The Three Musketeers (IC)

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde by no means partook in any of Borb's advances and opted to work on his craftmanship before resting for the night.

In hearing Leofric's comments he walks over and takes a seat on the windowsill crossing his arms,

"Hey if you were there you would've known already, but yeah that would be me making all that noise. Pay no mind to it though, you'll be hearing it much more often once we are outside this blasted city.

He turns to Borb,

"Hey next time we come to a rest would you mind taking a look at how you can make one of these?"

He reaches into his pack and removes a bottle of black liquid from it and hands it to Borb.

Spoiler: Borb and DM

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This would be a bottle of Oil of Silence, which is in all means a literal silencer, not suppressor, for my guns.

Talked this over with Antoin already and he okay'd you to look into it
If you Borb, could mass produce this for me eventually, I'd appreciate it.

Turning his attention to the book he begins to look at it and then abruptly closes it,

"Okay look, never truly fought a dragon but I've done my fair share of research during my travel here from overseas and I can promise you that I am prepared for the horrors we will face. When are we leaving then?

Spoiler: Antoin

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I will politely decline the rations as I already have everlastings

[glitterbaby]

"That was exactly my concern. You make that kind of noise and we give our position away to every monster for miles. Don't go around using that lightly when we're out."

Leofric turns his head back to the book with the last line and doesn't pop back into the conversation until Cayde refuses to do his homework hands back the book.

"Oh you're prepared, are you? What are you going to do when a dragon targets you with its frost breath? How are you going to go about getting the drop on one with its supernatural perception? How will you pierce its thick hide? Am I the only one taking this seriously? Because that sort of indifference is going to get us all killed."

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde sighs annoyed,

"Okay listen here buddy, the uptight shtick is getting pretty old at this point. I read as many books as I had available to me on my way overseas. Sure I've never fought one, but I know my fair share, or at least as much as a book will get me. As for my gun, maybe I already have that figured out."

He gestures to the bottle he just handed to Borb.

"That right there is called 'Oil of Silence', any idea what that might do there smart guy?"

Not even waiting for a response he quickly quips,

"It makes these quieter than you could ever be. You might have battled dragons but have you ever snuck your way behind enemy lines to assassinate a Commanding Officer? Or watched as one of you allies' head cracked open as a bullet pierced his skull? Or held your best friend as he begged for you to help and you were too wounded to lend a hand?"

He is visibly upset with Leofric at this point, a mixture of annoyance and anger in his eyes.

[glitterbaby]

Leofric looks askance at Cayde, dumbfounded.

"Uptight? All I want is to not die a shameful death. There's no glory in being slaughtered due to unpreparedness or idiocy. I don't mind that you're inexperienced with dragons. I care that we come up with a plan so that we can either succeed in our mission or if we do go down, we go down in glorious, hard-fought combat."

"And I am familiar with war. It is our way of life in my homeland."

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde continues to eye him carefully and sighs,

"I understand your concern Leofric but you do not know what I have done to prepare. It is quite hard to bring enough along as just a carrying bag. This world is foreign to me, my firearms are a new concept from what I've gathered on my travels north. I assure you I have taken the precautions and that you will find my weapons effective in our battles. I do not shy from being close to my targets, but I will not put myself into a horrible situation on a whim."

[glitterbaby]

"It's not your weapons that give me pause. There are plenty of ways to tear holes through flesh and I have no doubt that yours can do so just fine. The reason I bring up a dragon's hide is because, even with "normal" weapons, most find it very difficult to pierce. I've trained specifically to be able to find gaps in a dragon's hide but for those who haven't, thought should be put into ways around it. While I don't know many individual spells, I expect there is magic to better one's aim or to allow one to bypass heavy armour entirely. In relation to the breath weapon, there's magic to grant resistance to elemental energy so that would be a good place to start if you've not trained to avoid even energy like myself.

Beyond that, we should think on how we'll get along in the elements. I and my pack animals are already equipped for all but supernatural cold. Do you have mounts? Without even considering speed, trudging through deep snow on foot is not enjoyable."

[TheKidReaper]

"Like I said, had to travel light so a mount is something I don't have. As for the energy resistance, I can stop by the shops on our way out of town and maybe I can find a ride as well."

Cayde sits up from his position a bit, he seems a bit anxious to leave but its hard to pin down why.

Spoiler: DM

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Remind me again, this is white dragons we are talking about right?

[glitterbaby]

"Well feel free to use my yak's pack for storage; we can load it up when we go to leave town. We should also consider cold-weather gear or magic to that end. Do either of you two know much of magic and what might be an efficient way to get access energy resistance or other particularly useful magical aid?"

[TheKidReaper]

"Carrying weight won't be the problem, I was assuming you meant for travel speed. I'm not one for the magical when it comes to using it myself, my guns are enchanted however. Borb you're versed in the magical brewing, any suggestions?"

[truk8280]

"I ain't no magician, but I can feasibly brew elementally resistance potions, but they must be used under my will. I get to decide whether or not you guys go into battle with some good resistance. So, as long as we need alchemical help, then I can dish out the aid accordingly."

[glitterbaby]

"Ok so then we don't need to stop by any shops for potions or scrolls on our way out? I've learned a bit about activating scrolls, wands, and the like but occassionally it takes a few tries. I wouldn't count on it in a pinch."

Assuming the answer he's given isn't one to spark a lengthy conversation, Leofric returns to his studies until it's time to leave.

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde nods and stands up from his spot on the windowsill,

"Alright, I'm going to tinker with a few things before we leave then. Someone just come get me from my room when we are going to head out."

He excuses himself from the room.

Spoiler: DM

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Researching again, DC 25

(1d20+13)[32]

[antoin]

Kilmund also hands you a sealed letter on your way, instructing you to present it to the captain of the guard at Kazeb when you arrive.

You three set out from Bavinsk, yaks/horses/wings/potions and all. The road is well-kept up, made of cobblestone. As you leave the city for the first day, you walk past farm after farm, most of them finishing their harvests. At the end of the first day, you rest just inside the fringe of the evergreen forest.

Day two is another beautiful, if slightly cooler day, about 60 degrees. The road turns to dirt with grooves in it, likely from wagons and the like traversing it. You passed many other travelers on the first day, but you haven't encountered anyone since you left the farms.

Day three: the evergreens get taller and larger as you go along. It starts raining in the afternoon, which continues off and on through...

Spoiler: Borb/Cayde

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Night 5: Cayde, you come out of your trance to startle what must be upwards of 50 bats in the trees, who disperse quickly. Borb has been aware of them the whole time, naturally. They were slowly gathering throughout the night.

Day six: The rain has made the road arguably worse than the ground around it, though everything is basically just mud at this point. Sometime in the afternoon, the road marginally improves as it is a half a foot taller than the ground around it, so it's...slightly more solid mud.

Around dinner time, you come across three figures who turn out to be young male Orcs, seated under some makeshift cover. They stand up as you draw near, setting down some dice. All are fairly muscular, wearing half-undone leather armor and hoods. They all wear red headbands, with a cartoonish figure of a hog on the forehead. Two of them have clubs strapped to their backs, and one with a greataxe rumbles in rough but understandable Common:
"Lovely rainy day, isn't it? Let's see...3 people, horses, yaks...ahgh I don't feel like doing the math. Call it 20 gold for the lot of you, that'll cover this toll and Rashag's stretch of road up the way...I'm guessing you're heading to Kazeb, though you look a bit tall for dwarves, eh?" His chipped teeth show as he grins. One of the other Orcs reaches in his pocket and begins walking toward the pack yak, a smile on his face as well.

Spoiler: Cayde/Leofric

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Wow, dem Knowledge(Local) rolls. Alright, you both remember hearing while in the city that the headband signifies the Krgurm orc clan, which translates to "Boar's Fat" in Common. You're probably close to the southwestern corner of their traditional territory - however, this can change hands frequently depending on trade and clan wars.

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde rustles through his pouch and retrieves 20 gold and proceeds to toss it onto the table,

"Aye we are, you lot seem a bit taller than dwarves yourselves. We are just passing through."

He watches as the orc steps his way forward, watching him get closer to the Yaks,

"Hey, we paid the tax, you need to inspect the animals now eh?"

He eyes the three up carefully, his amber eyes never leaving the Orc that has stepped forward.

Spoiler: OOC

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Going to pull a Sense Motive on that encroaching Orc

(1d20+2)[13]

Spoiler: DM

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I'd be crafting every early morning along this trip at a DC 25, daily.

(1d20+13)[26]

(1d20+13)[17]

(1d20+13)[25]

(1d20+13)[15]

(1d20+13)[20]

[glitterbaby]

A wave of disappointment washes over Leofric's face as he jerks his horse to turn, stopping.

"I have no quarrel with you, orc, but if you keep me from my hunt I will not hesitate to consider you and yours my prey as well. We need not be enemies, matter of fact our task may benefit your people."

Leofric's hand reaches back, ready to draw if necessary.

Spoiler: Toni

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First an Intimidate check with the threat: (1d20+8)[16]

Detect Evil per the Paladin ability on the orc with the greataxe. The Paladin's ability is a single target but jumps straight to the 3rd round as far as the information goes.

edit: quick typo

[antoin]

The first Orc pulls a 4-inch flat stone engraved with 6 foreign runes. The last rune is the same figure as on their headbands.
He hands it to Cayde: "Just show Rashag's boys this and they'll let you go on no problem."
The orc approaching the yak hesitates at Cayde and Leofric's questioning before pulling out a morsel of food and walking closer to the yak. He pipes up in a surprisingly high-pitched, almost pre-pubescent voice: "I don't mean any harm, sirs. Reminds me of the feller I learned to ride on is all." He feeds it and rubs its head. The yak seems appreciative.

Spoiler: Zackyjams

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No aura here.

Spoiler: Cayde

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Looks like he wants to touch the yak, no more no less.

Also, oof.

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde flashes a smile and gestures to the three,


"Can never be too careful out here, didn't mean any ill will about it. How far to Kazeb from here?"


His posture relaxes a bit, though his eyes still flicker from Orc to Orc as he talks.


"More importantly to us all, has anything been amiss in the area we are heading through as of late? Rashag's stretch as you called it. Unwanted wildlife? Unsafe roads? Dragons?"


Cayde hesitates as the last one rolls off the tongue, almost to ask his companions 'That okay to ask?'

[antoin]

"Can never be too careful out here, didn't mean any ill will about it. How far to Kazeb from here?"

The orc with the greataxe scratches his head.
"'Bout a week to the mountains, I haven't been up to the town itself so probably a little farther from there."

"More importantly to us all, has anything been amiss in the area we are heading through as of late? Rashag's stretch as you called it. Unwanted wildlife? Unsafe roads? Dragons?"

At the words "unsafe roads," the orc on the left, who has been silent thus far, rolls his eyes and snorts.
"This road is safe with that token. If you all had your friend's attitude, however...(he points to Leofric)...well, huehue...you might find these roads more dangerous. Krgurm is known for its manners." He sneers, pausing for a few seconds.
"We'd finish the job quickly. Rashag, well...(he turns his eyes to Borb)...is known for cooking exotic meats."
His gaze still remains on Borb. The younger orc finishes petting the yak, and the orc with the greataxe glances between the two somewhat uneasily.

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde sighs pretty audibly at that,


"Okay look, we aren't looking for any trouble but if someone is going to be trying to eat my friend Borb here then I can only assume both he and I are going to have an issue with it."


He still hasn't taken his eyes off the three. He hasn't made any motions that would make it seem like he is being hostile, but he's still being very cautious.


"Now I believe we will be on our way, unless you have anything else Leofric? Borb?"


For the first time in a few moments, his glance drifts to the others at his side.

[antoin]

Borb shrugs uneasily but doesn't say anything. The tension remains for a few seconds before the middle orc chimes back in: "Hey, calm down. Yeah, Rashag's crew is pretty rough, but that keeps this road safe from bandits and the like. No one messes with them or us! Haha. Let's get back to our game, boys. You three, don't get too wet out there."

They watch you as you leave.
The end of day 6 goes by without incident.
Day 7 is still very rainy. The forest is thicker and darker, and tree limbs now extend over the path. The rain finally stops on day 8, and the sun comes out.
The woods are generally much quieter than before you met the orcs - there is much less activity or wildlife present.
Day 9 begins with Borb informing you that you were visited by a small Orc party overnight. Once Borb started sleepwalking with the token hanging from his neck, they left you alone.
Days 10-11 are sunny as the path becomes significantly more rocky and arduous, as it gently slopes upwards. The woods thin out to the level when you first entered them.
At the end of Day 11, five vicious looking orcs block the pathway until they see the token. They just grunt, looking at Borb.
You camp on the edge of the forest - you cannot see the horizon to the north, as it is completely blocked by several rising hills.
Day 12 takes you on an exhausting up and down journey through the foothills of the looming mountain range. The pathway is well-defined, however. Around dinnertime, you come across a large fire with 20 or so dwarves in armor around it.
One particularly stocky individual, armor half-undone with an enormous red beard stands up: "Good evening, sirs. Is this really all they sent from Bavinsk? Ah well. Just be more careful than the last sellswords we got up here. If you want to press on a couple hours to Kazeb be my guest...or you can enjoy a meal and rest here before His High Eminence, the Supreme Royal Captainness puts you to work."
The rest of the dwarves chuckle at the last bit.
"Name's Wroth. Try to have as much fun as you can in these gods-forsaken mountains, it'll keep you sane, trust me. You drink ale? Where are you from? What possessed you to come up here - debts to pay? Bloodlust? Bored with city life?"

[TheKidReaper]

"Wroth, name's Cayde. From overseas and just decided to head out into the world unknown to do some drifting. I'd reckon we could take a rest here, and uh....who's this....Captainness you speak of?

He glances around the encampment looking at the group of dwarves.

Spoiler: Antoin

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I am just going to do one crafting roll if that's okay with you. Because otherwise it's just going to be 6 rolls.

So like early morning each day, I'm just going to cancel out all the progress from last time given I had 2 passes and 2 fails.

Let's just do the DC 15 this time

(1d20+15)[29]

[antoin]

"Good, good," he says as he grabs you each a mug. The ale is almost as good as you'd find in the city.
He refills his mug and drinks deeply before sighing contentedly.
"You asked about Temn, captain of the guard here. Well, he does know a thing or two about what he's doing, I'll say that much."
He pauses as a smirk crosses his face. "Unfortunately, he knows only one or two things about what he's doing!"
The camp chuckles in response. Another dwarf with a thin black beard and bright blue eyes grumbles before adding:
"His father's a general in the southern army, we all know that's how he got the position. It's why we're camped out several hours from the town we're supposed to be protecting. It's why we haven't been able to quash a few lousy goblin tribes that harass us day and night. It's why, despite FIVE DRAGON ATTACKS in the past WEEK, we've lost 30 dwarves and haven't put even one dragon head on a pike yet!"
He gets increasingly worked up, standing up as he talks and begins angrily pacing around the camp as he finishes. Another red-bearded dwarf adds: "Still, the shipments go through to Bavinsk, so no one bothers sending any real help or demoting that fat idiot. No offense to you sirs, but, come on. You're three men. We're out here dealing with dragons, multiple goblin tribes, and roving giants. I don't doubt your skill but...(his voice quiets)...I'll be honest, most of our outside help are too eager. Or desperate. Or foolish. I don't know. Some are still around, you'll meet them when you get into town. But that last group...went out on a scouting mission and never came back. 5 dwarves from my clan, 3 from his (he points to Wroth), and a troupe of 10 mercenaries...just gone. Goblins...usually send us some sort of token to brag about their death. Sometimes we're even able to trade bodies so we can each bury our dead - they're scum, but at least have one shred of decency left. But they were supposed to be back 3 weeks ago."
He shakes his head.
"Do me a favor and keep a good head on your shoulders, and sleep with both eyes open, maybe. We just met, but I like you, and I'd rather not see you dead." His half-drunken eyes are just starting to well with tears.

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde looks around at all the dwarves and their various states of emotion and drunkenness. He sighs,


"So you're saying that this might be different than a goblin attack? What's your suspicion, dragons? Possibly giants? Maybe a traitor?


He waits a pause before asking the last one. Taking an ale if offered one he'll go and sit with the dwarves just taking the scene in. His eyes wash over the scene.

[antoin]

Wroth's eyebrows raise at the last question.
"That's just it, we have no way of knowing. They were supposed to scout out a suspected goblin hideout in the mountains, but we just don't know what happened to them. A traitor...I suppose it's possible. I'm not sure why someone would make their move there, though. The only value I know of in this operation is the three mines. Why make a small scouting force disappear instead of rerouting shipments? Hmmm..."
The conversation quiets down a bit. Borb drinks quite several mugs of ale with a few dwarves farther away from the fire.
As the sun sets, about an hour after you arrive, 4 dwarves riding ponies arrive to the camp from the west, and 3 arrive from the east. 7 dwarves take their respective places and head out. They quickly converse with Wroth, away from you, before sitting by the fire, eating, and dozing off. After their report, Wroth comes back to sit by Cayde and Leofric.
"So what is it you three exactly plan on doing up here? Cayde, I don't see any weapons on you - you a magician of sorts? Most of the contracts Kilmund sends our way are simply to follow Captain's orders and get paid. Pretty much the only thing he does do right is have a degree of respect for warrior's fighting strengths. If you go in there just waiting for orders, you'll get stuck doing something you hate. It's how I ended up here...what are you best at?"

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde glances in Wroth's direction momentarily, and then deciding he has nothing to lose replies,


"No, no nothing like that. I, uh, use one of these."


He slides his pistol out and gives it a single spin, ejecting the cartridges out into his hand. He pulls back his cloak a bit to show his cylinder rifle too,


"The small one is called a pistol but this one here has two barrels obviously. A bit of black powder a small metal piece and bang. They are pretty effective against most things, due to the nature of the weapon. The rifle is just a bit bigger, shoots further with more accuracy.

As for orders, as far as I'm concerned I am here to help clear out a city that's being overrun. I'm not here to die, nor am I here to let others die.

I have to ask, a man was sent this way that weilded a weapon like mine....or so I gathered. He's bad news, named Yor or I guess he calls himself Falcon Eye now."

[antoin]

Wroth's eyes light up before narrowing as you pull out the gun. He simply nods in response to everything else you say. He pauses for a while after your last question before simply stating, "I dunno, this Yor, uh...sounds like bad news. Hope you find him." Another pause, then he just turns to the fire and stares at it, deep in thought or drowsy, it's hard to tell which.

[TheKidReaper]

Spoiler: Antoin

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Perception to see if Cayde caught his gaze flicker when the gun was out
(1d20+11)[21]

Then a Diplomacy for what I'm going to say here
(1d20+2)[16]

"Listen Wroth, if I'm going to be lying my life down here to help you all, no, us all.....then you have to be straight with me. Was 'Falcon-Eye' here or not?"

[antoin]

You end up talking over each other as Wroth immediately says, "There is nothing more near and dear to a dwarf's heart than honor. For instance, it is a dishonorable and cowardly act to kill someone in their sleep. Do you agree?"

Hearing your question, he nods and he says more calmly, "I'll answer your question - but you first."

Borb, hearing Cayde and Wroth getting a touch heated, saunters over to see what's happening. Three dwarves who were drinking with him follow.

Spoiler: OoC

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Ight truk play your own character now lol

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde silently eyes the dwarf,


"In his sleep? Depends the person, sometimes theres less commotion if you do your work silently, but that belongs to the scumbags of the earth alone. War criminals, horrible warlords, but never a man of honor. Sounds like an odd question to be asking....
No honor in killing a man who has the right to a duel.


Cayde's voice trails off. There isn't an ounce of anger in his eyes, but he is tense. His hand subconciously hovers over his unloaded pistol before he snaps out of it and holds his tankard in both hands looking into the fire.

[antoin]

Wroth considers your answer, staring intently at you the entire time. The dwarves that followed Borb over are likewise quiet. After a short bit, he shrugs and sighs.
"Guess it's not my fight either way. Yeah, Falcon-Eye came up here. Said we should watch out for a lying, backstabbing traitor named Yor. At this rate I dunno which of the two of you is lying or if you're both looking for the same guy. Either way, we won't get in your way. Just, please don't drag any of us into it. We're barely surviving as it is."
At this, the other dwarves relax a bit and sit down next to you three. Shortly thereafter, the seven dwarves return and they tie up and feed the ponies. The camp is just below the crest of a hill, and two dwarves are sitting on the top away from the fire keeping watch. Most of the dwarves are sleeping. Wroth takes off his socks and reclines against a log before turning to Leofric and Borb:
"Don't worry about keeping watch tonight, my boys have got it covered. Before we rest, I'm curious - what might the two of you be doing up here? Hunting this same Yor feller as Cayde?"