Politely, but with a bit of an edge, the Gnome responds "Tradesman McNealy, or Alchemist McNealy.  Please."

He then turns his attention to Elaina, and walks over to her from his horse, carrying a vial of fluid.  He pulls out the stopper and hands it to her for examination.  "I tend to use brewers slang when referring to concoctions.  You probably know it as Glue."

OOC  DF Adventurers, p 115.  This setting has such a thing as a Glue grenade.  And McNealy can make them.

"Nejvyšší is, ummm.  Errr.  Leader?  No, like 'train' but also 'chief', but not chief chief, like small chief take order from bigger chief, you know?  But mostly show Way.  Nejvyšší Raniba teach warrior Srdce Vzteku, Heart of Rage, Way of Stone Fist, Way of fight like Chlapáku," she makes grappling, strangling, and 'tearing limb from limb' motions with her hands and arms.  "Ebjo, little brother, say join Great Army bad idea, him come anyway.  Say 'Jednesa go, Ebjo go'.  Ebjo say always 'Raniba sell warriors to Great Army and is bad'.  Jednesa not know slavery till Great Army.  But, Great Army was good.  Many fights.  Jednesa smash town wall, push big tower, haul rock throwy thing, punch horsemans.  HAHA, like punch horsemans.  Party many times!  Was not bad life, but always going away from home, Kamenná Hora.  Then Ebjo die.  Jednesa's clan ogres die.  Small ogres die, goblins die, hobs die, others die.  Many defeats.  Great Army, now not 'great', small.  Run away and um... dis-band?  Yes, disband, near city.  Big Sergeant take umm... 'his' ogres to city.  Big Sergeant good.  Find small ogres job at docks, with merchants, guards.  Jednesa too big for city, house break when Jednesa bump it.  Sergeant find Jednesa job with Camilla.  Camilla is good."  She taps the Guild Badge on her harness.

She sighs.  "Ebjo know way home, Jednesa not know where Kamenná Hora, um... where Stone Mountain.  But know it far away, that why Raniba not worry here.  Raniba only worry if Jednesa find home."

After letting all those words out, Jednesa seems a bit deflated.  But she just shrugs, and gets up, looking around to see if everyone has packed their belongs on the wagon, and if so, she hauls it out onto the road and waits to get going.

In reply to Jednesa (msg # 282):

As Jednessa starts, Christine starts beside her.

"I am sorry about your brother. War is like that, but I am glad you are with use now. Didn't you ever want to meet a nice big Orge and settle down to make little ogres?

Ok, so this Raniba, he is only a little person in the army that got defeated. This stone mountain, I wonder where that is..."

She looks over her maps to see if there is any location that might be called stone mountain on their route...

Elaina examines the vial McNealy -- Tradesman McNealy -- has handed her.  Seeing no obvious way to open it without damage, she just turns it and watches the fluid inside creep, rather than properly flow.

"That certainly looks sticky.  Strong enough to capture a rabbit, you say?"

"Ho, yes.  Jednesa want babies, someday, not now.  Much more fight.  Also, Jednesa never meet man strong enough beat Jednesa, if not strong enough beat Jednesa, not strong enough protect Jednesa and babies."

She looks wistful, "Ebjo die battle, so was good.  Jednesa always worry about Ebjo, Ebjo small ogre and maybe 'too smart' die Nekonečný Bitva, not go Nikdy Život.  Ebjo die fighting, Ebjo fighting and partying with gods in great longhouse at end of world."

She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and then shakes the feelings off like a dog shedding water.

In reply to Jednesa (msg # 285):

Christine comforts her friend as best she can.

"Perhaps we can meet such an Ogre on our journey...time will tell."

“It would take more than a man to beat you,” he tells Jednesa.  “I’m not even sure ten men could do it.”

Then Masugatan discreetly asks Alchemist McNealy what sorts of poisons he can make.  And since he isn’t into suicide, he also asks if he can make antidotes.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:32, Sat 16 May 2020.

"Haha, yes.  Jednesa strong like raging river!  Sweep away all enemies!  HAH!"

With a hint of boast in his voice, McNealy tells Elaina "If left for a bit it will darn near immobilize a person.  I think it can handle a rabbit.  One of these days I'll chuck it at a Goblin or something so you can see what it does."

On his way back to the horse with his glue bottle, McNealy claps Jednessa on the back in a supportive, friendly sort of way.  "We're glad to have you Jednessa.  We can be your family now, if you want."

When Masugatan happens by to ask his question, McNealy's voice lowers and he speaks in hushed tones for a moment.

[Private to Masugatan; Narrator: I can make a few of the easier ones, and a few of the utility items too.  Haven't mastered the formula for the slimes yet.  What did you have in mind?  I should have the components for some Monster Drool on Cookie.]

In reply to Jednesa (msg # 288):

"Indeed, dear. But the Alchemist is right. We can't give you children, but we can be your family. I definitely consider you like my sister.

That glue, if put on the ground, how long before it sets and can be walked on again? Also, what ingredients does it need?

Say, can you use scrolls then?"

McNealy looks at the glue a minute and thinks.  His face wrinkles up a bit, and he looks a little confused.  He adjusts his tented glasses as he looks randomly up in the air in thought.  It takes a couple seconds before he snaps his fingers and looks back at Christine with a bemused look on his face.

"For this batch I used a couple of those orange Shevnian caterpillars and some troll dung as a thickening agent.  The oil I boiled off some giant spider legs keeps it viscous.  That's just the carrier, though.  By taking the spinnerets from the spiders, I was able to find the right proportion to keep the liquid silk fluid, without coagulating.  I can't say the last batch was made the same, though.  Sometimes the combinations just come to me, and when I mix them I can usually make them work.

If you pour it on the ground, I'd say it would slow down the average person at least a step.  It takes a good long while to dry too.

Can't say I have used a scroll in years.  The last time I tried it didn't do anything.  Plus, i have my trusty mixes to help me handle trouble.  I don't really need any more firepower." He snickers to himself after saying this last part.

[Private to Masugatan; Narrator: Oh, and yes...  He can make all the necessary antidotes.]

In reply to McNealy (msg # 291):

"Good to hear. Do you have potions to not get burnt if those fire potions go off at the wrong time though? Because if you plan to use them around things Jednessa is beating up on, it might be nice to give her one of those fire resistance potions...

Also, if we come across any special ingredients, let us know. Time for sleeping now, though, isn't it?"

OOC:  It's still morning, we haven't managed to leave camp yet.

In reply to Jednesa (msg # 293):

OOC: Are you sure? I thought we had only just found a spot...we were talking about setting traps overnight.

Speaking of overnight, same as last night: Christine Creates some food and water.
[Private to GM: Rolled as follows for create food, using grasses rolled under on all by 2, 7, 3, 3, 1, 7, 5, 6, 2 cost 1 fp per roll
Create Water: 7 under, 1 gal (cost 1)]
9 meals and 2 gal or water created, and shared with all, following which she will rest for one hour.
Then she will create food for tomorrows breakfast...flour, etc from grass, and 2 more gal of water with all the containers, before resting again before taking her watch.
[Private to GM: Rolled 9 more times, skill 16, rolled between 11 and 6, except for one roll of 3! Second roll was a 9, skill 16. Create water 4 under.]

9 Meals should provide 1 meal for everyone and 3 for Jednessa. If game is caught, it will be a bonus!

Masugatan and co
Christine and co
Jednessa and co
Froggy's
This message was last edited by the player at 06:51, Sun 17 May 2020.

Yes.  Go back to msg  #258 ("The night passes uneventfully!") and wind forward post by post.  It's a pair of conversations started by Valerie cooking breakfast that forked off into "Christine and Jednesa muse about Jednesa's past" and "McNealy and the Frog sisters discuss traps and hunting".  With some criss-crossing by Christine and others.

We haven't finished leaving camp, or, since Val is cooking, even finished breaking it.  ;)

In reply to Jednesa (msg # 295):

Ah, Ok. I rolled for creating food for everyone for two meals...did anyone else actually catch any food to add to it, or did we just discuss how they would do it tonight?

Anyway, lets hit the road...

OOC: we didn't even try to catch food last night, too close to town.  We'll try on upcoming nights.

OOC To review, McNealy got up, and worked on his alchemy lab for a few minutes.  Things need to mix while they travel, and Cookie does a good job of sloshing things around.  Once McNealy had everything prepared to his satisfaction, he had a ration and/or some of the cooked breakfast.  Then he prepared to leave.

As a separate thread throughout all of the activity, he discussed trapping game, glue, and some other discrete subjects.

In reply to McNealy (msg # 298):

You break camp, and pack up, and head back on the road.

The sisters resume their marching position behind the left wheel of the cart, staying attentive for hazards or opportunities as we travel.

In reply to Evelina Grattan (msg # 300):

So I assume the first set of rolls to create food was for breakfast, and the second set will be for dinner tonight. Should we fast forward until something happens/it is time to camp tonight? Some routine?

OOC Where will McNealy be?  I assume he will probably attach the reins for Cookie to the back of the cart, so he is free to move about some.

He's fine with a fast forward to evening, although he's chummy so he'll be talkative.  Probably in depth about traps and the best ways to trigger them, plus materials, and the finer part of setting them without getting caught by it.

In reply to McNealy (msg # 302):

Christine is a loner. While the talk of traps interests her, she can only listen for a while before wanting to wander ahead and leave him chatter with the others...

In reply to Christine Bjorn (msg # 303):

Emma, on the other hand, is a different story. Happy to talk the whole way, her staff glistens in the sun, the end spiked to look like the sun, the gems inside glowing brightly as she walks along. At the talk of traps, she mutters a few words and fires a bolt of light from her staff at a rabbit or edible bird seen some distance away.[Private to GM: Rolled 5 under skill to hit, so at any distance and with SM, probably a miss!]

"That, friends, is how you catch a rabbit. Or at least, it would be if I could aim straight! I don't have the patience for traps, but I do admire those that do."

He knees are only visible under her leather skirt when she steps up to something, so on this flat road it is not so often.

OOC  Just because I don't recall seeing Emma before, can I get a general idea of who are the players and what are the roles?

Jednessa - Fighter, basically the muscle
Alchemist McNealy - Healer / Alchemist (so a little bit of everything)

I know we have at least 3 of the ladies, 2 of which are spell casters, plus Senderic?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:17, Mon 18 May 2020.