Chapter 2A - A Jaunt Into The Country

[counterkid]

"We were sent here from Waterdeep to help settle the logging dispute. Since we have been here its been chaos ever since. As for Lady Velrossa she was fine. What do you know about the logging dispute?"

[Chris1234]

"From Waterdeep, eh?" echoes Morak, "That be where the Nandars is based. 'Sposed ta be posh. Not that I've seen their place." He stares distrustingly round at the forest are the group progress slowly along the faint trail. "Well, good ta know th' Lady's safe. Thank ye for that." He pulls on one of his beards before answering.

"Well, y'know th' nadars do buidlin' 'n' bridges, right? Well they need wood fer that. An' that comes from here, Nightstone. Well, it yer left in rack 'n ruin a while back but were restarted some ten year ago, just after the family's wood from way down south hit trouble. Anyway, Lord Drezlin Nandar and Lady Velrosa Nandar it was, that reopened the village an built 'er up.

"All good at first, just the occasional niggle with the Sylvans; like yer mate, Isaril, what just ran off. Anyway, it all came to an 'ead about a year since, when ol' Drezlin said we needed more wood. Well, the they didn't like it one bit. Dunno why. Never been able ta figure the b****rs out. Anyway, poor ol' Drezlin, stood on top o' 'is keep, filled with arrows he was, shot from the river bank! Lots died that day. Lady Velrosa, she got some bottle, that girl has, well, she met with 'em, the Sylvans I mean, an' things quietened down. Still niggles mind, the odd lumberer cops an arrow, stuff goes missin', but no more all-out, kick-yer-in-the-butt, attacks.

"Then a couple o days ago we wuz bombarded by rocks from a castle in the sky, as if yer'ed ever believe it. Th keep were cut off from th' village when a rock ripped through the bridge. We all pegged it fer the Drippin' Caves, like we're 'sposed to. And yer know the rest. An' thank ye fer t' sescue. Even yer elfs." He lapses into brooding silence.

[Dargon Lonewolf]

Luka

Well it seems this place has taken a beating. So why did only part of you come to the Caves? When I got there there was a woman running the Inn and a younger woman in the stables. She was mighty nice and took care of my horse for me. Just don't understand why only part of you went to the caves. What was the Castle like that was flying around. Bet that was a sight to see. Well except for the boulders I mean.

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[1d20+2]=1+2=3 Intell
[1d20-1]=9-1=8 CHR

[Chris1234]

The ladies witter, mutter and crosstalk between themsleves, each apparently having the ability to conduct at least two coherent conversations at once.

Eventually Lady Daphne delivers what they consider to be a definitive account. She says, "The stone, apparently harder than a good dwarven blade, was here long before the village; before the motte-and-bailey were built. Before these things, we Nandars had our hunting lodge somewhere therabouts. Its exact location is lost to us, but it was somewhere within the perimeter of our current site.

"Now, the lodge lay in ruins for something over two centuries, but we know that the lodge was finished, was originally opened for use in the Year of the Black Buck*. One of our men in the keep, a veteran dwarf, was adamant about this. The stone was already there before construction of the lodge was started. We don't actually know what it is, but some high powered diviner talked to something on another plane and was told 'dense starmetal with the capacity to change destiny'." Her expression tells that she's parroting this and probably doesn't understand the concepts.

"Hiral, our priest, says that the stone is wrapped in divine energy from 'times of old', it 'defends its secrets' and it would take only one of an elder race, one with expertise in divine materials. In her diary, Coral, the architect who built our keep, may she rest in peace, thought the stone was either released from a great height or else slammed into the ground by something with immense strength."

Her gaze changes from looking blankl into the distance to focus once again on Vic. She smile at him and then fusses with the hair of one of the children. The fellow hugs her.

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*1226 DR

[Chris1234]

Marcus is the first to asnwer Luka, "Well, I was on duty and just going for a pee behind the stable when a bloody great rock the size of a wolf dropped outa nowhere and whacked a hole straight through the stable. Another yard and it'd've taken off me parts, you know.." Big Ron butts in, "What Marcus means to say is that we were bombarded, unexpected and unprovoked, from the sky. A castle on a cloud it looked like. Giants what threw big rocks. Just pitched 'em out sideways and pretty much all of them hit the village or keep. Spied 'em through my spyglass. Lost it somewhere. They were big and muscly. Judging by the rocks I'd say they were twenty foot tall. Whitish skin, silver hair. Nothing we could do, so we all evacuated.." "I did not. Look!" interupts Marcus pointing to his trouser seat. "..to the Dripping Caves just like Lord Nandar, may he rest in Lathander's Lustrous Light, decreed some years ago," finishes Big Ron, frowning at Marcus. "The castle? Looked all silver and gleaming in the sunlight. Judging by the giants, it must've been two hundred foot tall, with towers inside even taller."

Big Ron returns his atteention to Luka, "Not sure what you're asking. The bridge to the keep was out. Big hole torn through by a boulder. All of us in the village that wasn't already dead came here. The dwarf up the front, Morak, he runs the inn. Destiny' son runs, um, ran the stables. He got, you know." He soldier slaps his hands together. "Yeah, the same rock what nearly did me you-knows.." Marcus adds and then trails off in response to another wicked stare from Big Ron.

They lapse into silence, scanning the forest on each side of the trail.

[Dargon Lonewolf]

Luka

But there are people in the village now. I came here after this group had passed through. There were a man and woman in the guard tower and a woman in the Inn. She is the one that told me where you all went after I managed to talk them into letting me in. Something odd is going on if you say everyone left who are the people there? If Morak runs the Inn and Destiny's son ran the stables there are people there who shouldn't be. Guess we will find out when we get there. So tell me about Destiny. What does she do for a living?

[Nocturno]

If Vic can hear the conversation, he will clear his throat to butt in.

[Chris1234]

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If Vic can hear the conversation, he will clear his throat to butt in.

Vic is in the middle. He can potentially hear any of the conversations. Let's say that he can automaticallty hear one or other (not both, player chooses) of either Unbar towards the front, or Luka at rearguard.

If he chooses to hear Unbar's conversation then a Perception skill check also allows him to tune in to Val's conversation in the vangaurd.

[Nocturno]

There seems to be much more enthusiastic talking near the back, that will keep Vic's interest.

He will excuse himself from the middle of the crowd, and join the conversation in the back.

"An opportunistic group of Zhents seem to have moved into town. I'm not sure how they will react to the real owners returning."
Vic clears his throat.
"They helped us repel an onslaught of Orcs and Ogre that barged into town after we cleared the goblins, their leader died, and the Female "running the Inn" seemed to have quite the bond with him."

"After the Orc and Ogre attack my friend here.", Producing Coup from inside his robes. "Intercepted this message attached to a winged snake."

In Gnomish
"Blackstone heavily defended. Heavy orc attacks. Orgre support. X and co dead. Recommend abandon takeover. Find other route. Going BG."

[Dargon Lonewolf]

Luka

This "X" person must be this Xolkin that the in keeper Kella spoke of. When I asked her about weapons she gave me this scimitar and told me to think of the name Xolkin when I used it. Must be Xolkin and Company dead. They must have been thinking about taking over the town. Not cool. We need to tell the "Flower" about this. We need to be ready for a fight when we get back to town. These people might not let us in and things could get nasty with them behind the wall. I hope not, they have my horse and I will be getting it back since it is not mine.

He double checks his long bow and makes mental note of how many arrows he has.

[Nocturno]

Vic shakes his head in agreement.

"We forged a sort of bond that folks make in battle. I hope it does not come to violence."

[Chris1234]

At the mention of Zhents marcus spits. Big Ron holds up a restraining hand, "Just a minute. This is my village we're talking about and I'm telling you we'd have no dealings with the likes of the Black network. peaceful traders? In a pigs ear. If there's really Zhents, it's been recent. Since we ran for shelter in the Caves." He pauses, possibly thinking through what he's just heard. "No. There's no woman running the inn. Just Morak. Lathander help you if you call him a female." Marcus laughs but Ron doesn't. "Winged snake? That's a Zhent thing. They'd love our village. Good stop-over for their slave runs from the Anauroch to the coast and down south. There was a woman staying in Morak's inn though. Red hair I think. Never heard of Kella or X or Xolkin or flower though."

Big Ron turns to Marcus, "Go find Morak. Send him here. Stay there 'til he comes back to you. tell him I said, 'No s**te, shift yer butt now!' And you be quick about it, boy!" Marcus salutes and sets off at a trot.

The guard sergeant stares for a moment at Luka, "Ah, yes. You asked about Destiny. She's our midwife. Sort's out women's problems too." He looks uncomfortable. "Yes, she's got other planar blood in her. Tiefling. A century ago she'd have been burnt at the stake as a witch but we're more tolerant now. Thank the Nandars for that. It's harder out here in the frontier lands; all wild untamed forest around us. Anyway, she grows plants, herbs, that sort of thing. She's cured things that Hiram.." Ron looks like he was going to say something and then changes his mind. ".. our priest, could not. Some of her plants are pretty poisonous, so I've heard, so I'd not go messing if I were you."

[Dargon Lonewolf]

Luka

Wait, I she gave me her name. It was something tasty. Caramel, Cindy, NO, NO.

Wanders around in a tight circle rubbing his temples, while talking to himself. He points to Ron when he remembers.

I know the name, name, name. Yes! Candy was her name. Red head, say, early to mid-thirties. Kind of soft spoken and kind of quiet like. Easy to look at, little rough around the edges. She was the one that has my horse in the stables.

[Chris1234]

"Nope, don't know her," says Ron.

[Nocturno]

"Candy showed up with Xolkin, and his crew. Kella was holed up in the Inn before we arrived."

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Can you describe Kella Chris lol... I can't seem to find it.