Waker's Awakening (IC)

[Felhammer]

Gertrude

"As much as I like this quaint little goblin town," The hunter inwardly sighs, she definitely does not like this town, "We should mosey over to Carinthia.

[BramsesII]

Jeanne

"Would this be before or after Tamelin?"

Jeanne ponders for a moment before answering. "Actually, I think heading into Tamelin right now would be suicidal. We need to know more about the situation there before we even try to head in." She looks at Lucilla. "I suggest we join this young lady in her trip to Carinthia. We will be able to find out more about our predicament there."

"How far is it to Carinthia anyway? If it is a very long trip we may need to stock up on some supplies to prepare ourselves for the journey."

[Mathemagics]

"On the bright side, we can just start asking questions now, instead of making cryptic requests. In case you missed the arrow, I'm one of the Ordo Expugnere. Would you have heard of it, or heard any news about it?"

Lucilla tilts her head slightly in reply.

"Hmm? The Ordo? I've heard of them, haven't met anyone from it before personally though. I'd guess they're still around and active though."

As the general consensus of the group begins to swing towards accompanying her to Carinthia, Lucilla visibly brightens. Evidently she had begun looking forward to your accepting her offer and is glad to not be disappointed. A smile spreads across her face as she nods enthusiastically.

"Yes, I'm sure that you'll be able to find some answers in Carinthia! (Definitely more than you would here anyway...) As for how long a trip it is... I'd say probably about 4 days by foot, 3 if we make good progress and don't run into delays? As for supplies, there's a decent-sized town about half a day's walk further down the road we could stop at, and I understand there's a few traveler inns along the highway too. We should be able to leave in the morning with no problems in that respect."

[Rysc]

Jarandei

Jarandei looks slightly disappointed at the almost non-existant news about the Ordo, but stays quiet as the Herald continues.

"Yes, I'm sure that you'll be able to find some answers in Carinthia! (Definitely more than you would here anyway...) As for how long a trip it is... I'd say probably about 4 days by foot, 3 if we make good progress and don't run into delays? As for supplies, there's a decent-sized town about half a day's walk further down the road we could stop at, and I understand there's a few traveler inns along the highway too. We should be able to leave in the morning with no problems in that respect."

"Just always assume delays." Jarandei looks around at the others. "Though since the rest of you are fine with, Carinthia it is. If you don't have anything else to discuss...I think I'll also...retire early today...given everything..."

[BramsesII]

Jeanne

Jeanne's slightly annoyed that Lucilla didn't even react to the fact that she's part of the Knights Curator, but she shrugs it off. She turns her attention to Gertrude. "Gertrude. You uh... seem to be injured. Did I miss something after the fight we got into yesterday? Do you want me to take care of that wound?"

Once Gertrude has responded and Jeanne has done whatever needs doing, she rubs her temples. "Sarrox, maybe we should inform the goblins that we unfortunately can't stay around to help them. Uh... what would be the best way to do this, you think? Actually, are you even okay with leaving?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Sarrox

"truthfully, Jeanne? I'dmuchratherstickaroundforafewdays - ideally, tohelpworkthroughthings. andIreallywanttolearnallIcanfromthem, bothbecausethey'remypeoplenow, andbecausethey'remybestshotatlearninghowtomakealiv inginthisnewworld. butyouallhaveyourownthingsyouwanttodo, andtomakeyoustaywouldbeselfish. plus, itlookedkindofliketheywereatanimpasse." Sarrox sighed. "asforbreakingittoLobrixandtheothers... well, thatdepends." Sarrox looked over at Lucilla, controlling her speech. "Lucilla, if we were to reveal that we were Wakers to the other gobs, do you have any idea if they'd freak out? How do people usually react to Wakers?"

Spoiler: If Lucilla says that they'll likely take it well...

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"inthatcase, wejusttellthemthetruth - weowethemthatmuch. I'llalsooffertotakeamessagefromthemforbackup, justincase. also, iftheydecidetoletmescoutoutthekoboldsbeforeLucilla leaves, Iwilldoso."

Spoiler: If Lucilla says revealing ourselves as Wakers would get us run out...

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"inthatcase, well, Ihonestlydon'tknow. Ican'tblufftosavemylife. butattheveryleast, whenweleave, I'lloffertosendforhelp - getsomeothergobstohelpout. andiftheydecidetoletmescoutoutthekoboldsbeforeLucilla leaves, Iwilldoso."

[Felhammer]

Gertrude

The hunter smiles at the cleric, "I tripped and got poked with the edge of some infernal goblin table. A small amount of healing should be all I need." She then turns to the others, "Friends, let us head to Carinthia post haste. The sooner we leave, the sooner we will get there." Gertrude was not usually the gung-ho type but she felt like she needed to leave this town behind and all of the disappointment it had come to represent.

[Mathemagics]

"Lucilla, if we were to reveal that we were Wakers to the other gobs, do you have any idea if they'd freak out? How do people usually react to Wakers?"

Lucilla appears to ponder the question for a moment.

"Well... I'm not entirely sure they'd even know what it means? These goblins seem rather isolated and..." She paused as she tried to find a word that hopefully wouldn't offend. "...rustic?"

The Herald shrugs her shoulders apologetically before continuing.

"In any case though, Wakers usually get a pretty good reception wherever they go from what I've heard. There's something about them, nobody is really sure what it is exactly... It isn't luck, more like they're almost always fated in some way? It's like whatever a Waker chooses to do, it makes a difference in one way or another, if that makes any sense."

A sudden yawn interrupts the girl's speech, causing her to blink wearily. Glancing around for a decent spot, she delicately lowers herself onto the floor of the room. You note that she is still trying to touch as little of the surrounding area as possible in the process.

"Well, we're going to have an early start tomorrow so it would be best to go ahead and get some rest now."

[BramsesII]

Jeanne

The cleric nods, casting a simple healing spell to mend Gertrude's wound. After that, she quickly follows the others' suggestions and takes off her armor and some of her clothes to get some sleep.

Spoiler: Actions:

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Sacrificing bless to cast cure light wounds on Gertrude: (1d8+3)[5]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Sarrox

At the mention of sleep, tiredness overtook Sarrox's eyes, and she let out a high-pitched yawn. "thatsoundsdelightful, actually. goodnight, everyone." Proceeding with her usual ritual of undressing and donning her bedclothes, the goblin then snuggled into her bedclothes before letting sleep overtake her.

[Mathemagics]

One by one everyone settles in for the night. The last thing you see before sleep takes you is Lucilla still trying to find a way to make a bed out of the blankets without having to actually touch them.

Spoiler: Larien

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The shadowy figure from your dream last night returns. As before, the aura of menace it emits is almost palpable. You're unable to move as it hovers over you, a pair of fiery red eyes being the only discernible features as it looms mere inches from your face. Its intent is clear: it wants you dead.

Spoiler: Gertrude

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As if to taunt your plight further, your dreams are of Kalgit. You frantically search through rooms and hallways for him, only to find him calmly sitting behind a closed door. But the moment you look away he vanishes and you search repeats again.

You are all awakened some time later by Lucilla's voice (and gently prodding foot). Within the space of a few minutes, everyone is up and more or less ready to go. Retracing your steps back out to the hub hall, you find Lobrix and a handful of other goblins waiting for you. The Lodgeleader steps forward before you can say anything.

"Friends are leavegoing now, yes? Gobbies want to be in the thanksgifting for all bigwalkers have done. No worry about scalies. Gobbies will wayfind to dealing with. Before friends leaving, gobbies have presentgift."

The leader makes a signal and two other goblins waddle forward, both holding a small slightly concave disc in each hand. They hand these to Jeanne, Larien, Gertrude, and Ran before shuffling back to the rest of their group. Lobrix nods approvingly.

"Now wherever bigwalkersgo, gobbies will knowsee as friends. Gobbies wish friends best of luck with questjourney."

Spoiler: Sarrox

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You recognize the discs as the foundation base for goblin masks. As a child, every goblin is given one and encouraged to build it into a full mask in the manner they deem most fitting. For the goblins to give these to the others is a sign of great trust and respect, and marks them as honorary goblins.

The goblins go with you up to the gate, which is opened once more to let you duck out. As the doors close behind you again you catch sight of the goblins waving goodbye from inside. Lucilla is already a few steps down the path, and turns back to face you. A smile is on her face, and you suspect it's probably that she's glad to be out of the goblin tunnels. She nods her head in the direction of the road.

"Well, you all ready to go?"

[HanaRei]

Larien

It was with an insistant prodding that Larien awoke on her cot. A rather displeased look resting upon her face. It wasn't a very pleasant night again for her. Being woken up didn't help much at all. She wasn't one for being woken up early. If there was one thing her servants had learned it was to never awaken her in the morning unless absolute necessary.

She worked on preparing her magic, her eyes darting over looking upon her blade. The fact her dreams seemed so ominous lingered in her mind. "You..." She spoke out loud, not even concerned with speaking to herself. Her mind was far to groggy to bother speaking telepathically with the blade. It felt far easier to say it vocally as she sat alone. "What exactly did your old master look like? Does the spirit of the one whom had once wield you linger inside you after their demise.. or perhaps you provide the great luxury of being some cursed blade?" She spoke, a bit of sarcasm coating her ending words despite seeming not in particularly that much in a playful mood.

______________________________

Larien looked on as she was handed some disc. Her eyes fixated on it looking at it with a rather neutral expression. "How... quaint." She spoke not bothering to say much more as she pocketed it. In truth objects like jewelry tended to be lackluster for her. She tended to wear only limited amounts of it being very picky on it. The item seeming to hold little value material wise didn't at all really bother her. At the very least it seemed to hold more sentimental value over some noble boy trying to court her.

Venturing out she nodded lightly with less enthusiasm. "Yes... despite being rushed out far earlier then I would like... I am prepared for the journey."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Sarrox

As Sarrox regained consciousness, she stretched her arms, giving off a rather catlike mew. As the party met with Lobrix in the main hall, she went to open her mouth, but was stopped as Lobrix spoke.

"Friends are leavegoing now, yes? Gobbies want to be in the thanksgifting for all bigwalkers have done. No worry about scalies. Gobbies will wayfind to dealing with. Before friends leaving, gobbies have presentgift."

*hands over discs*

"Now wherever bigwalkersgo, gobbies will knowsee as friends. Gobbies wish friends best of luck with questjourney."

"How... quaint."

Sarrox glared at Larien from under the mask and jostled her with her elbow. Turning toward Lobrix, she spoke up. "itwasapleasuretohelp, lodgeleader. I'msorrywecouldn'thelpwithsomethingmorepermanent." Sarrox made as if to do a little bow. "ifyou'dlike, Icouldtrytodeliveramessagesomeplace, forreinforcements?"

"Well, you all ready to go?"

Sarrox looked up at the sky. It's a beautiful day.

"let'****theroad."

[BramsesII]

Jeanne

It takes Jeanne quite a while to actually wake up; several vigorous prods of Lucilla's foot are required for her to stir and open her eyes. For a moment she wants to turn around and go back to sleep, but once she's fully awake she quickly gets up, strapping on her armor and grabing her things. No point in staying too long. We've a long road ahead.

"Friends are leavegoing now, yes? Gobbies want to be in the thanksgifting for all bigwalkers have done. No worry about scalies. Gobbies will wayfind to dealing with. Before friends leaving, gobbies have presentgift."

The leader makes a signal and two other goblins waddle forward, both holding a small slightly concave disc in each hand. They hand these to Jeanne, Larien, Gertrude, and Ran before shuffling back to the rest of their group. Lobrix nods approvingly.

"Now wherever bigwalkersgo, gobbies will knowsee as friends. Gobbies wish friends best of luck with questjourney."

The young cleric bows gracefully when accepting the disc. She looks at it for a moment before putting it away in her pack. "Uh... I'm honored, Lodgeleader. Thank you for your hospitality, and may Meraena grant you the wisdom to deal with your uh... kobold problems." She bows again before turning around and heading outside.

"Well, you all ready to go?"

Sarrox

"let'****theroad."

Jeanne nods. "Agreed. Let's find this next town. Perhaps we can find something to speed up our journey a bit there. Miss Lucilla, do you think you could give us a quick update on the important things that happened while we were asleep? I... 'd hate to do something inappropriate because I'm uh... in the future."

[Felhammer]

Gertrude

The hunter wakes up in tears. her dreams were more like nightmares... She wipes away her shame before the others can see. She doesn't want to be reminded of the fact that Kalgit is dead and the fact that she almost committed suicide yesterday... Gertrude gets dressed and eats breakfast, then readies herself for the journey ahead. At the gate she nods to their new companion, "We are ready."

[Mathemagics]

"You..." She spoke out loud, not even concerned with speaking to herself. Her mind was far to groggy to bother speaking telepathically with the blade. It felt far easier to say it vocally as she sat alone. "What exactly did your old master look like? Does the spirit of the one whom had once wield you linger inside you after their demise.. or perhaps you provide the great luxury of being some cursed blade?"

"Ah, the former mistress was a truly lovely individual. Even more so when spattered with blood, of course. Quite different from yourself though, dark flowing hair, predatory gaze, etcetera. As for a spirit being bound to myself, I have absolutely no idea. I know I've never heard of such happening. I'm quite certain that I am not cursed, however. Unless you consider immaculate design and construction to be a curse, in which case there really is no accounting for taste."

"ifyou'dlike, Icouldtrytodeliveramessagesomeplace, forreinforcements?"

The Lodgeleader nods and withdraws a handful of small handwritten notes written on flaky parchment. Evidently he prepared for this but was waiting for the offer to be extended rather than imposing on you. Each has a note scrawled on it with a location name, which you recognize to be names of various goblin settlements.

"Agreed. Let's find this next town. Perhaps we can find something to speed up our journey a bit there. Miss Lucilla, do you think you could give us a quick update on the important things that happened while we were asleep? I... 'd hate to do something inappropriate because I'm uh... in the future."

"Hmmm.... Well, I think you probably already learned about one of the worst things that happened firsthand. The whole fall of Tamelin bit. Other than that, I suppose it would be pretty much business as usual, at least from a historic perspective. Countries fighting wars back and forth, dynastic struggles, druids and shamans fighting over who controls the Stonewood, that sort of thing."

Wait what was that last one?

The girl shrugs. You get the impression that there's probably a lot more than what she's telling. But she's likely not intentionally withholding the information from you, rather she just doesn't understand what it's like to be out of the loop for so long and consequently lacks the insight to really help you get back up to speed. She does, however, pause momentarily as a thought occurs to her.

"Oh! Uh there is one thing. None of you are wearing red right now, are you? Red's.... not a popular color around these parts at the moment from what I've been hearing..."

Spoiler: Knowledge (Geography) DC 10

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The Stonewood is the name of a massive forested region lying in the south of Mesembria, near the border with Gulbar. It is named such for the number of great petrified trees (Craggy Pines) that grow there. There's regular trees as well, of course, but the forest is unique for being one of the few places in the world with naturally-occurring petrified vegetation.

Spoiler: Knowledge (Arcana) DC 15

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The reason for the Craggy Pine's existence is that the Stonewood is positioned atop a region of exceptionally enriched leylines attuned to the element of earth. Over the course of several thousand years, this has leeched into the surrounding plant life, resulting in what could best be described as a sort of living, growing, stone. It takes several centuries for a craggy pine to reach respectable size, and unlike most other trees they continue growing and do not wither with old age. Even though they can be "cut" down, it takes significant effort to bring down a mature millennial craggy pine.

Spoiler: Knowledge (History) DC 15

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The area in and around the stonewood has been inhabited by druids throughout recorded history. Given the uniqueness of the region's plant life, along with its uncultivated wilderness, it is little surprise that they would take an interest in the forest. While relationships have fluctuated somewhat over the course of time, the druids of the Stonewood are generally isolationists, happy to keep to themselves so long as outsiders refrain from meddling in their affairs (or entering what they perceive as their territory). Mesembria's claim on the Stonewood has resulted in several clashes with the druids over the years, but to no decisive result.

--------------------------------------------------

You set out, following the overgrown trail back towards the main road. While still looking in need of attention, the road is by far in better condition than the side path that splits off towards Movopolos was, and you find yourself able to strike a fair pace. It's a reasonably nice day, though a little chilly, but given the fact that it's now late autumn it's not that surprising either. The path you're traversing now is the same one from just a few days ago, only in reverse, so it's fairly unremarkable scenery. The lack of novelty makes it easy to drift into a silent marching rhythm as you steadily make your way towards the crossroads.

Thanks to your early start, it's a little after noon by the time you reach the crossroads. (Thankfully no talking bears delayed you this time around.) Figuring it's high time for a break, you find a comfortable spot on the ground to settle down. Not too far away to the north lies Tamelin. In fact you think you can just make out the edge of its skyline in the distance. The proximity to the dead city doesn't seem to bother Lucilla at all though, apparently that Gravebinding ritual really is as effective as is claimed. The Herald reaches into a small travel pouch and pulls out some sort of pastry-like ration. It takes a second to completely identify it simply because (like many other things Lucilla possesses) it looks unnecessarily cute and fashionable. The girl looks around for a clean space to sit, whereupon she promptly plops down and begins nibbling at the edge of the ration.

"Well, so far so good. At this rate, it will probably be a few more hours until we reach Splat. Once we get there, we can stock up on supplies if necessary, get information, see if there's any better methods of transport, that sort of thing. If it turns out there's a traveler's inn on the road after the town or we find something faster than going on foot I say we keep going. If not, it's probably safer to stay overnight. What do you guys think?"

Spoiler: Knowledge (Local) DC 15

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It's actually pronounced more like "Sploht". Doesn't make it sound any less like something wet being dropped onto flagstones though.

[Felhammer]

Gertrude

The hunter looks at her new companion and smiles, "After having fallen asleep under a tree for almost two hundred years, I would much prefer to take my chances in an inn. If we hear tell of an inn further up the road, I too vote we press on. Worse comes to worse, we camp out under the stars."

Spoiler

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Knowledge Geography (in combination with my crude map) to see if we are headed in the right direction: (1d20+7)[21]

[HanaRei]

Larien

Earlier...

She looked over to her blade in thought. "Hmm... there must be something triggering my dreams... I don't recall any events that such a vision might make sense with my past... perhaps some metaphysical event that had left such a thing imprinted in the subconscious of my mind when I rest. Either way it is a curious dream to be had. It could possibly be some trivial detail that I am allowing to cause me to over think for no valid reason. It was worth asking... and do no fret. I find your appearance to not be gawky enough for me to refuse to be scene publicly with you by my side" She spoke out in a more light hearted tone before finally finishing her preparations and going out to meet with the others.

_________________________

Larien travels on quietly, having overcame her groggy morning ritual. The arcanist kept mostly silent, pondering to herself about the current events unfolding around them. When it came to taking a break, Larien was quick to try and isolate a good place to sit that was most comfortable for her and wasn't likely to get her clothing too dirty. She looked over hearing her suggestion, nodding her head. "I would prefer the luxury of a good Inn. Our... accommodations weren't exactly the nicest thing to have, just a step above sleeping out in the wilderness. It would be good to have a nice room to myself to sleep in tonight. I have a feeling given the name of our chosen destination, I can assume we would be lucky to find a nicer Inn around this region."

[Rysc]

Jarandei

Jarandei has stayed quiet for much of the morning, but finally speaks up as the group walks along. "If there's an inn or something ahead of the town, I agree that we should definitely keep going. If not...I mean, it's not like another night on the ground is going to kill us, although there might be things during the night that might." She pauses for a moment before remembering something the Herald said earlier.

"Wait, why do people not like red?"

[Mathemagics]

"Ah..."

Lucilla draws out the breath somewhat while wearing the type of face that clearly conveys the 'yeah, I probably should have mentioned that' expression.

"Well, that would be on account of the Red Horde. It started about 50 years ago as a legion under the orcish warlord Margx and quickly began conquering the surrounding area. It wasn't long before they controlled the entirety of the Hinterlands region. They didn't stop there though, and began waging an offensive against their neighbors in all directions. Things... didn't go so well here in Mesembria from what I hear. They overran most of the Vildin region before eventually agreeing to a ceasefire. Even now most of the duchy is under orcish occupation and peoples' sentiments are well..."

[BramsesII]

Jeanne

"Hmmm.... Well, I think you probably already learned about one of the worst things that happened firsthand. The whole fall of Tamelin bit. Other than that, I suppose it would be pretty much business as usual, at least from a historic perspective. Countries fighting wars back and forth, dynastic struggles, druids and shamans fighting over who controls the Stonewood, that sort of thing."

"Oh! Uh there is one thing. None of you are wearing red right now, are you? Red's.... not a popular color around these parts at the moment from what I've been hearing..."

Jeanne nods as the girl explains far too little for her liking. Can't blame her. Too much that happened in... so long... to cover it all. Instead of asking for an explanation on the Stonewood situation, she just smiles. "I suppose people never change. It'd be strange if everyone had decided to become peaceful while we were asleep."

When the color red is mentioned, Jeanne takes up a pose to show as much of her attire to Lucilla as possible. Aside from her breastplate - which is the color of iron - her clothes are mostly blue, with some greens interspersed here and there. She twirls around - quite gracefully - to make sure Lucilla can see every bit of clothing that shows. "No red, as you can see." She grins at the woman. "Wouldn't be very fitting for a Knight Curator, far too aggressive a color. They don't have anything against those who worship Meraena, do they?"

------------

Jeanne tries to keep up conversations with several people in the group. This proves to be tougher than anticipated, because Jarandei and Larien both prefer to remain silent and Sarrox is... well... Sarrox. So, she keeps busy trying to make small talk with Gertrude, and later with Lucilla. While she's at it, she tries to find out a little bit more about the girl who calls herself a Herald of Light. It never hurts to know a little bit more about your travelling companions. Slightly after noon when the group pauses, she requests for some time alone to make her daily prayers. When she returns, the others are considering their next move.

"Well, so far so good. At this rate, it will probably be a few more hours until we reach Splat. Once we get there, we can stock up on supplies if necessary, get information, see if there's any better methods of transport, that sort of thing. If it turns out there's a traveler's inn on the road after the town or we find something faster than going on foot I say we keep going. If not, it's probably safer to stay overnight. What do you guys think?"

Jeanne nods as everyone pitches in with their own opinions. "That works for me. If we hear about an inn further up the road we keep going. If there's no word and no faster travel, we stay in town. And if we don't reach the inn, well, we'll spend the night under the stars." She pats her pack. "I'm sure we can set up a guard routine to keep us safe, and if there's anyone who doesn't like sleeping under the stars, I have a tent with room for one more. That is, if you don't mind sleeping with me in a tent.. uh... in a tent with me..."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Sarrox

As the party departed Movopopolos, Sarrox thumbed through Lobrix's well-worn notes, placing them carefully in her belt pouch before lifting her head as Lucilla answered Jeanne's question.

"Hmmm.... Well, I think you probably already learned about one of the worst things that happened firsthand. The whole fall of Tamelin bit. Other than that, I suppose it would be pretty much business as usual, at least from a historic perspective. Countries fighting wars back and forth, dynastic struggles, druids and shamans fighting over who controls the Stonewood, that sort of thing."

As Lucilla finished, Sarrox was suddenly siezed by a quick spasm, and the goblin swore that she could hear a distinct *szzzblorp!* sound. Immediately afterwards, her thoughts were flooded with images.

mylessons... mylessonsingeography! history! politics! they'recomingbacktomenow? ...whattookthemsolong? ohwell. atleastit'snicetoknowwhat'sbeingtalkedabout.

"Oh! Uh there is one thing. None of you are wearing red right now, are you? Red's.... not a popular color around these parts at the moment from what I've been hearing..."

Sarrox looked up and down at herself. Her overcoat, being rather utilitarian in nature, was a very plain dirt brown, and her apron and bandoliers were a dull cream color. The mask, of course, being metal, was a dark grey, and her respirator tank, while having rather rich color, was much more of a brown than anything that would be considered red.

"nope, I'mgoodhere."

Then, as Lucilla elaborated why red was bad, she mentally added andthat'sprobablyagoodthing.

***

"Well, so far so good. At this rate, it will probably be a few more hours until we reach Splat. Once we get there, we can stock up on supplies if necessary, get information, see if there's any better methods of transport, that sort of thing. If it turns out there's a traveler's inn on the road after the town or we find something faster than going on foot I say we keep going. If not, it's probably safer to stay overnight. What do you guys think?"

Having taken the opportunity to rest her aching goblin footses, Sarrox looked up. "soundsperfectome. Ihavenoobjections." She then turned to Jeanne. "ifitcomesdowntosleepingoutside, Idon'ttakealotofspace."

[Mathemagics]

Jeanne tries to keep up conversations with several people in the group. This proves to be tougher than anticipated, because Jarandei and Larien both prefer to remain silent and Sarrox is... well... Sarrox. So, she keeps busy trying to make small talk with Gertrude, and later with Lucilla. While she's at it, she tries to find out a little bit more about the girl who calls herself a Herald of Light. It never hurts to know a little bit more about your travelling companions.

Through your small talk you get the impression that Lucilla is a genuinely friendly, if a bit superficial, individual. By the time you've stopped for a break, you've also learned that she's 19 years old and was born on the Sunsday the 35th of Argent Mist. Consequently, she's quite excited about her 20th birthday coming up in just a few weeks. She's originally from Vasconia (Meridiana to be precise), and joined the Heralds just over a year ago. She likes kittens and sweets and listening to classical music. Her favorite color is magenta.

Jeanne nods as everyone pitches in with their own opinions. "That works for me. If we hear about an inn further up the road we keep going. If there's no word and no faster travel, we stay in town. And if we don't reach the inn, well, we'll spend the night under the stars." She pats her pack. "I'm sure we can set up a guard routine to keep us safe, and if there's anyone who doesn't like sleeping under the stars, I have a tent with room for one more. That is, if you don't mind sleeping with me in a tent.. uh... in a tent with me..."

Lucilla appears to be temporarily distracted before suddenly snapping back to attention. Noticing that everyone is finished taking a break she hops to her feet, indicating she's ready to move on.

"Right then, we'll see what things look like once we reach the town then."

The rest of the journey to Splat takes about four more hours. Eventually the outskirts of the settlement come into view. There are no walls surrounding the area like a proper city (despite a few guard towers looming at the edges), but the town seems to be a pretty good size nonetheless. The road runs right through the town, leading you past the outskirts and along the main street until you reach a modest plaza in the center of town. A large three-story inn sits on one of the corners of the square, its porch sprawling out in front of it while a path leading around back to a stable can be spotted from the side. Apart from the inn, you also spot what looks to be a town hall, along with a number of shops. Judging by the signs hanging outside, you figure them to be a brewer, blacksmith, carpenter, baker, pawn shop, and apothecary.

"I suppose I'll check the inn first, see whether they have any rooms available or not as well as places to rest further along the line. If any of you care to look around... hmm, let's agree to meet back at the inn in an hour at the latest, alright?"

[Rysc]

Jarandei

"I'm sure we can set up a guard routine to keep us safe, and if there's anyone who doesn't like sleeping under the stars, I have a tent with room for one more. That is, if you don't mind sleeping with me in a tent.. uh... in a tent with me..."

Jarandei smirks, but otherwise does not comment.

***

"I suppose I'll check the inn first, see whether they have any rooms available or not as well as places to rest further along the line. If any of you care to look around... hmm, let's agree to meet back at the inn in an hour at the latest, alright?"

The slayer nods. "Sounds fine to me."

She watches the herald walk off, then turns to the others. "Any place you'd want to go to? I'd just want to try to eavesdrop on people's conversations and figure out what's going on...now, but I'm not so great at talking outright."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Sarrox

Sarrox looked over at Ran. "honestly, somethingalongthoselinesisasgoodaplanasany. Iwasthinkingmaybewecouldseeifthere'satowncrierorso methingrunningaround? anybillboards? I'dsuggestthemarkets, butIdon'thavethatmuchcash. honestly, goingbythetownsquareandthentheinn - that'dbethebestbet."

[BramsesII]

Jeanne

"I'm sure we can set up a guard routine to keep us safe, and if there's anyone who doesn't like sleeping under the stars, I have a tent with room for one more. That is, if you don't mind sleeping with me in a tent.. uh... in a tent with me..."

That's not what I meant to say! Please let nobody have noticed.

Fortunately, nobody seems to have noticed Jeanne's unfortunate expression. She breathes a small sigh of relief before recomposing herself. Before she can reply Lucilla has already disappeared, and so she turns to the others. "I wouldn't mind having a look around town. We have plenty of time. But uh... Sarrox..." She looks at the goblin. "Could you perhaps try to adjust your speaking speed a little bit? I'm having trouble following what you're saying. You suggested the town square, right? We could head there first."

She looks at Gertrude and Larien. "Do you guys agree? Or did you have another plan?"

[HanaRei]

Larien had kept relatively silent hearing Jeanne speak. It tempted her to comment but she had other plans. Jeanne was 'special' enough to her to warrant much more 'extended' torment. It was far better to allow her a sense of comfort before 'striking' at her.


______________

Arriving at town she had looked at Lucilla. She nodded a bit in response. "I would prefer a room of my own. Ideally the best room they have to offer. I propose either yourself or Jarandei share a room with Jeanne if given the need. I feel Jeanne might be more 'comfortable' sharing a 'room and bed' with either one of you. At least, if you are comfortable with that." She spoke shrugging a bit adding the remark in trying to not be too direct with her comment, just trying to hint enough for Jeanne to catch onto it.

She looked at Jeanne after her remark with a smug grin on her lips. "Well, I have no disagreement with that proposal. I'm sure there will be plenty of room to 'relax' in our inn rooms after." She added unable to hide the light grin lingering on her face while agreeing with Jeanne's desire to check the town, all while making sure to torment her just a little.

[Felhammer]

Gertrude

The hunter nods in agreement with her companions, "Looking around sounds enjoyable."

[BramsesII]

Jeanne

Looks like we're almost there. Time to...

"I would prefer a room of my own. Ideally the best room they have to offer. I propose either yourself or Jarandei share a room with Jeanne if given the need. I feel Jeanne might be more 'comfortable' sharing a 'room and bed' with either one of you. At least, if you are comfortable with that."

Oh crap. Jeanne's attempt to hide her expression of pure horror is futile, as it can be easily read on her face. She splutters, trying to explain herself. "I... I didn't.. A..." The words coming out make no sense, though.

"Well, I have no disagreement with that proposal. I'm sure there will be plenty of room to 'relax' in our inn rooms after."

Sweet Meraena. I'm going to have to hear this the rest of our adventure. Jeanne tries to hide herself behind her shield somehow - pointlessly; it's a buckler - especially to avoid having to look at Jarandei or Lucilla. She also tries to avoid Gertrude's, Sarrox's and Lariens gaze. She doesn't even dare glare at the elf for fear of being mocked even more.

"I didn't mean I wanted to... It was a slip if the tongue! I would never dream of something like that! I mean... I didn't mean to imply that I was interested in that. Not that I don't... uh... I'll shut up now." The young cleric's protestations can only serve to dig her deeper, and she goes quiet, hoping to be able to weather the storm of mockery that is obviously going to come her way.

Her shoulders slump, and she steps back, away from the group.I'm a fool. They're going to tear me to shreds. Sen would've done so as well.

[Rysc]

Jarandei

"I would prefer a room of my own. Ideally the best room they have to offer. I propose either yourself or Jarandei share a room with Jeanne if given the need. I feel Jeanne might be more 'comfortable' sharing a 'room and bed' with either one of you. At least, if you are comfortable with that."

Jarandei blinks. "Comfortable with that? I don't exactly blame her for not wanting to share a room with you. That'll leave you free to do whatever you want in your luxurious privacy. Which you'll also be paying for yourself."

What was I even...?

For once, she doesn't bother to look questioningly at the others. "To the square, then?"

***

When the group finally does get going, Ran falls back, walking in step with Jeanne. "Pro tip. Deliberate misunderstanding or ignorance is usually enough to take the sting out of the situation. You can always vent later when...people won't have the satisfaction of seeing your reaction. I mean, if you don't react outwardly, the whole thing's no fun...for the other person at least, which is good for you." She shrugs. "The other option would be to always have a snappy comeback, but that's...not so easy."