[IC] Heroes of Songwillow Isle (Amethyst Isles of Rimecroft)

[Burnheart]

Eoghan

"We defeated an attack on the village of Fishhook by a xill necromancer apprenticed to Daedras Malvorre, he escaped and we fear he while return soon to attack the village again." Eoghan says stepping forward "An admiral Lightmace from Sunleaf was patrolling the nearby sea when he noticed the fight and came to offer his assistance, he agreed to remain in Fishook for a week and sent us here to seek more help"

[Felhammer]

"Malvorre... Isn't he that Necromancer from Foulbone...? I think I've heard of him... But I cannot recall. I certainly don't take orders from some roving buccaneer. Hmm, ye say Fishhook was attacked...? That hovel is blown over by wind and rain just as often as Goblins..." The Gnome slaps his back hand against the leather-ed stomach of one of his underlings, "Hey, doesn't Redhoof live in Fish Hook?"

The grunt responds, "She moved there to go marry some low born pirate or something. Rumor has it, she actually birthed a Whitebuck with him but no one knows for sure since that marsh witch takes all of 'em at birth."

The Gnome takes a deep puff of his cigar, "I remember now. Yeah, her mother was none too pleased when she ran off with that scum. Still, she was a noble and she lives in that makeshift hovel of a throp. So tell me, good sir, what did Saba Redhoof have to say about all of this?"

[BramsesII]

Myrtle

Myrtle looks down at her feet. "I'm sorry sir. The necromancer's minion killed her before we even knew what was going on. His first strike was against her. Please, you must let us through, we promised the poor people of Fishook we would send aid as soon as possible."

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Diplomacy: (1d20+9)[18]

[Felhammer]

The Gnome bursts forward and grabs Myrtle's shirt, "Don't ye dare say such a thing..." He stares into your eyes and sees you are telling the truth. He lifts his head up into the downpour. You think you see a single tear flow down his tanned cheeks though it could have just been a rain drop. He bows his head and whispers, "Ye can pass."

The guards part in half to allow the four of you to travel across the long hempen rope leading to the King's Palace.

Once on the other side, there is a great commotion going on. Haggard people running to and fro, most laden down with arm-fulls of scrolls and books. You happen to flag one down and inquire as to what is going on. He tells you that there was an attack in the city earlier and the Nest has been convened for an emergency meeting. The King will be busy all day and won't have time for visitors. The man directs you to Hatad Hopeforge, (the Bridge Master of Whitebuck and Half-Dwarven brother of the King), who has been assigned the task of dealing with the non-crucial business of state during these unprecedented times.

The Halfling escorts you to the proper tier and finds a boy to lead you the rest of the way. Hopeforge's office is small, dark, dank and out of the way. A massive oak table lies at the center of the office, which literally has hundreds of papers and scrolls strewn across it. A stocky short man looms over the desk. He hears you enter but does not raise his head to meet your gaze, "I am Bridge Master of Whitebuck, hereunto assigned by the His Majesty the King to oversee the non-essential business of the Realm." His voice is raspy like a Dwarf's yet eloquent and slightly high pitched like an Elf's, "How may I help you on this rain-stricken day?"

[HanaRei]

Kanna Ashbaugh

Kanna stood back hearing as the others spoke, allowing them to take control. It seemed the gnome had at least relaxed a little perhaps due to her efforts. She kept quiet following behind the group as they moved in.

Having come up to the bridge master, Kanna parted her lips to speak though reserved herself. She still felt so guilty having such a pass, considering who issued it to her. Her head turned down in guilty as she kept quiet, not really comfortable speaking about it at all.

[BramsesII]

Myrtle

While walking by, Myrtle whispers to the gnome. "I am truly sorry, sir."

As they walk through the city, Myrtle looks around constantly, hoping to spot her sister Layla.

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Perception: (1d20+2)[8]

When they arrive at Hopeforge's office, she is the first to speak up. "We arrived yesterday from Fishook. The village came under attack by an apprentice of the necromancer Daedras Malvorre. We managed to stop the attack and got an admiral from Sunleaf to defend the throp for a week. However, the village could come under attack again at any moment. We were hoping the King would be so kind to help us find a more permanent solution to this situation. After all, all the people on the island are under the king's protection, are they not?" She smiles brightly at the man.

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Diplomacy: (1d20+9)[18]

[Felhammer]

The Man looks up. His well kept but short blonde beard clearly indicates his Dwarven heritage, while his high cheekbones, alabaster skin and pointed ears give a nod to his Elven parentage. "Fish Hook was attacked by Daedras Malvorre's Apprentice, eh? Hmm, well we cannot have that can we? Unfortunately, the might of the realm is stretched thin... Most of the King's forces are deadlocked at the Throat, battling the increasingly ferocious and suicidal Xill. The Turs and Welds refuse to send any more than a paltry sum to help defend the west and south.

He ponders his predicament for a few moments while studdying a map, "I suppose we could hire more mercenaries from Rho-Elus. The King definitely won't like more Merfolk zealots coming to our shores but... I see little else we can do... Unless..." He turns his gaze to the Sorceress, "Lady Kanna Ashbaugh, I must ask a dreadful favor of you..." He blushes and bows deeply, "Excuse my impertinence My Lady but as Master of Bridges and Trader of Secrets, there is little in this realm that I do not know."

He walks over to Kanna and delicately grasps her hand, "Would you be willing to return to Sunleaf to beseech Exarch Vanuel Coldtear to send a contingent of soldiers to fortify the southern shores of the realm? I know this favor asks much of one so young but our people are dying and I have little recourse at the moment."

[Burnheart]

Eoghan

Eoghan turns to Kanna with an eager smile "You're from Sunleaf? I've been wanting to visit the grand Temple of Almahara there for many years, ever since i first spoke to Father Irvine and came into the faith, what is the city like?"

[Felhammer]

The Hopeforge smiles, "Though we have never met, I have become quite the fan of your exploits, Master Eoghan. You have caught many vile souls in your years as a Bounty Hunter, for that you have my thanks. It is a shame that Luc Corraidhin has eluded your, and the Ranger's, grasp. I have heard he has begun recruiting Xill and Half-Giants into his Black Spears. I pray to Almahara for the day when we can bring that criminal to justice at the end of my mother's axe."

[Kydell]

Lenfrey Coyne

The rat follows along and keeps quiet. The protection of Fishook is what's important. Let the others hammer out the details. The idea of returning to Sunleaf would be nice. Unfortunate that it's I'll news that brings everyone there.

[BramsesII]

Myrtle

The halfling listens quietly to the half-dwarf and the others before replying. "That's all well and good, but what will the Exarch say about this? Does he feel any obligation to protect the southern shores of our island?"

She looks around at the others before turning to the half-dwarf again. "Are you sure you can't spare some soldiers? We spoke to an admiral from Sunleaf before leaving Fishook, and it didn't sound like he wanted to permanently help protect the village."
She smiles slightly at Hopeforge. "Are you sure there's nothing you can do? You know, besides sending Kanna here on a dangerous trek to Sunleaf?"

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Diplomacy: (1d20+11)[12]

"I uh... also have a personal question. Do you happen to know a halfling called Layla Sunnyskin? She's my sister, and she works here in Whitebuck somewhere. Seeing what happened here I'm... worried about her." She sighs.


Edit: Changed a few typos.

[Felhammer]

I can spare a few banner-men but it would not be enough to garrison our southern shores and would come at the detriment of our forces in Eastfarm. Rueserond, Drow Pirates, the Black Spears and all these goblinoid incursions have our forces stretched to the breaking point! I need more men!"

He ponders the situation for a time before unfurling a large map of Whitebuck, "If we could some how acquire more men from the Turs then we could afford to spare the soldiers necessary to garrison the south. The Hopes, Winds, Hills, Wars, Forges, Roots, Eyes, Blues and Rains are all stalwart in their support of the realm. The others, however, are not so generous."

He stares at the map for a while before stating, "Most of these Telus are either staunch allies or latent enemies to the Crown. If our goal is to find aid for the south, then we must convince a few of the other Telus to send men to Forgestar Keep. I'd say the easiest would be the Flails. They have long been friends of the Hopes but, as of late, have allowed their support to wane. Their Patriarch is Vegtur Flailwar, who just recently ascended to that role. He is a capricious man who always seeks the upperhand in everything he does. Since you are outsiders and being the ones to have witnessed the assault on Fish Hook, perhaps you can convince him to aid our cause?"

[BramsesII]

Myrtle

"Well, I suppose that gives us more options. I understand your predicament, sir, I was just hoping there was a faster option than trying to convince third parties."

She looks around at the others. "What do you think? Sunleaf? Or should we try the Flails? We should decide quickly though, Malvorre is not going to wait."

She turns back to the half-dwarf. "And uh... my sister? Do you think you could deliver a message to her?"

[Felhammer]

He smiles, "I was going to save this for after the meeting but I suppose now is as good of a time as any. Your sister works for me as a scribe. She is down in the Scribe's Hall copying some texts for me. You can go visit her after the meeting."

[BramsesII]

Myrtle

Myrtle's face lights up with a smile. "Oh! That's great! Thank you."

[HanaRei]

Kanna Ashbaugh

She heard the voice of the man directed to her. A bit of shame filled her as she glanced away a bit. "You know that is not possible..." Her voice carried out softly, quite weak. Hearing Eoghan speak up in regards to it. She really had terrible luck avoiding her past, though perhaps that was to be expected. At the very least it seemed as if Eohan did ample to distract the man and perhaps give her a chance to hide away from her past.

Myrtle's voice only helped to aid her ease as yet another barrier seemed to be put in place allowing her to escape from speaking out more on the subject. She bit her bottom lip remaining quiet.

[Burnheart]

Eoghan

"We could always start with the Flails and head to Sunleaf after that" Eoghan replies a hopeful note in his vocie when he mentions Sunleaf "I mean it shouldn't be hard to convice the Exarch since Almahara teaches us to stand together against the darkness, even if he can't help us someone else probably could."

[Kydell]

Lenfrey Coyne

'Aye,' Lenfrey chimes in, 'The Flails'll add a tremendous strength to our own. I would travel there first.'

[Felhammer]

"The flails it is then. Return to me when you have spoken with Lord Vegtur Flailwar, regardless of the outcome."

With that, the Master of Bridges escorts you out of his office. You find yourselves in the narrow corridors of the King's Palace. The Flails are located in another Tree, which means leaving the Palace.

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Warning, big map :)

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[BramsesII]

Myrtle

"Well, I guess business goes before pleasure. I'll speak to my sister when we get back from our meeting." She looks at the others. "So, how will we go about doing this?"

[Felhammer]

An overworked little Halfling woman waddles up to the office. Her face is obscured by a literal mountain of scrolls that she is barely managing to control. Beside her are three hunman girls, also balancing a massive number scrolls in their arms but their larger size makes the task a bit easier. The Halfling speaks with a soft voice, "Excuse me, we have to enter the Master's Office. Could you please hold the door for us?"

[BramsesII]

Myrtle

Myrtle smiles at the halfling woman, ordering her wolf to make more room in the narrow corridor. "Of course, miss."

"Actually, do you need a hand with those scrolls?"

[Felhammer]

The Halfling girl peaks around the mountain, sees Myrtle, drops the scrolls and rushes over to hug her sister. "What are you doing here in Whitebuck?"

One of the human girls sighs, "I wish I had a wolf..."

[BramsesII]

Myrtle

After a long hug, Myrtle lets go and grins at Layla. "I came to visit you. Well, we came to visit you." She pats Cyra on the head. "It's been too long, big sis. Oh! Mom and dad and Lemmy say hi. They all miss you very much."

She smiles brightly at her sister. "I got a bit delayed underway, though. Ran into some trouble in Fishook, but I did pick up a few friends." She motions to her companions in turn. "This is Sir Eoghan, and sir Lenfrey. They're both powerful warriors. And this is miss Kanna, she's a mage of sort... a sorceress, miss?"

"So what about you? How have you been?"

[Felhammer]

The little Halfling smiles wide and bows, "Pleased to meet all of you!" She turns her gaze back to Myrtle, "To tell you the truth little sister, I didn't know if I was going to make it in the big city. Things are so different here in Whitebuck compared to Eastfarm. I happened to get a job as a Bar Maid at the Red Sword Tavern. It was there I met the Master of Bridges when he was throwing a party for one of his kin. I happened to mention the fact that I wanted to become a scribe and he hired me on the spot!"

Layla closes the gap between her and Myrtle and whispers in the latter's ear, "I think he likes me. Can you believe it? Me? A little common girl! He's the brother of the King!" Layla backs away and blushes, "I am very happy here."

She begins to gather the scrolls she dropped, "So, why are you meeting the Master of Bridges?"

[BramsesII]

Myrtle

An even bigger grin appears on Myrtle's face when Layla mentions the bar maid thing. "Ha. You, a bar maid? I thought you said you'd never do that again. It's great to see you did end up with the job you were looking for though."

When Layla whispers in her ear, her smile disappears somewhat. She whispers back to her sister."Are you sure? I mean, I'm sure he's nice but... he's not, you know... a halfling."
"It is good to hear you are happy, though."

"We are actually on a mission. Trying to save the throp of Fishook. I was there when we were attacked by some vile necromancer and his minions, but these heroes here drove them off." Myrtle bends down to help Layla gather some of her dropped scrolls. "I did help out, though. With the gifts nature has granted me."
"Anyway, we managed to stop the attack, but now we're looking for a more permanent solution, so we're trying to convince the Master of Bridges to send some troops to Fishook."

She grins widely. "I guess you could say I'm an adventurer. I even have a sling. Father will be so proud when he hears."

[Felhammer]

Lalya smiles at her sister's remark about Hatad's race, "It may be uncommon but it isn't unheard of for Halflings to couple with other races. Plus, he's Half-Dwarf (so short) and Half-Elf (so lithe), I think it will work out beautifully!"

She stares in awe of her sister, "Y-you're a bonafide Adventurer now!? Father would be so proud of you! Off saving the world, that's my little sister! I'll make sure Master Hopeforge does his utmost to aid you in your just and noble quest! I'll bet the next time I see you, you'll be one of the wealthiest - and eligible - women in Whitebuck! We need to find you a boyfriend! I will keep my eye out dear sister! I'm sure I can find you some loving near-do-well noble!"

[BramsesII]

Myrtle

"Thanks, big sis. I don't think I'll have time for boyfriends, though. With the saving the world and all." She pats Cyra on the head while talking. "But I think we should get going. Can't save the world when we're standing here talking. And I think I'm keeping you from your job." Myrtle winks at her sister. "I'll see you later big sis!"

She turns to the others. "Shall we move on to see the Flails?"

[Kydell]

Lenfrey Coyne

The rat gives a snort, not amused. 'Let's get along, then.'

[Burnheart]

Eoghan

"Fine with me" Eoghan replies with smile at Myrtle & her sister "Lead the way"