Southern Comfort IC

[u-b]

Gregor stands "right there", letting Beth and Kresta do the talking.

[stanleyindraven]

"Well, aren't they the pair," Horbin scoffs.

[Marlowe]

Kresta seems to choke back a laugh at Horbin's remark, but steps forward. "Quattro! You know me!"

"Often and throughly." Bethlen mutters discretely.

"Not now, spook. My father is dead, Captain Vierzehn! Bandits on the Fall! These People avenged him, and guarded us here. We need a resupply, for the good my father has done Ashdown. You know my purse is good!"

Bethlen dissolves into giggles. The hawkish chap--Captain Quattro Vierzehn, steps to the edge of the battlements. "Well. They hardly seem like a bunch of murderous sex-fiends. Except maybe the Halflings. Trent, the bridge"

"I don't like it Captain. That Orc has the look of diabolic intelligence and cold, calculated cunning in his eyes."

"You say that about anything that can stand without slouching. Bridge!"

Business ensues, and the bridge descends.

((Spot/Listen checks please.))

[stanleyindraven]

Spoiler

Show

Listen (1d20+2)[11]
Spot (1d20+2)[19]

Horbin laughs at Bethlen's comment.

[Marlowe]

Horbin

Spoiler

Show

There are two figures walking the more distant battlements. One in black, the shorter with a white top. They appaear to be watching your group, then drop out of sight as though descending into the courtyard.

Also, Quattro has REALLY nice hair.

[u-b]

Spoiler

Show

Spot: 10+7 = 17 (and, since this castle is such a magnificient and unfamiliar structure, some more staring at the castle ONLY: (1d20+7)[14] (1d20+7)[24] (1d20+7)[20])

[Marlowe]

Gregor:

Spoiler

Show

As per Horbins spoiler:There are two figures walking the more distant battlements. One in black, the shorter with a white top. They appaear to be watching your group, then drop out of sight as though descending into the courtyard.

The flag onto the highest tower is, surprisingly enough, blood red, with a small device in a dark color in the top left corner.

The lower levels are, as previous stated, white quartzite from the river bank, but upper levels and all of the keep are smoother cut darker stone.

[Corsair420]

Spoiler

Show

Spot: (1d20+1)[15]
Listen: (1d20+1)[4]

[AshesOfOld]

Spoiler

Show

Spot (1d20+3)[23]
Listen (1d20+3)[13]

Thorwald smirks at the first remark, and laughs out loud at the second.

"No, no sexfiends here."
Thorwald looks around at the present company.
"At least less than half the party" he muses.

[Linguz]

Spot: (1d20+3)[7]
Listen: (1d20+3)[5]

[mattie_p]

Spoiler

Show

For reals, this time.

spot:(1d20-2)[-1]
listen: (1d20+1)[2]

Horay for 2 consecutive natural ones! I'm struck blind and deaf!

[RaggedAngel]

Spoiler

Show

I need some time to recover from my drive before I'm up for roleplaying. *hugs* *apologies*

Spot: (1d20+5)[21]
Listen: (1d20+7)[21]

[Marlowe]

Delphi

Spoiler

Show

You distinctively hear a voice from the treeline behind you:

"Damn, all this hurry and stealthiness and we don't get to kill them. Can I fart now?

A female voice, from a different part of the trees"Just not in my general direction"

((This will be the only fart joke in the campaign. I promise.))

The drawbridge hits your side of the bank with a thud. A spiky apparantus of of iron rattles up, exposing the gate.Kresta and Bethlen get the mules moving into the castle. Bethlen throws a sultry look over her shoulder, "Coming, then, You People?"

[mattie_p]

"Grath guesses so," he says, seeing and hearing nothing not obvious to an observer on the moon.

He starts walking across the drawbridge, unless he is rudely interrupted by his companions who might observe something he does not.

[u-b]

Gregor calls his dogs from wherever they are (presumably not in the trees) and follows Grath. Since this whole castle-on-a-river thing is new to him, Gregor looks at whatever he is passing by, over, under, etc... (10+7 = 17)

[Marlowe]

Since the river current is being channeled by the castle and the bank into a fairly narrow channel, the current here is very strong. And not too far below the level of the bridge at all.

Above, Vierzehn and Trent disappear from the rampart as they move down into the courtyard.

Behind you, there's the faintest rustle of leaves as seven creatures move out of the cover of the trees, grey cloaked and armed, moving forward with their eyes fixed on the group, but weapons lowered. An obvious Tiefling (like, black-skinned, red-eyed, and horns like a Maleficent cosplayer) astride a horse, two humans and and a halfling, and two wolves shadowing their master's steps.

((And no, they haven't been shadowing you the entire time without you gtting spot/listen checks. They've just caught up. Everyone going in?))

[Linguz]

Dardiana follows the party's frontline people.

[Marlowe]

((OK, 3 out of 7 will do))

You pass under the massive gate tunnel, passed a reassuring number of murder holes, and enter a large open courtyard within which a number of grey-cloaked figures are co-incidentally standing around doing nothing in particular.

((You have completed a Quest!
Escort the remains of the caravan to a safe location!
Everybody gets 200xp!
ALso, everybody gets 25xp for the wolves. Gregor gets 75. And don't forget the 100 you got for the boar))

Vierzehn appears from a flight of steps. "Splendid timing you fellows have!" He says brightly. "We're completely overstocked right now, since so many of the regular garrison have been...redeployed on an....exercise"

"Reinforcing the border with Caroline. But a stop to that trouble"

"Yes, Thank you Trent, why don't you go help in the kitchen? Six dozen eggs don't just break themselves. As for you, friends and honoured guests, might I offer-"

"Bethlen sweetie!" shouts a voice. A couple of people are approaching the group. A young woman in leather trousers and a white blouse worn in just the right way to fail to look demure, and a tall man in leather armour of a vaguely similiar over-engineered style to Bethlens though thankfully a little less snug. Also, has a scythe on his back.

Bethlen starts like she's been scolded. "What are you still doing here, Lotus?"

"Is that a way to greet me? Come here" The young woman glomps Bethlen. It looks like a butterfly sexually assaulting a spider. "Are these your new friends? They're adorable. What a cute Orc!" She skips up to Grath and stands on her toes to try to look him in the eye. She has eyes like a kittens. This isn't reassuring.

Abruptly, she breaks off the stare and glances at Bethlen, who glares back. Then looks back at Grath with a changed expression.

And then the man in leather comes forward, moving more quickly than he should be able to, and pulls her back by the back of her collar."Charming to meet you all. Utterly charmed." he bows elegantly, which is hard to pull off when carrying a scythe."Brunswick Aleksandr, and this is Lotus Cadenza. I'd love to stay and chat to you all but it's so hard to think when there's so much charm around. If you'll excuse us, we have to take this young lady" nods at Bethlen."Whom we have never met before and have an extremely private talk with her about matters that are of no interest to absolutely anyone" he turns away, not quite keeping a straight face, and hustles Bethlen and Lotus in the direction of the keep.

Vierzehn looks appalled. "Sweet bloody murder, now there's four of them! What's yours like?"

[Linguz]

[Level up]

Spoiler

Show

New Invocation: Eldritch Spear
3 New Skill Points: Spellcraft, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Religion)
New ability: Detect Magic at will
Bonus Health: (1d6)[4]

A small voice in her head spoke to her, the fey which commanded her ability to use the powers she possessed, informing her of what she could do that was new.

She nodded as the fey spoke, which could seem weird to anyone looking, and tried out one of the two things, activating detect magic. She looked around, seeing if anything was magical.

If nothing, then she returned her vision to normal and stayed quiet

If magical auras were found nearby, she tried to discern what they were, more to test it out than anything else.

Spoiler

Show

Spellcraft to know school: (1d20+6)[26] (15+ Spell Level)
Spellcraft to know spell: (1d20+6)[14] (20 + Spell Level)

[Marlowe]

Dardiana:

Spoiler

Show

Both Delphi's and Vierzehn's gloves show weak transmutation, and Vierzehn's cloak shows abjuration as well.

Lotus, Brunswick and Bethlen have strange, off-center auras so bright it's almost dazzling. Lotus and Brunswick show strong Conjuration with Divination, Transmutation and Necromancy present in smaller doses. Bethlen's is the most complex and shows Evocation as well. As you watch, the Auras roil strangely as though disturbed.

Then all three turn their heads and look straight at you. Brunswick narrows his eyes and Lotus shows some pretty little teeth, then Bethlen shakes her head and they move on.

[AshesOfOld]

Thorwald follows the others inside, note really sure what to do with all these new faces.
"Challenging." he replies to Vierzehn's question. "Putting it nicely. Do you have experience with this group?"

[Marlowe]

Vierzehn looks confused for moment."Group? Them? About a week. They turned up with a wagonload of quality liquor they claimed they had absolutely no idea what to do with, which was a lie, a commission from the Margrave's secretary to go through our records, which seems to be legitimate, and a cover story about being wandering scholars from the Free States, which is obviously a total lie. They're too tall for a start, the accent's wrong, and none of them have offered to sleep with anyone in exchange for money. Fact is, I suspect the little one would be willing to pay.

Next thing I know, the guy's drinking my Rangers under the table, the little one's seducing my male troops in alphabetical order, and the scary ones challenging Trent to arm-wrestling. I'd ask them what they really are, but I'm afraid they'd tell me."

[stanleyindraven]

"Well, since no one else wants a true introduction. I am Horbin, a true warrior of the blade, Glenda," he says as he brings the blade to a rest on his left shoulder and reaches his right to Vierzehn.

[RaggedAngel]

Delphi has kept a sharp eye on the people that came out of the bushes behind them, and she makes no effort to conceal the loaded sling in her right hand, nor the throwing axe in her left. She slides up to Dardiana, and mutters out of the corner of her mouth. "I think these people were talking about attacking us before they emerged from the undergrowth."

[Marlowe]

(let's pull this discussion into one. Assuming this pathetic, crippled excuse for a connection that that Chinese call "good internet" lets me. )

"Of course we were planning to attack you", says the Tiefling woman, as a random gust of wind reveals no possible gender interpretation. She rides past Delphi, her eyes fixed and her horse looking rather alert. ""What else would you expect us to do, armed strangers and proven killers in our preserve? But Captain's given the order, so you get in. Halfling".

Her smile is nothing but fangs. And her horses' hooves clank on the wood of the drawbridge.

Vierzehn looks annoyed. "My apologies, my new and unintroduced friends, I have no skill in forest work, so that's why I leave it to people like Larissa here."

And he take Horbin's hand in his right and shakes it like somebody who has nothing to he needs to prove.

"Larissa", now in the courtyard, dismounts like a snake. ""Funny, Captain, I thought you kept me around for my taut, well-shaped fundament."

"And that. Anything, Lieutenant?

"A half-orc Dunkelrot. Other than that, just these people. The forest is silent. Maybe one of them could contribute something".

And then she seems to register. "Good to meet you, Horbin. Nice to meet a man with manners. Ah, Glenda? Is this a story I should hear?"

[u-b]

"Gregor McAlister, son of Neil McAlister, son of Roderick McAlister son of Conall "Alister" Moore from <placename>. And since you have a lot of proven killers walking aroud, I suppose having some more is not a big deal." - Gregor winks at that tiefling then turns back to Vierzehn - "Speaking of which... are we allowed to kill anyone around this place? Like... what is that "Dunkelrot"? If not, I'm afraid you won't see much of killing by us, at least in this jurisdiction, and we will have to resort to more peaceful transactions... fine with me, I suppose..."

[Marlowe]

"Bandits on the Fall. She says. Her father dead, she says. I liked him. Maybe you could tell me what happened, over drinks, come, guests, we have a mess hall and I'm not afraid to use it.

Dunkelrot? An extended family of in-bred clannish killers from the Caroline hills. We kill them on sight. Saves paperwork. Convenient they wear that colour. Kresta--I'm sorry for your loss, I am, he was a valued man in these parts, but I'm not sorry that you experience such a promotion in your fortunes, and I know you have what it takes to take his place, and more besides, but where did you find the Spook? Larissa? Pick out some diplomatic troopers for the morrow, looks like you'll be leading some people to Whitewater Rush tomorrow, and an argument with the Soulflayer is not on my list of fun things to do with Saturday. Do you ladies and gentlemen prefer brown spirits or white?"

((Um...DMs drunk again. Can you tell?))

[stanleyindraven]

"We dispatched the other Dunkelrots back at the place where the pixies live. They were there with some elves and fighting when we found them and their illgained loot," Horbin will say to Vierzehn. "I do enjoy some ale."

[Linguz]

"Seems they were very much planning to attack us, but that's not as interesting as everything they've got going around them. Lotus, Bruns, and Beth all have... auras emanating from them. And they all turned to look at me when I saw them." She glances up at the two who they hadn't been around and then looks at Bethlen. "Anyway..." She spoke up now, "I am Dardiana Darksbane, and I'll be having my own wine." She was ready to move forward, to follow the man whom I keep seeing in my mind as raptoran.

Spoiler

Show

It's all your fault for calling him hawkish, unless he is a raptoran.

[u-b]

Gregor follows to mess hall, but on the way asks where the party could dump the stuff (including fresh meat) and if the dogs are allowed in or should be also left somewhere.