In reply to Flynn Goodall (msg # 29):

To Uldaf

I'm a grower not a shower milord it certainly gets the job done when need be.

A sly wink over at Elsa, who despite herself blushes ever so slightly.

At the mention of Lord Gent Titus lets out a barely audible sigh as if he were holding his breath.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:10, Thu 18 Dec 2014.

Enrei nodded proudly as Flynn commented on his brute power, even the comparison to a bear didn't phase him.  When compensation was mentioned, Enrei was familiar enough with "food" and "six pennies" that the signing wasn't necessary.  The rubbing of fingers to indicate money was particularly new, and Enrei mimicked the sign, staring at his own fingers, wondering what he was missing as Flynn moved on to Lord Gent.  "This is very good pay," Enrei finally agreed, "Where do we go to be collecting money?"

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 31):

At this, Flynn laughs, a loud bellowing laugh that causes his whole body to shake.

Enrei, I think I like you, he chuckles. You've got a sense of humor.

He then addresses everyone assembled, which includes Titus, Enrei, Brennan, Uldaf and a few others that Jacob rounded up earlier.

We leave at sunrise.  Meet us with all of your gear at the northern tower.  He points to one of the two round sentry towers sticking up in the East over the buildings of Haven.

From there we march to Lord Gent's lands.  Any man who changes his mind or is too drunk to roll off his bed will be left behind.

With that, Flynn stomps off with Elsa hot on his heels, though Jacob and the Katenses remain if any wish to speak with them.

In reply to Flynn Goodall (msg # 32):

You are free to do as you wish in Haven until dawn the next morning.  As soon as everyone seems to have finished any business/random fun for the evening, I'll advance to that point.

In reply to GM (msg # 33):

Brennan meets Flynn and Co. with all his gear by the northern tower at sunrise.

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 34):

Brennan finds himself greeted by Uldaf, who appears to have made camp at the same location.

A mostly clothed Uldaf emerges and smiles at the clearly puzzled Brennan.

Efficiency laddie!

In reply to Uldaf Asbjorn (msg # 35):

I will spend the night before back in the neighborhoods and in the bars playing the lute and telling stories about the first men, quick witted young lads living in cities and the tale of Titus Blackwood, the lordling who masqueraded as a homeless child for years, just to see what it was like and determine the quality of people (I perform under a pseudonym, most of the audience recognize him anyway).



It was a hell of a performance (Command + Perform 3x7)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:14, Mon 22 Dec 2014.

In reply to GM (msg # 33):

When Flynn and Elsa leave, Enrei approaches Jacob, "I am mercenary now!" he repeats joyfully.

"That you are," Jacob agrees, giving a faint chuckle at his methods.

"I would like to ask you one thing," Enrei continues, Jacob raises an eyebrow, "What means this word, 'mercenary?'"

"What?  Well, it's pretty simple:  mercenaries do jobs other people don't much care for," Enrei stares blankly, awaiting clarity, "To be frank, we usually do other people's dirty work," he tries a different approach, holding up his javelin meaningfully.

"Frank is mercenary who works with dirt?" is Enrei's eventual reply, even more confused now.  Jacob finally takes a moment to size up his new comrade, giving him a long, hard look.

"On second thought, this isn't going to be as simple as I thought," he decides.  The night is spent receiving the long, slowly spoken version of a mercenary's duties, accompanied by enough drink so as to properly appreciate Enrei's cognative ability during the telling.  The Islander is the last of the new recruits to arrive at the tower in the morning, but he somehow seems even more eager than he was upon meeting Flynn.

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 37):

Although Flynn himself doesn't arrive at the northern tower until the first slivers of light appear above the horizon, his crew are already there and hard at work.

The company has two small wagons and three horses to pull these.  The wagons are piled with food and supplies and covered with thick tarps to keep off rain which, thank God's dream, is not currently falling.

Elsa directs the loading of the carts and the hitching of the horses without a word.  Jacob, who does his best to laze around the outskirts of the operation is repeatedly called into service by her stern looks, though it does nothing to abate his attempts at laziness.

By the time Flynn stomps over in full armor save his helm, the carts are ready to go and the company are prepared to march.

Flynn nods to the new recruits, then casts his gaze at a collection of larger wagons being hitched up nearby.  They appear by their look to be merchants of some kind and in addition to their wagons they have a small collection of livestock.

Hold here a moment, but don't wander off, he mutters.

Flynn marches up to a few of the men standing around the larger wagons and speaks with them for a spell, pointing first at the road ahead then back at his company.

When he returns, he is leading a pair of goats.

Here, tie these to the rear wagon, he orders Lump.

The young hunchback hurries to oblige, then hops up on the back of the rear wagon himself.

These poor merchants couldn't afford any proper fighting men, Flynn notes to those around him.  Seeing as there's like to be bandits once we're closer the crossroads, I offered to stick with them as far as that.  He points to the goats.  And in exchange we get fresh meat along the way.  Allright everyone, let's move out!

In reply to Flynn Goodall (msg # 38):

The walk begins pleasantly enough and keeping pace with the merchants' large carts keeps the pace at a level amble.

As the sun rises up, it gives way to a beautiful and near-cloudless morning.  There is a faint chill in the air that is swept away by dawn's light and clings only to the grass on either side of the road in the form of heavy drops of dew.

The road East from Haven is beaten dirt but wide and well-enough used as to keep it mostly free of weeds and debris.

The morning walk passes in relative silence.  After several hours of marching, the caravan stops briefly, just enough time to feed and water the animals and for Lump to hop down off the cart and heat up a thick metal pot of stew.

"Just onions n' such" he notes as he spoons it out for the mercenaries.

When everything is loaded back onto the carts and the procession moves once again, Flynn takes a small barrel out of the front cart and hands it to Elsa.  This turns out to be a heavy and potent spiced wine.  The archer pulls the cork and takes a swig, then passes it to the next man in line and so on.

Thus you are able to meet and learn about Flynn's Company...

Jacob, Elsa, the Kattenses and Lump have been with Flynn the longest.  The next longest are Turncoat Dan, Hobbled Seth, Sir Twelvepenny and Arule.  Turncoat Dan, an animated fellow with the brand of a deserter on his forehead, is glad to tell the stories of Flynn's Company, especially those in which he saved the day.  Hobbled Seth, a massive hairy man with a bad limp, is far more reserved and normally just grunts to agree or disagree with what Dan has to say.  Sir Twelvepenny, the others assure you, is no knight despite his airs and the fine armor he possesses.  If asked about his name, he'll say cooly that this is his price for any job.  No more no less.  Arule is a portly fellow with a thick sword and a quick-mind for quoting the bible.

The next additions appear to be Harma Smith, a solid woman with long beaded braids and a pet mouse and , Khan the low, who the others claim is, in fact, a raider from the Badlands.  As proof, they point to his helmet, which appears to be a large human skull fitted with metal bands.  Sir Twelvepenny notes that it couldn't possibly be an Ogre skull as Khan claims.  Finally, there's the man called Halfdead.  This is a squirrely-looking man who, true to his name, is missing several fingers, several teeth, three toes and a chunk of his scalp.  He claims his real name is Templeton and that the long iron rod he carries topped with a brass cage is in fact a lantern post from Hyrium.  Why he carries this as a weapon he won't say.

In reply to GM (msg # 39):

And finally, Flynn notes, interrupting Turncoat Dan's introductions, is Godrick Rogers.

Flynn indicates a pale man who had been doing his best to keep out of sight.  Beneath a thick cloak which he pulls around himself like a safety blanket you can see fine clothes peaking out.

Godrick is Lord Gent's master of coin.  He'll be accompanying us around his Lordship's lands and seeing that all of the tax money is... accounted for.

Godrick nods and sniffs uncomfortably but adds no further detail.

In reply to GM (msg # 39):

Brennan will attempt to learn if Sir Twelvepenny is, in fact, being paid 12 pennies for this expedition, and if so if that's his monthly retainer or what. He will also make no attempt whatsoever at further ruffling Elsa's feathers, and banter with Arule about religion rather openly -- though not mean spiritedly.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:04, Mon 22 Dec 2014.

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 41):

"It's not for the mission", Turncoat Dan chimes in, "it's twelve pennies for his loyalty.  He's not much of a mercenary, and if he were a whore well, he'd be so popular he wouldn't be able to walk."

"Fuck off," Sir Twelvepenny offers.  "They call me that on account that I gave up being a knight, and it was more than twelve pennies I'll have you know, but it WAS for money.  Now that the story has stuck, however, seems fair pay for a job.  I'll take my twelve from each town we visit, one way or another."

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 41):

Titus pays rapt attention to the stories of Dan taking copious mental notes.  The two of them jaw back and forth for some times swapping and one upping each other for the deeds of their lives.  Things go from cordial, to strained to friendly with the two of them over the course of an evening.

After dinner Titus will entertain the team with songs, juggling and theatrical performances.  Taking requests from the audience to perform favorite pieces of famous plays.  He does all roles himself, men, women, children, even once he played the part of an ass walking on all fours and braying.

When he finishes a particularly speedy dialog for the merchant and the fishmonger he knows with a performers instinct that this is the height of the show and better to leave them wanting more, than giving them too much.

He takes his bow and wanders off of the makeshift stage to sit next to Enrei.

What are performances like in the islands? 

He says doing a halfhearted juggle to demonstrate his point.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 43):

"Really? What did you take from Haven?" Brennan asks Twelvepenny, not unkindly. Noting the man's rather abrupt disposition, he turns to the turncoat knight, instead. "Has he ever gotten Flynn and Co. in trouble searching for his twelve per town?"

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 44):

"This one time," Turncoat Dan fills in eagerly, "Some little lordling refused to pay.  Stood right there in front of his wife and his friends and their wives and all.  Well Sir Twelvepenny here took one look around the room and he judged the lordling's wife's fine shirt was worth about twelve pennies.  So what did he do?  He stepped up calm as you please, tore it right off her, turned on his heels and marched out of there.  Lordling's wife standing there covering her tits with her hands while the lordling fumed."  Dan grins widely.  "Isn't that so Sir?"

Sir Twelvepenny makes no move to acknowledge or deny the tale.  "No work in Haven," he says with a shrug.  "So no pennies."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:02, Mon 22 Dec 2014.

In reply to GM (msg # 39):

Enrei is immediately enamored with Turncoat Dan's storytelling and after Flynn has introduced Godrick, he immediately nudges the branded man to continue.  Enrei is a rapt audience, and despit any language barrier, he manages to "ooh" and gasp at the appropriate moments, especially once Seth confirms the events.  He even offers up the occasional childish "then what?" at points of suspense.  Though he was easily captured by the art of storytelling, Enrei hoped Dan was willing to retell his tales, so that he could learn the parts between his new comrades' names.  When Titus joins in the stories he is even more eager to listen, and when the performer starts acting out the parts he is at first confused but it quickly turns to delight.  Much of the content fails to sink in, but that doesn't stop him from enjoying the performance.

When the entertainer actually comes over and addresses him, Enrei does not have a ready answer, "It has been long time since I have been home," he says, not quite whistful.  "We do not tell stories like this," he waves at the space that served as Titus's stage, "I do not have many stories from my home.  Many of my favorite stories come from sailors who visit.  They have very good stories.  But sometimes we have other things, like this," he points to Titus's juggling, "During great big...eh, I do not know word.  It has food and many people, every year," he tried hopefully to describe his meaning before pressing on, "but it also has music, and dancing.  It is always very fun."

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 46):

Can you teach me?

He stands up and with a flourish holds his hand out.

Teach me to dance!

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 47):

Enrei frowns, "I do not know dance, I was not very good when I was little," it was hard to imagine he ever was such a thing.  Despite his misgivings, Titus's enthusiasm is infectious, "But maybe for you I can teach," he stands up and puts his hands on Titus's shoulders.  "Let me think," Enrei closes his eyes clearly concentrating very hard, "First like this," He hauls Titus to his left, then abruptly swings his arms the other way, forcing the performer to stagger after his upper body, "Yes, I remember," it's anyone's guess if the sudden twist is an attempt to spin Titus or dislocate his shoulder, but Enrei choses the same moment to open his eyes and see the man he's practically tossing about.  This inspires him to grip Titus even more tightly, stopping him completely.  "No, no.  You are not a good dancer," Enrei scolds Titus as he squats down and grabs him by the ankles, "You must do like this," Enrei procedes to educate Titus on what is apparently proper footwork by lifting his legs, regardless of what weight is currently resting on them, and place them in sequence.  It is easily the least elegant dance ever.

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 48):

Titus now being made quite a specatacle tries not to laugh at himself, Enrei or the situation.  His smile is infectious and talk around the fire dies down so the others can point and laugh.

He does his best to learn the steps but it doesn't take very well.

We'll have to try more again tomorrow night.  He says with no bite at all in his voice.

Titus will continue to talk to Enrei trying to learn language, customs, dance, performance, and even some fighting moves.  The latter ended in raucous laughter as Enrei proceeded to throw him around the camp like a rag doll.  At one point Titus tried to end the lesson by crawling under a cart but Enrei was able to find him and dragged him out by his ankles with such a piteous look on his face everyone couldn't help but laugh.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 49):

The day's march unfolds without notable incident beyond the antics of the Company itself and its new members.

The merchant group are around a dozen strong, mostly young men and women that are either the children of or indentured to the merchants themselves.  The wares are nothing spectacularly interesting, mostly tools and cloth but also a mixture of wine from the south, a few weapons, books and other such.

The merchants are pleasant enough but maintain a formal distinction between their party and the hired swords of Flynn's.

When the sun is showing signs of setting, Flynn consults with the merchants and they agree on a place to stop for the night.  Lump is immediately dispatched to dig a latrine some distance downwind while the rest of the company put their hands to building a few cookfires and unloading what small tents they have.  The coming night is not cold, but anyone sleeping without a bedroll or tent might find it too much for comfort.

Once he's dropped the dirty shovel back into the cart with a clunk, Lump gets to work peeling potatoes and chopping onions for soup.  Elsa supervises the acquisition of water from a stream a mile to the north while the others either laze about or take a few turns with sticks and shields.  At this, Sir Tenpenny appears to shine.  It is clear that he has had a good deal of formal training.

Flynn supervises the whole operation while Jacob does his best to nap in a cart while nobody is looking.

In reply to GM (msg # 50):

It's two days at least to the junction, Flynn announces when Elsa's expedition returns.  Maybe three at the rate these toolmongers ride.  Then we can really get to work.  We're far enough from Haven now that tomorrow I'll send a few of you lads to the front to scout and leave a few to lag and watch our rear.  Get your rest.

When the company gather to eat and watch Titus (who it turns out is actually rather talented and he is able to net himself a pair of pennies, an apple and a few plums from the merchants), Flynn joins in the revelry and requests that Titus perform "Mun and the Ass" to riotous laughter.

When Titus and Enrei move off to talk, Flynn and the others crowd in tighter around the fires to talk, tell stories and boast.

It appears that Flynn is the only person who Turncoat Dan will not interrupt, though you suspect that if Elsa spoke he wouldn't interrupt her either.

Flynn is the first to turn in for the night.  I'm an early riser these days.  Once I get up to piss there's no going back unless there's something sweet in my bed waiting.

Elsa nominates herself for first watch and asks two volunteers to help.

(OOC:  When everyone beds down the game will advance, but there's no rush).

In reply to Flynn Goodall (msg # 51):

I'll stay up.  I'm not tired anyway.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 52):

I've always liked first watch. I'll join you.

In reply to GM (msg # 50):

Enrei is happy to have someone interested in his culture and home, rather than just prejudiced against the stranger in a strange land, but Titus finds him less than capable as a teacher.  His grasp of the common tongue confounds his attempts to pass on his fluency in Chal'i, and his knowledge of other dances and performances are as accurate as the first he tried.  At fighting he was much more skilled but while he might've taught Titus a thing or two, he was no instructor.  Once his round with Titus was over, Enrei found his way to spectating the group of mercenaries going at each other with sticks.  He didn't ask to participate, but as they sparred he cheered like it was a sporting event, picking favorites from among the fighters to cheer for, even as Sir Twelvepenny proved the better fighter.