Strange Fortune

[!rorak]

"Good on 'er," Duncan whispers back. "Might be good to have somebody on the outside if this goes bad." And if the dwarves've got a way out for us and we can't get to Valette in time, well, that's a mark less crazy near me while I sleep.

It shamed him to think it, but he did.

[lando_zeus]

Thårin looks at the now closed stone door, turns to Jacinth and whispers "Good riddance". He follows the other dwarves, and begins conversing with Glonfall in Dwarven, inquiring as to the history of his family and this stronghold.

[jm_jazzman]

"It's not often that Elven-folk take an interest in our crafts!" Mauriv exclaims with a broad smile. He eagerly shares as much as he knows about the wall carvings as he knows.

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They were made when the guard-fort was first built into the mountainside over 800 years ago (this is a relatively new space). The carvings in any dwarven building are meant to be a permanent of the construction, although sometimes upkeep work is done as necessary as the ages pass. Occasionally some spaces will re-adorned for a significant reason, but even then some part of (or reference to) the old carvings will often be included. Dwarves take great pride in their ability to bring stone to life with their art, and any dwarven stone-working can easily be identified by its complexity and attention to detail (except in cases where the work is meant to look natural, of course. They take great pride in being able to emulate that convincingly, too)

Thårin learns of Glonfall's family history, and that he is the first of a long line of smithies not to continue the trade of his ancestors. "I was plenty good enough at crafting arms," he explains, "but always more interested in mastering their use. I left to join the guard once my younger brother Gimbolt had learned the craft. He made this for me," he said as he struck his breastplate with a gauntlet-clad fist. Glonfall goes on to tell Thårin about the many foul beasts and wild peoples who inhabit the northern plains and occasionally attempt to traverse the mountain passes. "There are many settlements to the south that cannot be well defended, save for what the mountains provide. It is uncommon that anything not knowing the way would make it that far, but it has happened before, to disastrous ends. It is our job here to guard the land against all threats from the north."

All the while, the armed company has been escorting the party through a series of ornately decorated passageways. There are well-tended torches placed throughout the guard-fort, seemingly strategically placed to best show off the beauty of the carvings. At one point as they walk, another dwarf comes seeking the Captain and whispers something into his ear before quickly departing again.

At last, the group is lead through a large stone door with an arched top and into a long, wide hallway with a massive stone table flanked by two stone benches. It appears as though a feast for 40 dwarves could be served in here.

"I have received word that a representative of The Lord of Bardaylon happens to have arrived here within the past hour on unrelated business, so we will be able to proceed shortly with sorting out your matters. Since it seems that cells will thankfully be unnecessary, we will have to keep you confined to this room with a number of my guards until that time. My dwarves will keep you well provided with water, and food if the wait becomes too long."

With that said, he heads for the door. Some of his soldiers follow him, four are left behind in the room.

[Shakedown]

Jacinth smiles wryly at the elven-folk comment, but lets it slide. She joins the remaining guards, jokingly asking if Thårin braided insults into her hair, asking them about themselves, calling the other guards over, and chatting with them about the surrounding lands.

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+8 diplomacy if these are new guards. Hope Mauriv is still around though, we are buds.

After some time socializing, and once the guards are semi-corralled into a group, she asks the dwarves, "Hey, do you need an entertainer to greet your big guest? From what I understand that the bardic tradition is ...limited... among dwarves, and since you were kind enough to feed us and also not make us dead, I'd be happy to tell a tale or two. I might be young, but I was trained by the best." She grins. "I'll let you discuss it among yourselves. Hopefully you won't refuse, or the grief might be too great and I'll have to collapse into the arms of my handsome dwarven companion over there." She wiggles her eyebrows and rejoins Thårin, Duncan and Whiskey, whispering to them. "Alright. What the **** are we going to do about Valette."

[!rorak]

Duncan shrugs. "Ain't a good feeling leaving her behind, even after all that frog crap. I dinnae know if we can get to her ourselves... how about if we need her, we tell our new friends that one of ours fell behind when we were fighting those Orcs and hopefully she's followed our trail. When we go out an' help 'em find her, turns out she's made it the whole way to the gate."

[Aeti]

IN RECAP.

The party briefly investigates a murder, is arrested for murder (yay Valette diplomacy!) is taken to trial for murder, is acquitted of murder, then murders some troglodytes.

And the girls went gloves shopping.

[Shakedown]

"Can we take a nap?"

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I don't have any spells left I think. Unless leveling up resets your spell pp.

[Aeti]

Valette looks up as she searches the bodies. "A good plan. I had a few ideas about spells which I'll want to try when I wake up."

[lando_zeus]

Thårin examines his now scarred armour.

"Pah. Figures it'd get all marred right after I bought it. Saved my skin though."

He joins in searching the corpses and then searches the area for a good place to camp

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It's about evening time right James?

[jm_jazzman]

The sun is now hidden behind the walls of the valley, and the air grows cool in the shade preceding twilight. The large rocks from which the troglodytes had attempted their ambush turn out to be hiding a shallow cave that makes for an excellent overnight shelter, out of view of the road.

On the bodies of the dead foes, the party finds 982 gold pieces, 3 javelins, 4 clubs, 3 vials of different liquids, and a ring with a fiery red stone.

[Aeti]

Valette casts detect magic.

[lando_zeus]

After searching the bodies Thårin examines the shallow cave and begins to prepare camp.

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take 20 on search and spot check and listen and whatever else I can related to finding and evicting spiders/owlbears.

[DrunkyTheClown]

Whiskey follows Thårin around to each of the bodies with his nose before leading Arf into the woods, opting for a quick look for wild edibles before the sun sets completely.

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Survival checks
Whiskey - (1d20+11)[29]
Arf - (1d20+1)[11]

[jm_jazzman]

Valette determines that the liquids in the vials posses magical properties. The ring appears to be mundane.

Thårin clears out some room inside the cave and sets up a small, dry fire that burns with almost no smoke.

Whiskey can barely stand the smell of the foul troglodyte's corpses. After giving his nose some time to recover, he is able to pick up a trail with Arf. The two return later after hunting down a mountain goat. Whiskey is also able to find some bushes that are heavy with sweet berries.

[Aeti]

Valette pats the dogs on the head in thanks as they return. Taking the goat carcass from Arf, she examines it with her head tilted to one side, like it is a puzzle to be solved. Finally she takes out her knife and begins to inexpertly skin it. I should have learned to do this long ago. Being stuck alone in the wilderness outside the dwarf camp has given her new insight into the gaps of her education.

[Shakedown]

Jacinth does the various things that are required to set up camp, eats, and goes to bed when things are cleaned up and people are winding down.

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figured I should contribute.

[jm_jazzman]

The night passes uneventfully, with the usual watch shifts hearing and seeing nothing unusual in the moonless dark.

The next morning is chilly, the valley not yet touched by the sun's warmth. The party breaks fast with some of the leftover food Whiskey provided last night, and then continues the march along the trail.

[DrunkyTheClown]

Whiskey spends the early part of the morning sharing a chunk of goat meat with Arf before setting about squeezing into his thick hide armour, and helping his companion with his own set. Well rested, the dogs warm up their legs by patrolling around the entrance of the cave, taking care to avoid being too near the decomposing lizard people bodies.

[!rorak]

Duncan gets up, wincing a little at his wounds from the fight earlier but mostly impressed at how well they're healing.

He pauses as he wanders out the entrance of the cave to find somewhere secluded to pee. "Dogs in armor. Dogs helping each other put armor on. Huh."

[lando_zeus]

"So, Valette, what'd you see while you were outside of the dwarven settlement?"

[Aeti]

Valette looks up from her spellbook. Eyne shifts irritably with her change in posture, but soon snuggles back into the hood of her new cloak.
I saw days of nothing ahead of me; nothing to eat and no one to break the silence.
"Just trees and rocks, and that big magical cloud of smoke. Likely the assassin is plotting to kill more dwarves as we speak, but I can't say I have any sympathy. They did drag us away in chains. Are all dwarves so short tempered?"

[!rorak]

Duncan almost chuckles before he stops himself. He turns it into a throat-clearing sound.

"They were scared and angry," he said. "For good reason, too. An' they let us go, gave us a free ride through the tunnels tae boot."

[Aeti]

Valette rolls her eyes. "That ride was hardly free, my wrists are going to be sore for weeks. We don't all have skin as weathered as leather." She contemplates the writing on the page in front of her. The ink is fresh, purchased from a dwarven merchant. "Maybe it was what we needed though. I certainly have a few new ideas I want to try on enemies." And one that I hope I never have to use, Valette thinks as she closes her tome on the page marked Dance of Ruin.

[jm_jazzman]

After breaking camp, the party continues along the mountain road. The path continues through to the end of the valley, where it enters a tunnel that slopes gently downwards as it reaches straight ahead like an arrow to the distant speck of light at the far end. After what seems like hours underground, the opening to the outside world at last draws near. At the mouth of the tunnel, the silhouettes of two stout, perhaps dwarf-shaped figures can be seen waiting.

[lando_zeus]

Thårin moves towards Valette and whispers "Send your bat to scout out those two and find out what they are. We don't want any surprises."

[Aeti]

Valette whispers a few words to Eyne before allowing him to flutter away into the darkness.

[jm_jazzman]

Eyne returns shortly. She is not alarmed by the dwarves, but has no indication that they are necessarily friendly, either.

[Aeti]

As she finishes the dozen of questions needed to get a straight answer, Valette turns to Thårin. "Not clearly hostile, but definitely dwarves. They should not be a problem." There's only two of them.

[Shakedown]

Jacinth looks up drowsily. "Oh, there are dwarves? The bat found dwarves? Let's say hello! Maybe they can tell us more about their delightful braids."

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Yeah let's go say hello. I can charm them if they're mean.

[lando_zeus]

"Agh, no sense in making trouble where there is none."

In Dwarven, Thårin addresses the dwarves.

"Hail, comrades. What keeps you waiting at the mouth of this tunnel?"