IC Toes in the Water

[CoffeeIncluded]

Smiling a little, Natalia pats Miriam on the shoulder. "Can't raise twelve alone."

(OOC: Hey, uh, can you give us more details on these kids? There's a gnome boy, a half-orc boy, and a half-elf girl, but anything else?)

[Athedia]

Mithril could not speak, she had seen beggars before, but her city had shelters for the children. Holding Natalia's arm she turned from the group and whispered "They look like my little brothers and sisters. How could... how could people not take them in."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia just closes her eyes and shakes her head. "...Can't see beyond the species. They're blind." She wishes she could say more to her friend.

[achinca]

Miriam smiles at Mithril and Natalia "I am proud to count you as friends, Sisters. Your good heart is a blessing in these trying times ..."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia just nods. When Miriam continues handing out food, the rogue asks Mithril, "Your options?"

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Mithril, how many siblings?"

[Athedia]

"Four older, three younger, it's a large family. The two littlest would have just turned 9. They were a surprise. The rest of us have grown up now."[/SIZE] Turning back Mithril pulled out her old rations, "This is all I have left, but I do have a spell that may help. I have used it to repair my sister's necklaces, maybe it will work on clothing."

Spoiler

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Mithril would like to try to use Mending on the clothing in the worst condition that she can see.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia can't help but whistle softly at the size of Mithril's family. "Must have been loud." She feels somewhat lost; she gave the rations and now there isn't much more she can do. Natalia does give some money to the children though.

"After, we should help ourselves. Then we can help them more."

[Zman]

With Miriam busy with the food, Mithril picks the child with the worst looking clothing, the half Orc boy. With a few words and some somatic gestures she was able to repair the tattered cloths to the amazement of the children.

A couple of the other children lined up I front of Mithriil, all trying to be the next to have their cloths mended. The only thing that pulled some from here was the coppers Natalia started dividing out...


A large burly and unshaven human guard shouts from a nearby patrol, "Best keep close eye on your valuables, those urchins know how to treat kindness."

Spoiler

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If each of you check you will all be missing something minor, as this is the prologue there will be no rolling. Remember You still start with everything you purchased, as that happens after these events.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Rolling her eyes, Natalia makes an, "Alright, alright," gesture that abruptly stops when she digs through her pouch and says, "! Two candles! Gone!"

[Zman]

The little half elven girl brings her hands out from behind her back, holding two candles covered with dirty fingerprints pressed into the wax. As he holds her hands out she cannot make eye contact with Natalia. "Sowwyy..."

[Athedia]

Upon hearing Natalia's discovery, Mithril searched her belongings. Looking up crossly she said "Could whomever took my pouch return it to me. I would attempt to sew some of your clothes but I seem to be missing my needle and thread." She didn't hold it against the children, but she liked that pouch. It was just the right size to hold all the small odds and ends she picked up and tied nicely to her belt.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Her face set in stone, Natalia holds out her hand, waiting for the girl to return the candles. "Trustbreaker," she says in a noticeably more stilted voice than before.

After a moment, she sighs and soften slightly. She understood why, but to betray their trust like that...Still, if she were in the same situation...

[Athedia]

Hearing Natalia's tone Mithril spoke to the girl "Earlier you said your mother promised to help you. You trust her on her word. We promised to help as well, and you appear to have trusted us. But why should we trust you now." Mithril placed a hand on Natalia's shoulder trying to comfort her.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia returns the comforting gesture with a soft smile and her own hand on Mithrils arm. She hols the other hand out and says, "Return."

[Zman]

The kids shuffle around and as they do Mithril sees her pouch laying on the ground. One of the children must have dropped it.

Another little girl responds to Mithril, "We didn't think think you'd miss some little things...we could have gotten half a loaf for it."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia just shakes her head. "Not things, but behind the things. Why help again?"

[Zman]

Miriam
Miriam stands as sternly as her small frame can manage and speaks with an authority and conviction, Everyone please calm down, this will serve as a lesson about trust. Trust is a powerful force children, but fragile. We were here to help, but you betrayed Ourtrust, and that will have to be repaired...

Miriam enters into a sermon, sitting all of the children down as she motions to the rest of her friends to go their separate ways and to meet at the Inn they saw at dusk.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia smiles a little as Miriam begins her sermon. Hopefully they'll learn to trust people, just like she was learning right now. Touching Mithril's upper arm, she says, "Supply run?"

[Athedia]

Mithril picked her pouch up, dusting it off and returning it to its spot on her belt."What my friend means is by taking these small items you also took away what trust we had in you. But more than that, how do you know if something is small. This pouch looks cheap and old, but I bought it for myself with the first money I earned at my home. This means more to me than the finest, embroidered pouches." Mithril felt her speech was wasted on the children, she hadn't understood the value of such objects at their age.

[Athedia]

Needing to cool off, Mithril nodded"Lets, I need a couple of things in town. Kurt make sure Shiny doesn't get himself into trouble. Shiny be careful. Lead on Natalia."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Magic, weapons, armor," Natalia says happily as they walk into the city.

"Thanks, for teaching magic..."

[CoffeeIncluded]

As they walk through the humming streets of the crowded city, something shiny in the window catches Natalia's eye. Turning around, she finds an obscenely expensive suit of mithral armor on display. She presses against the window in awe. Natalia waves over Mithril; when the wizard arrives she says, "...Your namesake."

[Athedia]

Mithril stared at the suit of armor in wonderment, and then pulled Natalia away from the window "Yes, but staring will only make us want it. I certainly have no use for a suit of armor, and I think Kurt and Miriam do enough clanking without you joining in. Still it is pretty isn't it." Looking around she found the first store they were looking for, a shop filled with class vials of potions.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia just shakes her head as they enter the store. She missed the entire point. "Beautiful..."

Looking around the store, the shelves of healing and defense potions catch her eye; she picks up a few basic healing potions (3 cure light wounds potions) and something called...

"Mage Armor?" she asks her friend. "Liquid mithral?"

[Athedia]

"Not quite as strong, but the general idea yes. You saw me use it when I had ran out of spells. I would not dare go into combat without it. It can be very useful." Mithril took one vial of the cure light wounds potion, most of the other potions she could replicate on her own with her spells, but healing was the one thing she could never do.

[CoffeeIncluded]

So that's what that spell was. "The arrow bounced off," she says as she grabs one of the mage armor potions off the shelf.

Natalia still has four doses of the spider venom; she had distributed some of it to her friends. However, seeing what this place was like, she wouldn't dare sell any of it off.

Turning around, she finds shelves of scrolls, and several spellbooks, each clearly marked with the spells they contain, tethered to the table for wizards to copy for a fee. "Mithril!"

[Athedia]

Mithril's eyes widened, she had never seen so many spells in one place. Lost in her own world she started browsing the spells while muttering to herself. "Which ones? I can get two... Shield would be nice, just like another Mage Armour. But Summoning would be so fun... and who can resist fire shooting from hands.

She read what each of the spells did and retrieved Whiskers from where he was sleeping behind her neck. He stretched and made a coughing yap to say he was unhappy."Crankypants, I want your help deciding. I already chose Shield. Should I summon some friends for you, or shoot fire from my hands. Whiskers glared at her and then walked over to the Burning Hands spell and feel asleep on it. Sighing Mithril picked up the Whiskers and turned to the owner "Two spells, Shield and Burning Hands please. She placed Whiskers back in his usual place on her neck as she went to pay.

Spoiler

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Mithril didn't buy any spells, but I am going to say Mithril "bought" the two new ones Mithril learned is that if that is okay Zman.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia grins at the little game between Mithril and Whiskers. "Why not both? Or all?" She turns around and picks up a scroll with the words "Shocking Grasp" marked on it and immediately decides to buy it.

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Mithril, a lightning spell, right?" Natalia asks as she shows the shocking grasp scroll to her friend.