In reply to Zuriel Silendril (msg # 814):

Keef spends the morning bouncing around from villager to villager like a manic squirrel.  he helps where he can, but is never in one place long.

At Boreas and Lyriel's request he takes some time to sit with his books while final preparations to leave are made.

Hello, Shahara.  It's good to see you again, Maeve says, politely addressing the magic warhorse.  She spots Rachel eyeing the steed with a rapturous expression that all adolescent girls tend to have around pretty horses.

Rachel, come meet Shahara.

In reply to Maeve Hassan (msg # 816):

Rachel approaches Shahara carefully, reaching out a hand toward her.  The horse hesitates for a moment, then nuzzles the girl's palm happily.

"She's so sweet!" Rachel giggles.  "You're lucky to have such a beautiful steed."

In reply to DM (msg # 817):

Keef snaps his books shut and jams them into his pack.

He removes his equipment and necklace, then strips down to his undergarments.

OK, I'm ready!

Keef sits Indian-style on the ground and waits for Boreas and Lyriel to bring him their items.

(OOC: if they have the gold Keef will cast ID once for each.  You can post results publicly)

Shahara, nice to see you again.  Boreas runs his hand through her mane in greeting, then heads over to work with Keef.  He lays out two stacks of 100 gold pieces each for the young wizard to use as reagents.

Shahara nickers, preening. I like this mare. She is gentle and has a gorgeous mane, the horse says approvingly, apparently referring to Rachel's fiery red hair. Your kind does not usually have such color.

Zuriel's eyes widen, surprised by Shahara's decisive approval. "Thank you," he says, somewhat bewildered. "Shahara likewise says you have beautiful hair."

Shahara whinnies and bobs her head in agreement. The charger snuffles Rachel's hair, causing her to giggle.

She smells like sunlight and meadows in the summertime...

In reply to Zuriel Silendril (msg # 820):

Rachel smiles at the horse's antics, patting her head and stroking her mane with affection.

"She's a sweetheart, Zuriel.  One-of-a-kind. You and your friends must love her!"

Maeve's surprised expression turns to horror as Oliver joins Rachel in petting and cooing over the horse.  She backs away from Lyriel very, very slowly.

I think I'm just going to go see how Keef is getting on, she says, fleeing the scene of the inevitable outburst.

"Aye, she's quickly become one of the group," he replies, pleased. Shahara continues to nuzzle at Rachel while Keef works on identifying items. She tolerates Oliver's touch politely, but largely ignores him in favor of the maiden.

In reply to Zuriel Silendril (msg # 823):

Lyriel looks up from counting out the gold for the identifying spell when she hears girlish giggles coming from the direction of Zuriel and Shahara.

Her eyes begin to well with tears and her countenance immediately becomes crestfallen. What do I have to do to win the approval of this mare...and why do I care so much? She goes back to counting out the gold then takes a deep breath. This is so unfair! She barely knows Rachel, and yet apparently she already  approves of her. Lyriel watches, with clearly apparent jealousy as Shahara puffs gently into the young woman's flaming locks.

UGH! Pull yourself together Vesper, this is foolish. She walks towards Keef handing him the cloth and the gold in turn, before shooting one last mournful gaze in the direction of the paladin and his steed.

In reply to Lyriel Vesper (msg # 824):

Keef repeats the familiar identification process for each item in turn, dissolving a total of 400 golden pieces along the way.

"The +2 chain shirt increases the wearer's strength by +1."

"This dapper straw hat cannot be easily dislodged from the wearer's head (DC 20 strength check to rip it off against your will. No DC to remove it voluntarily).  Once per day, it is capable of transmitting a short message in a manner identical to the Sending spell. This ability does not recharge unless the hat has been worn for a full 24 hours after expending the previous charge."

"This roll of linen provides a +5 bonus to all heal checks made by the bearer.  In addition, any Heal check made to stabilize a dying individual using this item automatically succeeds.  It can be used 10 times (for any combination of heal checks or stabilization purposes) before being depleted."

"This is a Vicious +1 heavy mace.  When a vicious weapon strikes an opponent, it creates a flash of disruptive energy that resonates between the opponent and the wielder. This energy deals an extra 2d6 points of damage to the opponent and 1d6 points of damage to the wielder."
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:19, Wed 29 Jan 2014.

"That hat will actually be very useful." He looks at the hat contemplatively, trying it on discreetly to see if it had a daily use available.

He shakes his head. "It's been used. That must have been how Simon informed his superior of our arrival without use of the cloud ink. So unless they had a third means of communicating, his overlord doesn't know that Simon is dead."

We may yet have the initiative...
This message was last edited by the player at 19:37, Wed 29 Jan 2014.

Boreas quickly removes his old chain shirt, stuffing it into his pouch, and slips on the new one.

Boreas, if you aren't using that chain shirt anymore, why not give it to Oliver?

Taking her own chain shirt out of her backpack, she approaches Rachel and Zuriel, gritting her teeth against Shahara's affection for the girl. The horse looks at her coldly, mid-nuzzle.

Here Rachel, why don't you put this on under your cloak? I'd feel better if you had a bit more protection. These roads aren't always safe.

Boreas looks the man over briefly, then, deciding that his chain shirt should fit, hands the armor to Oliver.

Maeve looks at the sun, which is sitting low in the sky.

We have a couple of hours of daylight left.  We should get a move on.

Zuriel reluctantly keeps the straw hat on, explaining to whomever will listen that he needs to wear it to recharge the magic and inform the Flame of Simon's treachery.

Useful it may be, but it still looks stupid.

He catches several disapproving glances from Lyriel for his fashion choice. A sudden flash of inspiration hits him.

"Lyriel, do you think you can wear this, but not have it visible? I think it might upset the villagers."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:13, Wed 29 Jan 2014.

Lyriel raises a sculpted eyebrow at Zuriel's request. She looks at the hat distastefully.

I'll try...

She places the hat on her head, and focuses on making her glamored armor obscure it under a hooded traveling cowl. She still felt the weight of the hat, though it now did not appear visible, obscured by the magic of her armor so as not to clash with her meticulously designed traveling apparel. Even more oddly, it did not seem to shift on her head in any way.

Well...it's keeping my hair in place rather nicely. What a pleasant surprise.

In reply to Maeve Hassan (msg # 830):

Lyriel is able to disguise the straw hat without much trouble, much to Zuriel's delight.

Oliver and Rachel politely accept the chainmail, but neither move to don it.  It becomes increasingly obvious that neither really know how -- a fact you'll need to remedy if you expect them to wear armor while retaining their ability to function normally in any useful capacity.

That is a puzzle for another time, however, and the P.A.R.T.Y. directs the caravan to set off while daylight holds.

Vendrinor is nestled 450 miles from Ikuabai, and 315 miles from Medenbury.  Horse-drawn carriages cannot travel faster than 4 MPH safely, which reduces the P.A.R.T.Y.'s daily coverage in about 12 hours of daylight to 48 miles a day.  This pace is taxing on the horses, but safe given the equipment, food, and care available for the animals -- including spare horses to share the burden.

The caravan travels until sunset, covering about 10 miles.  It will take nearly a week to reach Medenbury at this pace, providing nothing untoward happens along the way.

***

The trip to Medenbury will be free from any encounters.  This gives you 6 days worth of activities to perform and spells to cast, if desired.  Let me know who you want to talk to, what you want to talk about, and things you want to accomplish during this time, and I'll fill in the blanks as well as I can.  After filling in those gaps, we'll pick up on the sixth day, about 20 miles out from Medenbury.

[Crossroads]
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:38, Wed 29 Jan 2014.

Boreas spends some time talking to Rachel about how she learned so much about plants, and telling her the Tale of the Blight Circle, as promised.  He also offers archery training to any villagers that want it.

Each day, he speaks with the horses in the morning to determine which are best able to handle the riding burden that day.

Also, we will probably want to attempt to interrogate Simon once again on the last day of the trip.

Boreas will aid Maeve in training Wes for combat riding, as well.  He will also attempt to purchase a small bag of millet seed from the farmers for 1gp.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:32, Wed 29 Jan 2014.

Maeve spends some time each morning getting Wes used to fancier riding.  Boreas lends a hand, as does Keef--Maeve has roped the youngster into making lots of noise and waving his arms in order to get Wes used to riding near loud, moving targets.

She will also be on hand to provide weapons tutelage to Rachel, Oliver, or really anyone that wants it.

Zuriel will focus on training Rachel and Oliver in fencing, if they are interested. He's particularly interested in Rachel's education, which clearly exceeds that of an ordinary farm girl.

Lyriel spends her time trying valiantly to gain approval from Shahara. While also aiding in any instruction she might be needed for.

She also decides to make the magical linen into an apron she can wear while tending to the wounded.

Hmm what a wonderful accessory, pretty and functional, she muses to herself while putting in the last few stitches.

Oh I almost forgot! Lyriel exclaims while holding her nose and casting [Gentle Repose] There you are stinky, we'll deal with you later. She scowls at Simon's corpse
This message was last edited by the player at 22:14, Wed 29 Jan 2014.

In reply to Lyriel Vesper (msg # 837):

Keef accepts the solemn duty of making lots of noise near horses with his usual lack of dignity.

Even when not in such duty, he finds it impossible to walk quietly and often charges off into the brush to fend off weeds or to find a villager who HASN'T heard everything about Sir Greenheart yet...

He also participates in sword and combat practice until he is bruised and dirty and then some.

In the quiet hours, he does his best to focus on his books, apparently searching for something.  He scribbles notes to himself but often crumples them up and tosses them into the fire.  He chats with Chubbs, Longshank and at times the unseen Barnaby, including them in his research.

Chubbs spends the first few days 'testing' each horse to assess its ability to carry him comfortably and without jostling.  He finds the animals generally unsuitable to carrying a toad of his stature.  In vain he even tries out the 'other pack animals' i.e. the townspeople, but they prove no better platforms.  He eventually takes up residence riding on top of a pile of linens and other soft materials in a cart.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:36, Thu 30 Jan 2014.

In reply to Keef (msg # 838):

In this way, the P.A.R.T.Y. travels onward toward Medenbury and, ultimately, the faraway city of Ikuabai.

Ding!  Boreas, Lyriel, Maeve, Keef, and Zuriel have reached Level 7!  Please update your sheets accordingly.

~~ END CHAPTER 06 ~~