribute my share, then you are a fool. And if you had listened, you'd have heard that I offered to track the thieves to the best of my abilities even if I was no longer entitled to a share. I am not out to cheat you. But no, if you are not interested, then I intend to have my portion if and when the thieves are found. But I'll do that for myself, and out of no obligation to you."

Without waiting for a reply, Arulia turns her back on the gnome and leaves to hurry home. She has pushed her luck, she knows, by coming here, and she hopes she can get home before it runs out.

[Chris1234]

"Thanks. I was staying at Greddedin's but the place has been gutted," Shima replied over his shoulder, barely keeping ahead of his huge companion.