In reply to Narrator (msg # 530):

Emma tries to convey the concept of belief and the power of the gods as they travel, though it is likely a lost cause. Despite travelling with 3 clerics...

In reply to Emma Wilson (msg # 531):

"Should we press on to the chimney, or camp out tonight?"

What is the nature like here?

McNealy is pretty much talked out at this point, so he doesn't much care if they stop or not.  When they do, he will quietly work on his potions, and set out traps for food gathering.

Jednesa shrugs, "Stop at fire, or make own, is same."

The sisters confer briefly.

"We'd be in favor of camping soon.  Are we really that close?  We've seen no sign of the dragon."

In reply to Evelina Grattan (msg # 535):

"Then let us make camp here, or at a good spot if there is any around."

“The gods don’t care about money?  Are you sure about that?  Most priests I’ve ever met seem to think it’s all they care about.”

He awaits the party’s decision, indifferent as to whether they investigate the smokey chimney or make their own fire instead.

In reply to Masugatan (msg # 537):

Emma finds an excellent campsite, easily defensible and with good views of the surrounding lands, and fresh water...

[Private to GM: Critical success, rolled a 4 on Survival (Plains) for a campsite.]

"In my experience, it's the religious people that care about money, so they can live and become wealthy.  Who here knows a single religious man who share his wealth with the poor?  I never assumed it was their gods that wanted the cash.  It was always the priests, in my book."

OOC  I'll note here that I am playing 2 priestly types in this setting...

"Men of some god, I cannot say, but these two women of the Frog God have shared many times.  We have healed, cure disease, purified soil for crops -- and often asked nothing more than a meal or two and a bed for a night.  And we are far from wealthy, nor likely to be."

In reply to Evelina Grattan (msg # 540):

"I must be doing it wrong, then. Healing others because they are sick, as long as they are worthy folk...that is what Helios calls for."

"Well, after all, what use has a Frog God for coins or jewels?  Some nice fat flies or a big slug would be more appropriate."

McNealy responds, in a sort of sullen way.  "Well, then maybe we'll have opportunity for you to change my mind.  So far I haven't seen enough to convince me.  During an adventure, everyone usually pitches in to help out.  It's necessary for survival.  We'll see if things change once we're no longer at risk of life and limb."

Mcnealy goes back to his mixing, muttering under his breath (in a passive aggressive sort of way) "Who worships a frog anyway, much less all dressed in white like they are.  The things are covered in pond slime.  They must be insane..."

Christine will start setting up the campsite by creating food...

[Private to GM: Seven rolls to create food between 6 and 13, skill 16]

In reply to Christine Bjorn (msg # 544):

"Hey, Blue, what did you make that out of?"

In reply to Valerie (msg # 545):

Christine created them out of foliage or bushes by the road.

McNealy still finds himself a bit annoyed at his current situation.  The situation from earlier in the day revealed the philosophical differences in the group.  He was decidedly in the minority, as a non-religious gnome.  He was used to being an outsider, but it felt a little worse in the moment, and he didn't appreciate it.  As such, he spent a lot of time on his own, setting traps outside of camp for food.  Then, he spend the rest of his time grumbling about priestesses and slimy frogs to himself, as he tended to his brewing.

[Private to GM: He should get a good amount of game from his traps.
10:16, Today: Secret Roll: McNealy rolled 10 using 3d6.  McNealy traps 17.

At some point we should be rolling on his Alchemy, but I haven't pressed the issue since you're already handling a lot of threads.  Let me know when you want to tackle it.]

Masugatan scouts the perimeter, looking for any actual or potential hidden dangers.

In reply to McNealy (msg # 547):

McNealy has a brace of rabbits in his snares.

Masugatan notices some odd looking tracks...

In reply to Narrator (msg # 549):

Emma notices the Gnome muttering to himself, and goes over to him.

"You seem a little out of sorts. Perhaps you are missing a great opportunity for business. Yu have noticed that many priests and priestesses sell things that make them money, and you have several here who do not seem to be so interested in making money. Have you thought that travelling with them is a perfect opportunity to sell healing salves and the like, that many come to people of faith to purchase? You are more likely to find a buyer for such goods with us that a buyer for a stolen chalice from a shrine...and you only ever make money when you sell an item."

McNealy is still feeling rather sullen about losing out on the precious chalice earlier in the day, so he drops the rabbits in front of the cooking fire and retreats back to his horse.

The younger sister approaches McNealy after he goes off to pout.

"Alchemist?  We don't wear white during the ceremonies.  We dance in the rain, roll in the mud, eat flies -- well, symbolic flies, like the Triunists only drink symbolic blood -- and we do it all completely naked!"  She giggles and grins widely.  "It's lots more fun than sitting in a church and repeating responses."

She looks down at her nearly new leather armor.  "We don't even wear white when we're on the road, though I'm sure Holiness wouldn't object to it when we're not traveling -- but it's such a city color."

Jednesa opts to forgo a setting up her tent, and just preps her bedroll to be a thick pillow.

McNealy looks up at the 2 ladies.  He's busy adding a couple clover leaves to one of his beakers, and that's followed by some tree sap he gathered the day before.  His face looks dour at best, although he isn't at a full frown.  At first he doesn't say anything.  He just looks down and finishes adding the material, then he stoppers up the beaker.  He swirls it clockwise 3 times, very precisely, and then sets it gently back into the delvers webbing on Cookie.  Then he looks up at the women in front of him, and sighs.

"Business is hard enough in a human town as a human.  As a gnome, you have to be a little bit better than everyone else just to get the same treatment.  The humans literally look down on you, and often try to intimidate you with their size to get better prices.  Or they don't take you seriously, because they think of you as just a hedge dabbler, or a little mini-dwarf.  It's a big town, and there are a lot of people selling stuff.  People don't make special trips to search out my kind.

When you have a criminal record it's even worse.  I was young and stupid once.  Was an apprentice to one of the alchemists in town, but I blew up his lab real good with a stupid mistake.  The city guard came knocking and I did some time in a work camp.  Now the only way I can fill out my formulary is by adventuring like this, because the rest of the town alchemists are wary of my history.  And the customers don't exactly come knocking at my door first.  The religious types are even worse, because they hear you broke the law and write you off, without getting to know you.

Yes, it was a silver chalice on an altar.  Some god might have been offended that I took it.  But my life has been pretty damn hard, with a lot of bumps.  A silver chalice is worth a lot of money.  You might not care about that, but look at Cookie, look at all my stuff.  In order to make a living, I have a lot of overhead.  If an ogre decides Cookie would make a good lunch, I have to start all over.  My business doesn't have a lot of room for error.  I have to scrounge up the ingredients that I can, get it all mixed up just right, and then hope that someone wealthy needs a little help with something.

You don't have to think about that when you're dancing around naked, with your god providing food.  If someone cuts you, your god provides healing.  You have religious friends to travel with, and brand new armor because you're not wanting for money.  What you have sure looks a lot easier than what I have to deal with every day.  No body wants to travel with a nerdy little gnome that cares about herbs and potions.  I'm alone, with no where to call home.  Have a little compassion for the wretched little gnome with all of his bubbles and quirks.  It's not easy being me."


OOC He's actually wealthy, but it's all invested in the lab.  And he's chummy, which I tried to play by oversharing his history a little bit.  :)

In reply to McNealy (msg # 554):

"We get that. Actually, everybody had their difficulties. But you don't have to be alone. Stealing from the gods, however Minor, is just the kind of action that ensures that people continue to avoid you. You cannot change your past, but you can change your future. Right now, you are travelling with us. That has a lot of implications as well as benefits."