As the dark clouds swirled around you even on this clear sunny day, blind to the beauty of this land, you couldn't help but play out in your mind the events of last couple of days.

You were attending the kingpriest's royal dinner party as the guest of honor, although considering you had been the guest of honor every time you dined in mixed company in Pintherastus for the past dozen, the title had long ago lost any meaning or prestige it may entomb. In fact, you had had a sneaking suspicious it had been meant as a tool to remind you that you were not one of them, you would always be an outsider no matter how much time you spent there or learned their magic ways. Not that it mattered now. Nothing matters now.

Fakes smiles and empty words were all around as always. Double talk, innuendo and court intrigue was the bread and butter of the evening. As always. But you had a feeling you wouldn't be seeing much of these for very long. Soon you'd be expecting to take up your duties as a kingpriest, or "Great Chieftain" as they say back home, of the Grasslands more actively if not seriously (nobody expected you to take them seriously since nobody made it a secret that they didn't take you seriously), soon you'd be marrying princess Helen, soon you're arcane tutelage would come to an end and you'd be leaving this city, soon you-

You had been snapped out of your musings by the sight of a human being allowed in the room by the guards. Unlike the more "wild" parties nobility tended to throw from time to time where it almost seemed like they competed to see just how diverse they could make it even if it meant conjuring imaginary beings, the royal parties were only for the nobility, which meant aside from yourself and a number of people you could count on one hand, it was a tengu exclusive event. That human was dressed in fine but practical clothes intended for the road, a uniform of some sort by the looks of it, and the decidedly lack of color and exaggerated decoration signaled him an outsider. Being allowed to intrude upon a royal dinner party like that were unusual so he drew the attention of everyone like a magnet so much so that by the time he reached the kingpriest the room had died town to a hush. There was a brief, silent exchange (clearly the kingpriest had been expecting him), a handing over of a scroll, a salute, and then the man simply left the room leaving behind the kingpriest to unroll the scroll and read it. The tension in the room grew as nobles sat at the edge of their seats, leaning in closer, barely containing their need to know what the message was about. You remember thinking the old coot was probably pretending to be reading the scroll longer than he actually needed to (his eyes had stopped moving back and forward) just for the heck of pausing for dramatic effect. What he said next knocked the wind out of you harder than that time you were still a kid and very foolishly accepted the Agni Kai challenge from Quroy, which very predictably resulted in him punched you in the gut then intimately acquainting you with the ground. Yes, you would not be seeing a lot of dinner parties like that anymore, though not for the reasons you had thought.

You could remember the ancient tengu announcing to the assembly something about how some time ago he had offered Helen's hand in marriage to the kingpriest of Ironia and he had just received his reply in acceptance. He had went on holding some speech about...something, unity, something, the rest of the nobles standing and cheering, but to you it had all become a haze, a, a, muffled noise in the background in the shock of the announcement.


Time, life itself, became somewhat of a blur after that. You remember keeping cool in public but demolishing your room in private in a very physical and visceral way you had thought you had left behind, that you were suppose to be above. Gave you plenty of practice for that mending spell you didn't think you'd ever need. You remember discreetly, carefully and very very cautiously bringing up the subject with the kingpriest, after all hadn't it always been an unspoken understanding that you would be the one marrying Helen? You had subtly (as far as you know) inquired if there was any chances of changing the arrangement and what would Helen say about all this? The first he hadn't even bothered to answer but the old tengu's attitude had been outright dismissive on the 2nd one "Does it matter? She knows her duty. I told her just before she left so she can wrap up her PR tour quickly. It was a done deal from the start, that whole performance was just for the sake of the lessers. ^{As if we kingpriests needed messenger boys to communicate with each other, hah!} Don't worry, I'll get one of my other daughters to marry you. How about Hana, she seems to always cling to you like a little chick..." You felt sick. Hana was just a little girl, barely hit puberty. Yes, she always tagged along with you and Helen but she always called you her big brother and you saw her as nothing more than a little sister.

Time resumed again when word reached you that Helen had vanished and was nowhere to be found. Considering were talking about the most magical city in the world where the literally single most powerful man in the world had the best wizards in the world at the beck and call, that was no small thing. And worse, both them and the Ironians were calling off the search.

This time you confronted her old man with no pussyfooting around and demanded to know why and what was going to be done about finding Helen. Turns out her last known coordinates was Cruilla, which was deep in Arcania (a place already considered neutral ground between the Kwon-Yuu and the Alliance). Both him and the Ironian kingpriest felt uncomfortable sending any noticeable force or attention drawing reconnaissance so close to the Kwon-Yuu's strongest stronghold so soon after signing a peace treaty with them for the first time in 400 years.

You however, were having none of this bullshit. You were ganna find Helen even if you had to do it alone, and consequences be damned.

You paid to have a magical message sent to the nearest town that sold hoverships, bought the ship over the globes (ooc: basically on the internet) and charged to have someone sail it up you here, at the base of Pintherastus, while you bought the rest of the supplies you'd need for the journey.

With grim determination you left the city and headed down for the settlement near the base of the mountain where all the petitioners and "unworthy to live in the city but might be needed on call" people live or peddle their trade.


It was too late in the day and the hovership hadn't arrived yet so you intended to check in the inn in the meantime.

---

---

The cold mountain air blows your hair back, the many scents it carried tingle your nose and spark your imagination. You couldn't help but grin. How could it possibly have taken you this long to came to this conclusion?

Endless hours of the same, repetitive, mind numbing mundane tasks. Filling out forms, arguing with the same people over the same stuff every day, in that same dingy, stuffy little office.

It was only after you had a panic attack one day when you had failed to recollect a detail in a story your old man had told you, stories you cherished above all else and gave meaning to your life, that you had finally decided to get up and leave it all behind. Throwing caution to the wind and unleash your curiosity form its cage of complacency.

So now here you were, atop the tallest mountain in the world in Pintherastus, the world's epicenter of lightning!

...well, almost. You were at the base of the tallest mountain in the world, unable to afford the gondola up to the city (the preparations and the trip up to this point had already cost more than you had expected), the guards had not let you use the road, and ^{as one local had told this pushy, animated, hyperventilating tourist,} this time of the year P'und, the patron Exhalted of these lands, was on his way down south, taking the vast majority of lightning storms with him (hence the clear skies).


Still, it's not like you were just ganna give up at the 1st obstacle that came your way, were you? You figured this "epic sojourn" you intended to undertake wouldn't be easy otherwise everyone would be doing it and it wouldn't be so special anymore now would it? You figured a stop at the tavern and mingling with the locals a little, learning what's what wouldn't hurt. And you weren't disappointed. The "unworthy" people in the city who only got to stay there until their menial job was done then got kicked off the mountain until they were needed again, had absolutely no qualms about spilling any and every juicy bit of news, gossip, rumor and dirt they could dredge up from the top.

Turns out Helen, the 1st Princess of Pintherastus and a much beloved public figure by the common folk, has gone missing during her goodwill tour visiting the war-stricken places throughout the Alliance to distribute tengurian aid. Word has it she was last seen in Cruila and then nobody knows what happened to her.

"Aye, that's what they say an' everyone knows it" said the dwarf as he told you the story, the same story you could hear being echoed from many other tables in the now jam-packed tavern. He had silver, greasy hair clumsily hangs over a skinny, lively face, pot bellied yet his arms were brawny. He clearly appreciated the attentive audience you've been, practically hanging on his every word, but then he leans in a little, looks left-right and motions all conspiratorially like for you to lean in as well. "But that ain't all, it ain't. Now I may be just a carpenter, ^{snobs think they're so smart but not all things can be fixed, made or maintained by magic} eh? A, a ha ha ha! *nudge nudge* *hearty slap on the back/shoulder* But y'see I got a buddy o' mine that works over at those ball starers. Ya know, those guys that talk to balls and other people with balls hear them? And they charge you for it. Anyway, he saw something veeeeery peculiar," but just as he was getting to the good stuff his bulging gray eyes, set gracefully within their sockets, turned to watch fondly over the spirits in the hand of another man over at the next table. Then fell sadly over his own, empty cup.

Just then the doors of the inn violently flew open, as if someone had practically kicked them in. The loud bang of wood hitting wood caused every person in the room to abruptly stop talking and look at the intrusion.

A man of grim determination, palatable aura of power and barely contained rage strode into the room ignoring all eyes on him.

This message was last edited by the GM at 19:41, Sat 11 May 2019.

The old fool will learn how much it matters. Loki thought to himself as he went into the in.

So incensed he was at the injustice of it all, he had hardly formulated a plan, such was his rage, that the Power within crackled and swirled around him...

He was like the eye of a maelstrom of static electricity and dust, his icy gaze fixed on visions of the uncountable torments he would inflict on any that dared so much as mildly disappoint her.

But as he opened the door, a part of his agile mind worked backwards, tracing along the many paths that would lead back from her rescue and their punishment, to what he must do with his time after booking a room for the evening.

First he would need to find her.

In order to do that, he would have to go where she was last see, which was Cruilla.

Where, and what she was doing, he would need to learn. As well with who she was with.

They would need discretion, and loyalty to something other than the Kingpriest and his interests.

So he would need the same. Allies and informants, and eyes and ears.

And discretion. While it might be satisfying to flay the men alive that obsconded with his bride to be - and she would be his - there would be time for that once she was safe.

So... He would need to learn all he could about the underbelly of Cruilla. Perhaps he should even disguise himself, not that it would be easy - he was who he was and disdained pretending to be otherwise.

Buy if he was chasing rumor and hunting for clues... it was best his enemies did not see him coming.

This is an inn, there were many that might know of Cruilla and it's seemier side. He would... make friends, no matter how distasteful they might be.

He will find her.

He will find them.

And the last thing they will know is regret that they had dared take her from him...

As he approached the innkeep and asked for a room, he was not certain if he meant the kidnappers, or the entire realms and the very God's they worshipped. He only knew with certainty that it was true... And that there will be blood before he was done.

Irfan
Murmurs began to spread, first slowly then with increasing traction as clearly he had been recognized by the newly arrived patrons from the city and they were eager to spread the news to the ones down here. "Ey, that's 'im-" the dwart whispered to you, pointing at the person with his empty mug "-duh kingpriest of 'em barbarians up north that's been throwing money around the city all day long like there's no tomorrow".

He wasn't at all what you had expected him to look like. You had expected some muscular, half-naked man-giant, not this beanpole that aside from being human looked almost identical as any of the tengu wizards (clothing, the practical kind, and all). And even that was disputable due to his sharp facial features that gave him a beak-like appearance and long fingers that almost resembled claws. Clearly somewhere in his ancestry there was tengu blood in him, except the human side was clearly the dominant one.

Still, that didn't change the fact that the aura of confidence and power he exuded could not be denied. Even if just a diversity hire, he was still a kingpriest.

The man had b-lined for the tavern keeper, clearly frightening the man a little. But after the very brief exchange he turned around, briefly scanned the room, then ascended up the stairs to a room.

---

Loki
You were barely aware of the unusual hush that had fell over the inn as you had stormed inside it. Nor the murmurs that had followed as you b-lined it for the inn-keeper/bartender. The other patrons had given you a wide berth and the concern if not outright fear in the innkeepers eyes as you had approached him was all but lost to you. Your thoughts and especially the curse of the raw emotions your people were so (in)famous for were occupied elsewhere.

"2, ttt-two si- -eh, f-five si-, n' t-two gol-, oh, er 1 gold for the stay, sir, 1 gold for you, only the best room sir-" you recall the tengu stammer.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:42, Sat 11 May 2019.

Loki would pay the Tengu, his eyes already scanning the crowd as he takes out a second gold piece and says, "I would like you to find me some dinner companions, and I care not for their reputation, so long as they know how to survive and the politics of the seamier side of Cruivilla. Be discrete, and be sure that the guests you find for me along with myself are not disturbed. The least they will get for their troubles is a free meal simply for talking about their life. The more knowledgeable they prove to be, the greater the chance they will find a larger reward, and possibly even employment. But discretion, is paramount."

---

The innkeeper's eyes go wide at the sight of another gold "Oooh, of course sir, absolutely sir," he pockets in quickly then motions to the bar wenches to come quickly to him.

As they gathered around and the innkeeper explained to them what's what, you look around the room and despite this settlement being a glorified "waiting room" for all the foreigners who wanted to do business up in the capitol, the majority of the patrons were still tengu, some of them wearing worker uniforms as worn up in the capital. On the up side, this didn't make those who were not tengu difficult to notice.

At a quick glance you noted a few dwarves and humans, a pair of half-orcs and 1 gnome, but you recognized their uniforms as those in the employment of someone in the capitol so you doubted they'd be of any help. There were a couple more foreigners as well as a few tengu in uncharacteristic clothes for the region which led you to believe they might be traveling traders. Of those, most were in skimpier clothes and with lighter skin complexions, which meant they were probably from or going to somewhere in central or north region of Ironia. Cruilla was somewhere in the south in the Arcania region of Ironia, and it was a scorching desert wasteland, you knew that much at least. The ones wearing uniforms, as well as some of the native patrons that had undoubtedly seen you or heard of you before were talking in hushed tones to the others which stealing glances your way and pointing at you, followed by stolen glances your way by their eager audiences.

One table was completely occupied by a mish-mash group of 6 well armed, well equipped, stern looking people. Adventurers no doubt by the looks of it, and they seemed to stick to themselves, turning back to having a discussion amongst themselves after the initial passing glance they gave your way in the wake of your entrance.

There was 1 more well armed man in the room. He was really really tall, clearly a swordsman, but he was sitting alone in the very corner, looking like he didn't give a shit about anything, leaning back against the wall, his chair straining under him as it was tilted back on 2 legs. Something about him almost felt familiar, but that was probably because he was a kitsune and practically your whole tribe was kitsune back home so maybe it was just dredging up some nostalgia. This man was clearly not from your tribe though, nor any tribe you knew nor even anywhere from the Grasslands, certainly not with that much steel on him and certainly not in that heavy clothed outfit. It wasn't light robes on the exterior to protect one from the sun like people from Arcania wore. These were clearly winter clothes so he was ether a native here in Wingheld, having migrated and civilized himself here, or been born here, or he hailed or was going to South Ironia.

A barely conscious, disheveled-looking elf with a loosely held half-full mug, dressed in fine robes that had seen the mud of the road loomed over the bar counter. It looked like one good slap on the back and he'd be out for the count for the rest of the night.

You were interrupted from further deliberation by the innkeeper "Sir, care to resign to your room? I will have your meal brought there while my girls canvas the crowd. Our patrons like to listen as much as they talk, and a few innocent questions from a captivating lady will make them spill out whether there are any here who have been or know the layout of Cruilla. We'll extend out your invitation to such people and send them to join you one at a time," the old, grey feathered tengu explained as he waived off his bar wenches to resume their jobs serving the patrons, with the extra task of making a little more small talk than usual.

---

Loki merely nods in reply"The Kitsune, I would speak with him as well... extend my invitation to him first. I know skill when I see it." he says as he allows himself to be led to his room.

Once there, he will slowly inspect the room, offering a silver as a tip with a murmur of thanks. Regardless of how fine the quarters may be, he took his time in sanitizing his dining area, as well as anything else he might have to touch before his first 'guest' arrived. Cleanliness was next to godliness, after all.

OOC: He's going with his gut here... and I'm also assuming that might be Shadows? The rational either way is straight-forward. He considers himself a dangerous man, but a skilled swordsman would ensure that 'surprises' were kept to a minimum. If Shadows is one of the other patrons, I'm happy to retcon who I'm sending my first invitation to.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:46, Sat 11 May 2019.

Irfan had heard this story 3 different times already, but this was the place that had been mentioned each time, and to be honest it was getting a bit harder to listen to with opportunity knocking so close to him. He noticed the old dwarf's subtle or perhaps unconcious prompt for a fiery bribe, and was considering it. He wasn't lying about being a craftsmen and he also knew better then most how often people overlooked those that weren't blessed. Information was rarely free even when true and he was getting down to his emergency funds as it was. He was about to try and shift the conversation around when the mood suddenly shifted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

His first instinct was to not make eye contact, but the dwarf's words emboldened him to look more closely at the newcomer. No doubt about it, that had to be one of the kingpriest's and the only one that would dare disgraces themselves in this fine establishment had to be the Grasslands, regardless of his looks. He decided to reward the man for his timely advice, and let to take him up on the bribe.

Sliding 3 silvers over, and rolling a fourth between his fingers, with a half smiling "Ain't that the truth charging people good money just for sitting around all day, some of us sweat for our drink."

The Kingpriest's features jarred him at first, but after the initial shock, offered a convincing explanation for where a grassland king suddenly could have appeared from. It wouldn't be the first time the old Pinterest took on a apprentice. Perhaps that peculiar information might shed some light on the hostility he felt before, the last thing he wanted was to find himself as the focus of that accidentally.

2 silvers should be enough for  a good drink or several drinks of swill. Gossip monger's choice of course.
Divination Wizard, Job: switchboard operator  :D

---

As soon as the kingpriest ascended up the stairs the gossiping roared back with a vengeance, having so much wood added to the fire. And your loose lipped friend across from you was not one to hide his renewed appreciation "Aye, ain't that the truth, *hearty slap on the back* but ye sure can hear some interestin' things ye can. That fellow that just pass by, he not only bought a whole ship from down at Yuna, Yuzna, whatever ye folk call it, ^{ya know the kind that sail on land, the ones you guys use all the time down in that desert o' yours}, instead o' rentin one or hitching a ride, yeah, he not only bought the whole thing but paid to have it delivered to 'em right here ASAP, in our little Asities right 'ere 'e did, *tap tap*" he nailed the table with his index finger to emphasis the point. He then slumped back on his chair, muttered disgruntedly "^{Tch, throwin money like there's no tomorrow}" and swung his mug back over his face, only to remember it was empty. With another annoyed grunt he leaned back forward and rose his hand to call over a serving wench to refill his drink with your generous tip.

The girl was quick to arrive, almost like she had been on her way here already. "So what a night eh. Lots of people from out of town," she was making more small talk than usual. "Don't suppose you have a story or two to share from where you hail?" she asked you as she poured the dwarf his drink. Before you could answer, the jolly drunken dwarfman boisterously volunteered the information in your stead "A ha ha, this boy 'ere *heartier slap on the back* *grabs you in a headlock what started out as a one-armed hug* comes from scorching Arcania itself, can you believe it? Decided to cool yourself off in our mountains a bit 'e did? Bua ha ha ha *hearty fist-bump on the chest*" then went back to eagerly drinking his shot of brandy.

Glad to be given reprieve from all that manly love, you noticed one of the foreigners in the room got up and lazily make his way up the stairs. It wasn't hard to notice since despite this settlement being a glorified "waiting room" for all the people who wanted to do business up in the capitol, the majority of the patrons were still tengu. And even among the few non-tengu here he stood out. He was a really really tall kitsune, well armed, clearly a swordsman of some kind. Up till now he had been content sitting alone in the very corner, drinking, looking like he didn't give a shit about anything, leaning back against the wall, feet on the table, his chair straining under him as it was tilted back on 2 legs. The way he teetered certainly seemed like he had had enough to drink and was resigning for the evening.

---

Not needing to hide his discomfort at the jostling from the drunken patron or the barmaid, he winces a bit, the dwarf was a bit stronger then he thought it seemed. He had the Kitsune pegged as some kind of caravan guard or bounty hunter so it made sense he would be looking for a wealthy patron as well. Better to let furball test the air rather then getting zapped himself. The dwarfs information was good, but it wasn't useful to him right now. " I'm just a traveler trying to put wonders of the world to page." he replies for himself, "Has your star guest always been so.. irate?" without a doubt most of the foreigners here were probably the sum total all of the nearby ones, all gathered in this inn for similar reasons.


Perhaps he could sell his experience somehow, but he wasn't much of a sand skimmer himself, and all his knowledgeable contacts were in another region. It would probably be best to stay honest with someone as powerful as this, he knew a lot of people and even had favors he could call in when dealing with Arcanians. Putting aside the consideration of how having a sand skimmer in rocky Wingheld would be useful to getting to Arcania.

Rolling the coin back into his palm, he tried to gauge how many others were planning on approaching the kingpriest soon then later.

---

"Well, this is the first time we've had the honor of his patronage so I couldn't say" the serving girl apologetically answered then hurried away. But instead of going to another table she went straight back to the bar and conferred something with the innkeeper. The innkeeper looked from her straight at you, then back to her again and then there was another exchange, then she was off to do more deliveries. Had you been more drunk you would have thought nothing of it and assumed she was just passing on your tables orders...except you didn't order anything this time around.

Looking around more attentively you observed some unusual patterns.

The serving wenches were being a lot more chatty with the patrons this evening, but very selective about it. They wouldn't give the regular patrons (tengu or otherwise) the time of day beyond the necessary, where as those that looked like more traveled, worldly people (such as merchants) -especially if they had a darker complexion and long sleeve cotton shirts and pants with base layer and jacket (the kind you wore, the kind you wear in deserts)- they were getting the full flirty treatment.

Strangely enough, nobody else was going up to ingratiate themselves just yet.

Other things that caught your eyes were some of the foreigners that stood out. Namely a barely conscious, disheveled-looking elf with a loosely held half-full mug, dressed in fine robes that had seen the mud of the road that loomed over the bar counter. He hadn't even registered the kingpriest's arrival and looked like one good slap on the back and he'd be out for the count for the rest of the night.

One table was completely occupied by a mish-mash group of 6 well armed, well equipped, stern looking people. Adventurers no doubt by the looks of it, and they seemed to stick to themselves. The serving wenches avoided the table unless called over.

"Sir-" the same waitress approached you again. No drinks. As racist as it may sound, all tengu mostly looked the same to you, but you could tell her apart from the rest by the way she bore herself. Back straight, measured strides "-I was wondering, would doing a service for a kingpriest be something worthy enough to commit pen to paper?" and her speech was cut above the other serving girls.

---

Ah, she is the headmatron.

Putting it all together as she returned, some weren't aware, and others unsure of themselves. Maybe even a few that couldn't be too bothered to stay awake or alert. The Barkeep has his handsful trying to field talent and get it to the kingpriest as promised or perhaps told.

Relaxing (or rather de-tensing), as he began to sense the order to the madness. The enterance of the kingpriest had given him a bit of a fight or flight rush it seemed..

"That is precisely what I'd like to do, but I could use a a drink first." The dwarf had served his purpose, and he contimplated moving to the bar proper before he got manhandled into drunken antics.

Adding 4 copper to his silver, he pays the women, "Perhaps it would be easier to make a selection where i can see the shelves."Irfan begins to stand intent on approaching the bar, and more importantly the barkeep. "I think one of those mountain style applejacks will do the trick."<seagreen>

---

ooc: I can nether confirm nor deny that. But I will say it's not the only conceivable possibility, nor her whole story. IC:

"Oh please, please, go ahead, e he he he," the barkeeper/innkeeper eagerly hands it over to you with an ear-to-ear grin on his face, rubbing his hands. "If there's anything else you need just say the word. It's the gracious lord way of compensating you for your time in hearing what he has to offer. Now better be off and see if you make the cut. Got more fellows coming after you to try their luck as well," he good-naturedly tried to shoo you upstairs. "^{Wonder what's taking that 1st guy so long?}" he muttered with mild interest under his breath as he turned back towards the crowd to see any other signals sent his way by the serving girls.

You gain 1 bottle of applejack.

---

Mostly setting the bar for Irfan's reaction/assumption, he assumes she is second in charge in this business. She could brle the missing princess or a undercover new hire or any number of things. Having acess to my thoughts and opinions helps you give you some feedback at the helm, and reduce out of place decisions or unfounded assumptions. Missing cow? aliens wolves.

Irfran assumes she is a cut above and probably in charge of the other serving girls :)

Irfan poured himself a glass from the bottle and downs it as fast as he can. He managed to get the drink down in 5 chugs, A new personable best.

Leaving the bottle, he wasn't inclined to rip someone trying to do a favor off that much, He pushed off from the bar fairly certain how this unconventional hiring process was working.

More importantly there hadn't been any explosion, lightning or other disturbances yet so maybe he was in as violent a mood as it had felt when he walked through the commons.

As Irfan reached tge stairs he realized he didn't know which room to knock on. He knew if he went back to ask, he might not work himself up again tonight. Going up the stairs he thinks just pick whichever door feels like your sudden demise, you could thrown darts at him blindfold earlier, whats a few inches of wood really going to do.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:52, Sat 11 May 2019.

"Errrr..." you hear an awkward mumble behind you. You turn around and see that tall kitsune standing at the doorframe, the handle still in his grip, unsure what to do with the image of seeing a kingpriest taking a sanitation job at an inn.

---

"Come in, and have a seat." Loki says, gesturing to the dining area. "Food and drink will arrive shortly. Thank you for accepting my invitation. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

As he speaks, he unhurriedly finishes his sanitization of the room, before moving to the area he had indicated and taking a seat and stared at the Kitsune expectantly.

---

"Errrrugh..." he started again but halfway he just shrugged in a "meh, fuck it" sort of way and sat down anyway. "Well, aah..." he fidgeted a bit, unsure where to start, "I'm a kitsune, ^obviously. My grandfather was originally from the Grasslands, from your exact tribe to be precise-" he nodded at the crest you displayed "-so I guess in a way you could say we're related in a way... Cousin? ^{Should I call you cousin?} _{Can I call you cousin?} Oh man, what a small world, huh?" he had gotten over his initial discomfort by now and he was starting to loosen up. His way of talking was getting more casual, he started leaning back on his chair, putting his feet up on the table, waving his arms and head around to emphasize a point (he was one of those animated conversationalists).

The serving wench came in just then and he took the drink without missing a beat, ignoring the food "Bring another one honey, and keep them coming" he told her, tapping the mug then started downing it.

Irfan
Thankfully, you were spared doing eeny meeny miny moe by one of the serving girls. She was exiting door at the far end of the hallway with a tray full of food. Seams like someone hadn't been interested in their meal. She was stomping her way back, frowning, muttering something, when she looked up and saw you. There was a moment where she froze up in surprise, then melted back into the cheerful, smiling, graceful hostess you normally saw. Swinging her hips wide, she gave you a flirtatious wink as she passed by and disappeared down the stairs, back to the hustle and bustle of the common room.

---

Irfan understand her pain, he had to deal with more then his share of unruly and sometimes plain dull customers before himself. He gives her space to get by, and tries to return disarming smile, but he isn't quite sure he about trans-racial facial features as he hadn't been here very long and tengu were relatively rare outside of wingheld. One thing he wouldn't miss was going to be the sheer number of beaks, they gave him a unpleasant reminder of a previous encounter even if they were more curved then flat.



Approaching the door he goes to knock on it, but hesitates as he sees his nerves causing his hand to shake. This was the greatest opportunity in his life and probably the second dangerous thing he had ever done(idk sounds good, kids man. Memory Event!). Taking a deep breath, he wished he had taken a second shot because the first one was hardly helping. Composing his face and adjusting his posture and outward appearance to that of the indifferent and composed scribe he had mastered. No matter how wayward, idiotic, and/or inadvertently humorous the client was one needed excellent control of mind and body. Bringing his hand back up from smoothing out his Qamis, he knocked on the door.

Knock.. Knock-knock.

---

The kitsune wasn't done swinging the bottle back on his current drink when there came another knock on the door. "^{Wow, that was fast, talk about quality service,} COME IN!" the kitsune answered for you, thinking it was the serving wench again.

---

                    'yeah, come in'

Entering the room meekly and shutting it behind him once through, Irfan got his first look at the most polished wooden room he had ever seen. Standing formally by the door, He presents himself with slight bow, Obviously this Kingpriest had more then a few times to Pintrest and probably demanded a certain level of formality or at least respect. Well scratch that, that Kitsune was being just as rude up here as down there, the cleanliness of the room seemed to exacerbate the rudeness of having his feet up to something criminal. Trusting his gut since logic had failed he, he spoke "Irfran, son of Iraman, of Cruilla. I heard you were seeking informed and useful hands to help you with a problem in my home town and I grew up on it's streets and in it's markets. I've been apprenticing as a scribe in a sister city 5 years ago but trade has kept me well informed till a few months ago. If you have need of a scribe I am also well versed in legalities of my home region and abroad, fluent in several languages." Ifran stops speak before he gets into any personal details like the goose shaped scar on his rear end, His strong suit was writing not speaking.

This message was last edited by the GM at 20:01, Sat 11 May 2019.

"Please, sit, make yourself comfortable. He did." he says, a hint of a way smile touching his lips as he arches an eyebrow towards the Kitsune.

"And why should you wish to offer yourself in such a capacity?" he asks, once he was settled, as he idly sipped some mulled wine.

Irfan pauses for a moment as he looks for hidden meanings in such an offering. Nothing was as expected or even proper here. He slings his medicinal and work satchel over the back of the nearest unoccupied chair. Taking measured breaths to keep calm despite the excitement, politely refraining form imposing himself any more then prompted, sitting with his interlaced at the edge of the table.



"It's my professional capacity, one I used to offer regularly to finance my travels thus far. I've found my peregrination to be hindered by tolls, by prejudice, and a general lack of importance. Even here at the pinnacle of learning, I can neither visit the capital, learn from it's artisans, walk among the levitating gardens, nor even afford to idly wait for majesty of P'ung to grace the skies next year before moving on. Right now your objective aligns with my skills, if I perform well for you, then your standing will grow.

Your title commands respect, respect enough to visit many places and travel far. A simple diplomatic writ would allow me to visit many places and travel far easier then being kept in a small room at every other border for days at a time. Being part of a (diplomatic, bureaucratic, divine, Holy?) retinue would grant me access to the known world, to see places and cultures I never could hope to reach on my feet in a lifetime."

The kitsune's eyes went so wide, you could actually see them now...well, partially. They were still obscured by the heavy fur and cones. He even stopped drinking! "He's not even asking for money? ^Wooooow"


Trying to keep his best poker face forward, but then he was never one for cards. Ifran puts his best foot forward and tries to be honest without begging, his dreams were literally hanging on the impression he made here today. He tries his best to dismiss the kitsune his from his perception as he couldn't afford distractions, least of all by someone as unruly as to relax in such a manner. Either he was exceptionally gifted, daft, or just plain ignorant of the situation which seemed impossible.

Irfan broke eye contact with Loki to look at the kitsune, and the kitsune with lightning fast reflexes crossed his arms across his chest and looked away nonchalantly as if he was just minding his own business, "nothing to see here, I wasn't doing anything".
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:05, Sat 11 May 2019.

Loki's lip twitched, ever so slightly, at the antics of the Kitsune.

He decided he liked him, not the least reason being that others might find him unsettling.

"A precise answer, Irfran. When I have what I seek, and once I am settled when we return, I will happily and personally give you a tour of anywhere I may go... within reason of course. As for  the journey before us, I believe you are correct... where my path leads few have ever trod."

And here, Loki sips, covering a smile as he adds, "Shall we put some of that knowledge to the test now?" and, without waiting for a reply began asking his questions, in between sips of wine and bites of food as it was brought in.

"What is the inn with the best reputation, what is the inn with the worst reputation, and at these places, who should I be most concerned with if I wish my presence to be discrete?" he asks, listening intently to the response.

And it was not the first such question he asked. He asked about banal topics such as local politics, gossip about merchants and nobles, local foods, and dances, and games, ettiquete, and a number of other trivialities.

But then there were the questions that to him, were more about background information. Interspersed amongst his inoccuous questions were queries such as:

1. Who do the nobles do business with, that they would never see in public.
2. What are the biggest rivalries, especially the ones that few people might know about.
3. Who would know about all of these rivalries, be involved in those rivalries, but is smart enough to not get deeply involved in any one side?
4. Who is the most hated person in the city, that no one dares cross? Who would know about smuggling?
5. Who is the most honest and well-connected person in the city?
6. Who is the most powerful romantic?"

He listened to each question's answer with rapt attention, occasionally asking the same question a different way, to see if the answer changed.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:09, Sat 11 May 2019.

Nobility is rare in Arcanian, each city is like a small country with it's own ruling family. Usually the richest, and they do business as they please for the most part. That leaves murderers and a few other henious criminals, but most are exicuted or if skilled pressed into the guard.

Rivalries rise and fall over night among the markets, the longest standing one are between rival prestigous guilds and usually between cities. On might say the rulers themselves fund and encourage competetions to entertain the masses.

That would be the Dromedary guild, not much moves out on the ands without their blessing or knowledge. They represent one of only three unified national guilds,
they serve as both messengers and in creature husbandry.

The cities themselves are tightnit communities hemmed in by the harsh desert, so eveeyone tends to learn all but the most carefully hidden or disguised happenings. However it also means loyalty and solidarity run deep. Most would rather side with a rival then a outsider in any matter.

For the 2nd time in as many minutes, the kitsune's eyes went wide in disbelief, "Are you being serious right now? What's with the 3rd degree? Are you actively trying to send away the one guy in this entire place that can actually be of use? And for no money no less?!" He was staring back at you as Irfan's facade completely fell apart at this point was in the process of seeing how close to being pale as a ghost he could get.

"If you think of interrogating me like that got another thing coming. Speaking of which, we haven't gotten around the topic of how much you're paying for all of this. Unlike Freeguide McTourist over here-" he nodded at Irfan, "-It's ganna take more than a piece of paper saying we're buddies to get me on board-"

Just then someone bursts into the room. You all turn around simultaneously and see a rather young and small, female tengu bent over and clutching her chest as she panted. The dress she wore leaves her shoulders uncovered, instead it's supported around her neck and flows down into a simple halter neckline. It's a comfortable fit which helps remove some of the unwanted attention on her breasts, but does so by still looking elegant. Her arms have been covered to just above her elbows. The sleeves broaden towards the bottom and playfully accentuate her skin. The dress' waist is broad, but it's a comfortable fit. A small, elegant belt helps accentuate her waist without being too much. Below the waist the dress widens into a ball gown-like style dress. The dress reaches to well above her ankles and is longer at the sides and back of the dress. She's wearing t-straps, no other shoe would've matched this dress better. To top it all off she's wearing a large cute bow in her hair and an embroidered bracelet.

You immediately recognized her to be Hana. Kingpriest Pintherast's youngest daughter, Helen's younger sister and your pseudo sister as well. Her white, sleek feathers and diminutive unpronounced tengu facial features gave her an angelic appearance. Shining pink eyes, reflecting both innocence and intelligence pierced back at you not in accusation but in anguish, as if she was hurt by your action.

"Nii-san *pant* why did you leave without saying a word *pant*" her nightingale voice gently caressed across the room.

"Nii-san? You two are related?? How does that happen???"

Loki blinks at the Kitsune in confusion as he speaks - puzzled that his invite and questions could possibly be interpreted as a dismissal - when his little sister came into the room. "Imotou, what are you doing here..." he says as he rose and went to her, guiding her to somewhere more private as he turned to the others and said, "If you'll pardon me, I'll answer all your questions in just a moment."

"You are right, I am very sorry I did not tell you where I was going... I..." and his face flushed as dust started to swirl around him once more as his thoughts about his love pulled at him. "I am on a secret mission, and I don't want anyone to know. I was so worried about being found out, that I was not myself. But what are YOU doing here unescorted?"

---

Hana refised to budge, "You are going to find big sister Helen are you not?" she stated more than asked. The 3 of you grew up together so it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise that she could guess what you were thinking. Plus, looking back, you weren't as subtle as you could have been. "Well I'm going too," she puffed out her chest defiantly, as if daring you to send her away "You need me."

---

Loki frowns at that but then nods and sighs. "You are right, I do need you. I need you here, and safe." he says, placing both hands on her shoulders as he looks her in the eye seriously. "Your father will never let you go with me. And if you sneak away, what will he think? When he eventually finds you, with me, he may call off my search and force us both back here, and then marry us, just to keep us both too busy to find out what has happened to Helen. That's the best case scenario. The worst case is that he decides I'm a bad influence and has me branded as a kidnapper, because that would be the easiest way to deal with the stupid politics of this place. So, if you come with me, you risk having your father call off the entire search and have me branded as a criminal. But, if you stay here... you can actually be a very big help to me."
he says, a plan already formulating in his mind.

"For Helen to have gone missing... whoever took her would need help. They took her for a reason, and that reason is probably political. So, whatever is happening over here, may help me find Helen even faster. But I can't be in two places at once... and I am not as good at looking innocent and keeping secrets as you are. Will you be my eyes and ears here, and send word to me about what is happening?" he asks her gently, his eyes asking her if she is brave enough to do such a thing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:16, Sat 11 May 2019.

Hana gives you a flat stare, "Big brother...I'm 14, not 4. And even if I was I still would not have bought that." (ooc: Tengu reach adulthood at 15)


"I did not ask father for permission any more than you did. There is no search to call off because there was no search to be had. If he is unwilling to do anything about big sister Helen, who is known and loved by all near and far, he will certainly not do anything about us. You, dear brother, are already deifying him. What is that wonderful saying the ironian's have? "In for a copper, in for a platinum"?"

She then looks away, her defiance giving way to genuine grief. "Here, I am no more than a pretty little doll in a dollhouse. I am not Hana, I am just the kingpriet's daughter. But out there..." she looks back at you, pleading "I love big sister Helen, and I love nii-san, and I want all of us to be happy. I want to bring her back safely too, regardless of what father has to say. You will be going out there, in the unknown, facing dangers and challenges we can only imagine. You will need my magic and an extra pair of eyes, you will need every ounce of help you can get."

She takes a step back, trembling in fear but her hands going white from clutching her scepter too hard, pressed tightly against her chest, seeking it's comfort, a protector to hide behind against the scary world. "I am going, even if I have to do it alone" her voice was barely a whisper, and more resolute than a mountain against the wind.

Irfan considers replying to the kitsune, that siblings had a broader definition when you have a tendancy to lay eggs, but though better of it. This was clearly a privafe conversation, but the cat was out and yowling already. Choosing not to distrupt things and make it ackward since the kitesune was making no effort to leave either.


He waits patiently for his prspective employer (s) to reach an agreement.

Furthermore he was still trying to procres how he labled a free guide, maybe it was because you couldn't drink a divine seal.

His Attention gets drawn into the conversation again at mention of Ironians.The phrase was "In for a gold, back for a silver." It refered to the unscrupulous practice of getting a customer to pay a second smaller fee to get the initial service or good in working condition.

Getting branded a criminal was the exact opposite of what he was trying to do. Worse it sounds like the missing princess wasn't just sojurning, but was missing and presumed kidnapped. Come to think of it, he said he was sneaking but more then half the outter slums knew where he was and what he was doing already. Surely he meant in an official capacity, unless he had never been outside the courts before.

Realizing part of the problems here, a second lightbulb goes off. His power, prestige and offer were known, yet he had few bites. If he was seen as acting out behind Pinterest's back, then only a outsider or a fool would risk drawing his ire.  What was needed is a generic less specific ad depending on his wants.

He turns his gaze towards the kingpriest, ready to put forther his suggestion. Only to find that he was making his "half" sister cry. He may be a professional but he couldn't exstinguish the shame on you in his look completely.

The very air around the young man, the only evidence of the emotional struggle that he kept off of his face, but that too settled as he sighed.

"I am not defying him... I am simply not consulting him on what I do. But I can see that talking sense into you is futile, and even if it may hurt our chances of finding your sister, you are determined to come along." his tone was disappointed, but resigned. "So, I will permit you to come with me... but you will have to swear on Helen's life to not argue with me, not go running off anywhere under any circumstances without telling me, and to trust my judgement about what will be too dangerous for you to be a part of. You must promise that if I tell you to stay put while I go off to do something dangerous, that you will listen and obey, because if I can't trust you, you will put all of us in danger. I will not always have time to explain everything to you, so you will have to trust that when I do have time, that I will explain things later. So you must promise that you will listen first, and ask questions later, or I will March you back to your father myself and explain how stubborn you are being. And then I will have to defy him, rather than simply walking the edge like I am now. So, do I have your promise, on your sister's life that you will listen first and wait until later to ask questions for anything I ask of you on this search?"

The Kitsune leans towards Irfan and whispers something from the corner of his mouth

ooc: DC Perception 10

Hana however was oblivions and didn't seem like she could care less ether. "Oh yes, oh yes, of course, thank you onii-chan!" she vigorously nods and pulls you down to give you a peck on the cheek. "Let me just get my luggage, I left it outside" she says then runs off.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:07, Sun 12 May 2019.

Irfan rolled 21 using 1d20+6.  Perception vs whisper? Please don't be a suggestion spell..

Judgemental look vanquished, Irfan never had a true sibling, in fact his surrogate siblings were kinda of A-holes, but that didn't excuse causing someone so cute so much hurt. Luckily it seemed to be settled for the moment, and all seemed well now.



Place holder to respond to Kitsune

Alone with the guys once again, Irfan absentmindedly twitches his index finger as he considers different layouts and themes of a help wanted ad. He refrains from addressing the kingpriest but he has burning questions to ask.

He knew the kingpriest had a ship, but assumed it would be moved magically at least once.

He understood that help was wanted, but the kind and quanity had never been specified, it was just general request and a bunch of information Irfan has pieced together from the bartender and locals. Even now it seemed as if half was true and the other half was twisted.

Help was bound to be slim pickings around here even as disparate as the wealth was, no one without significant investment in the upkeep or visiting Pinterest would be remotely close. It was a quirk of fate and an unhealthy wanderlust that had driven him this far.


Working up the nerve to break the silence, " I gather that there has been some difficulty in finding help, perhaps you could elaborate on what kind of assistance you were seeking. Most of what I've heard has largely been rumors and speculation, I dismissed the one about needing an army to restart the war."

08:17, Today: Loki Karnak rolled 8 using 1d20.  Perception dc 10 whisper (no clue as to my bonus). As she runs off, he does stare after her for a moment, shaking his head and frowning. When Irfran speaks, he turns and offers a tight-lipped smile as he walks back to them and slides back into his chair.

"I am making arrangements at the last minute, so the only difficulties are a couple of headstrong Princess's and how to make sure they do not cause an International Incident. The Princess Hana is convinced that her older sister the Princess Helen has gone missing. I have taken it upon myself to make sure that she is well with my own eyes, discretely. To that end I am putting together a small team with knowledge of your homelands, where I will not be relying on my titles for answers. In truth, this may very well be my last and only chance to see how who we are allied with treat their people.
Much like myself, I suspect that the Princess Helen is interested in seeing the world as it is, without the distance our status puts between us and folks like the ones in this Inn." he says, gesturing towards them as well as to the people in the tavern room beyond his doors.



"So that is why you both are here. I will need information, there is always need for a sword, and I intend to get a bit closer to the rest of the world while making sure that the Princess Helen and Princess Hana stay safe." his face and tone are fairly composed, though his easy way of speaking did not hide the tension of power that had been continuously swirling around him since he had first walked into the inn. It was as if his flair up when Hannah burst in brought notice to it's presence, and though it's intensity had ebbed once more, it was still unmistakably there, only now, unforgettably so.

ooc: Loki, based on your stats in the mythweaver sheet (0 Wisdom mod, no ranks nor traits and feats that give Perception bonus) I'd say you wouldn't have any bonuses to Perception to make your 8 become 10 or more. But purely as meta knowledge, the Kitsune told Irfan "I give that mental gymnastics a 9.5" in reference to your "I am not defying him... I am simply not consulting him on what I do.".

Speaking of which, Irfan, seriously? A suggestion spell. Paranoid much?
IC:

The Kitsune nods in approval, "That's what I wanna hear. A guy who's not afraid to get shit done-" and sets his empty mug down with a hearty, stronger than necessary thud "-I love it when I take on jobs where my boss is a guy I can actually respect. ^{Really makes taking orders that much easier.}" he just then, raising it to his fact again to peer inside with 1 eye, realizes his mug actually is, in fact, empty. "I'm just ganna go refill this" he said, pointing at it with his other hand and got up, teetering out of the room.

Then doubled back, "When I come back we're ganna talk about salary-" he turns, but just before he disappears "-oh and when we're leaving-" leaves. Long pause. Doubles back again. "-Oh by the way...what's your name? Or do you want me to call you Great Chieftain, or whatever, all the time?" he waits for a moment, then shrugs and goes away. For good this time.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:58, Sun 19 May 2019.

Loki chuckles at the Kitsune's... multiple departures good naturedly, seemingly amused, before his eyes settle back on Irfan once more. Once again alone, his gaze is intent on him, as he asks, "We will depart tomorrow. Is there anything else you are wondering?"

Irfan stood up politely, he had decided they or atleast he, was no foolish noble just a sheltered one. Replying politely "Just the one to consider, if you wish to conceal your titles you should decide on new ones. I 've been informed you may have purchased a sandskimmer(boat), and I presume you have means of reaching the desert with it, however once there soley using magic to move it would operate it most unusual."

If left unprompted Irfan bows his head and moves out towards the common room.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:11, Wed 15 May 2019.

Are you guys are ready to move on?

Irfan leaves the king priest to ponder his suggestion as he moves down stairs to secure a room for the night. Expecting tomorrow to be a eventful and surprising day.


Adusting money spent on sheet.

ooc: Ok, I'll take that as a yes. I'll just wrap this up quickly so we can get to the good stuff.

And so it was done. After everyone was wined and dined, Loki rented 1 more room (earning the ire of some poor sod the innkeeper had to kick out to accommodate "the great chieftain" because, obviously, the inn was packed) then retired for the night. He and Hana shared the room, obviously, leaving Irfan to share the other one with the kitsune, who, coincidentally didn't retire until well into the night. When he did show up he was so drunk he crashed (literally) into the bed and went completely immobile, forgetting to negotiate that salary he was so on about. And introducing himself.

BTW, this is what the kitsune looks like, just imagine him furrier. Brown fur white in the front just like a fox only much much fuzzier (his fur had long, thick hairs) to the point where his eyes are concealed by fur https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HiddenEyes . He wears long green robes with brown rings at the end of the sleeves and feet (his tail can't be seen because it's under there). No armor, 1 straight long sword in a sheath which could be made to pass for a walking stick with a little effort, and a simple bag tied at the top and slung over his shoulder, when he doesn't just drop it on the ground)
An amalgamation of these 2 basically:



The following morning Loki was first to rise at the crack of dawn and after swallowing his breakfast he planted himself just outside, turning into a grim statue menacingly staring at the horizon. The sandskimmer was suppose to be delivered today and it seemed like he was trying to will it into coming faster. Hana had tried to talk to him, get closer, warm up to him, distract him from his suffering, but the short, curt answers answers without breaking eye-contact with the distance made that all but impossible. He was now less blind to the beauty of the world that he was yesterday.


Hana retreated back into the inn. "Nii-sama..." she whispered,  alone, sad, and feeling helpless as she gazed at him from the other side of the window.
A fitting and painful analogy.

Irfan too woke up very early, though for different reasons. He was restless. He was excited. Giddy like a kid on X-mass morning! This was the day. The day he'd go on a honest-to-goodness adventure with real wizards and important people and see the world and experience life to the fullest and-ZZZZZZZZ- he looked back to see the kitsune still out like a light. He shrugged his shoulders and went about his business, dressing, washing, preparing. And the kitsune hadn't moved an inch. Suddenly a very dark thought crossed his mind. What if the kingpriest decides he's not satisfied with this bodyguard? What if he decides to get someone else? That could mean delays. Or worse, what if he changes his mind and cancels the whole thing?!

"Up, up! Come on man, it's 9 o'clock!"
-"Mmmh, mah, gr-gr, wa wah-" he stirs, lifting himself on his elbows *blink blink* *big yawn* *scratch scratch scratch* *smacks lips* "You...you woke me up before noon? What is wrong with you?! Maaan, I'm beat, I've only gotten 6 hours of sleep" he lays back down.
-"Well that's just too bad, maybe you should have gone to bed earlier like the rest of us. Come on, 6 hours on your back is all you get," Irfan pulls back the sheets.
-"Yeah well now I need 6 more on my flip side! *pats stomach*" then grabs the sheets back and turns his back on you.


Irfan was late for breakfast that morning. But he did arrive with company.


You never realized a kitsune with a hangover could look that bad.

The sandskimmer didn't arrive until a few hours after noon. The driver looked like he hadn't rested in over a day and went straight to the inn to rent a room.

The kitsune suggested you had an early lunch before going but Loki was having none of it. You were leaving immediately!



ooc: Who's ganna drive this thing? It needs ether Spellcraft (well Use Magical Device if we were using the old rules) or Acrobatics (Ride in the old rules).

This is a long term thing so it's a Take 10 kind of thing and the skill level determines how fast you can go (because obviously you wouldn't take risks beyond your ability to control this vehicle).

In reply to GM (msg # 28):

  Irfan begins to regret pushing the kitsune every time he flinched when someone clattered dishes and he winced. Hang overs were bad enough without fancy ear, he remembered a fix but never had need of it or a chance to memorize it. The morning drags one and the question(s) from last night go unanswered, his employer was content with arrangements for now it seemed, or at least too furious to deal with the small stuff.


  Unsure how long the wait would be Irfan waits as early breakfast drags into late breakfast, pulling out his supplies he does a quick inventory of his medicine, then his inks. He moves on to scribbling a ink portrait to fill the time.




Once the summons to leave arrives he scrounges his supplies up, quickly blow drying the page and putting it away half complete. Picking up the traveling rations he had ordered and staring at the barrel of water, unsure how he was going to carry it with all his bags and wondering if it would have to stay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Reaching the Skimmer, he involuntarily lets out a low whistle, he'd seen quite a few before but never one in as good repair or complete in his life. He could almost call it new, but that would have been crazy talk. After the thorn in the side they were to the Regency, production had been outlawed.

  Making his way board he waits to see if his expertise would be required, helping when prompted.

Feeling emboldened by the fact that you've seen dozens of these before, you've seen people drive them -how hard could it me?- you climb aboard and look at the controls. It was pretty straight forward. 2 levers for speed (1 for left side, 1 for right, so if you wanted to go forward they both needed to be aligned) and a wheel for the sails. Technically speaking, you could maneuver the skimmer with the levels alone (use the left lever only and the thing goes to the right) but that was impractical at high speed so it was only used for parking and such meticulous tasks.


In a "don't worry, I got this" attitude, you swag your place at the helm. The others climb aboard. You put your hand on the levers. They look to you. "Heh" a smirk couldn't be chased away from your face.

You pull down the levers.
The Skimmer suddenly jerks and glides...in reverse! The wind is knocked out of you as you're slammed against the wheel, but the others weren't so lucky, having doubled over forwards, over the helm's fence and onto the small deck, landing on their backs. (Spellcraft skill...untrained, no ranks, can't take 10 and even if you could you can't use untrained skills above DC 10. Final result, well...)

The motion had ended as suddenly as it had started and not because you had been fast on the lever to put it back in neutral. You hear a squawking cry of utter anguish from somewhere behind you. https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/i...fec42d6d.jpg&f=1
4 heads crane above the cover of the skimmer to see a knocked over wagon full of cabbages and a very angry cabbage merchant shaking his fist. "What the hell are you doing?! You're ganna pay for this!" he gingerly tried stomping his way over to you while avoiding the cabbages sprawled all over the ground.

Yes, you had rear ended that guy, but no real harm was done, right? *pushes levers forward and zooms atta' there!*

---

"Ummmm, Mr.Irfan, sir-" Hana uncomfortably fidgets and tries to talk to you. "Ummm, well, I don't mean to question your expertise sir, but you see, a-and I certainly don't mean to imply you're not good at what you do, but the boat, I-I'm sure you're doing it for our safety but, well, could we, could you perhaps-I can walk^kyaa faster than this!" the kitsune barked what the little birdie was trying to tactfully get at. And he had a point. You guys really were going slow, but what exactly were they expecting? This was your first time riding this thing in a terrain it was clearly not built for. Yes you cruised at first till you left the settlement but the minute you reached the mountainous roads you slowed down to a crawl. They were narrow, steep, winding, just simply very treacherous all around. Take 10 Athletics = 11; Speed = 10 miles per day
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:12, Mon 27 May 2019.

"I can't really go faster then this, I would have put us in a ravine twice already if I had. She is simply not meant for all these death drops, loose rocks, and hard dirt. It's like trying to ride a giant blind snake through the back gates on marbles...

 Your welcome to kill us yourself if you'd prefer." Irfan had a growing respect for the previous driver and secretly wondered if they should have let him sleep it off onboard. As it was he has to remeber and guess about every blind curve and try not to over steer or under steer. As it was ge was glad they hadn't encountered any other carts or wagons.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:40, Thu 23 May 2019.

A single pebble hung in the air between Loki's eyes, spinning like a top as another pebble rose into the air and began rotating around the first. They moved in concert for a moment before flying apart. But moments later, Loki would begin this exercise again. And then again. He held himself motionless while his mind and fingers burned the core movements, the verbal commands, and the subtle pull they had on the arcane energies that surrounded him.

It was good he was able to focus on his exercise, because the young Kingpriest was clearly irritated. He practically vibrated with need to leave, but with no choice but to wait, he spent those hours mastering the skills he might one day soon need.

So once the skimmer arrived, it was understandable how his mood was able to shift, relief taking over. He said nothing, but his eyes were everywhere as he boarded the vessel, seeming content to observe the others in action. He winced at the poor cabbage farmer, and sat quietly, watching the Kitsune's growing irritation, the human's struggles with craft, and the young young tengu's impatience at war with her sweet nature, all with same, dispassionate gaze that had marked his earlier vigil, but with none of the tension.

But when Irfan finally called it quits, the young Kingpriest sighed, stood up, and waked towards the helm. "There is wisdom in knowing one's limits. But..." and here he frowns and turns to the Kitsune, he says, "You know, you never did tell me your name... cousin." he says, offering him a pointed arch of his eyebrow before patting Irfan consolingly as he also moves to take his place, saying, "and you are right, we can perhaps move things along a bit more quickly. Allow me to show you a few... shortcuts you might not have seen before." he says, offering a kind smile and a quick wink to "Imotou".

Ooc: Assuming Irfan lets him, Loki is gonna open her up.

ooc: Perhaps Finesse would have been the better skill for this. Oh well, experimental system, we're all adjusting.

With Loki at the helm you did start covering more ground, but (and you have no idea how the delivery man had done it) you weren't ganna cross the mountains in a day.

The kitsune raises his straw hat (yes he has a straw hat ) to look at you and you could tell he perplexed at your inquiry. "I didn't? What about that talk we had last night, remember? It was you, me, the little gremlin giving me money to go with you, the flying coat rack was serving the drinks, the bard guy in the background was playing the guitar with the stick sticking out of his ass and everyone was dancing in unison-" he abruptly stops talking as he hears himself talking outloud. *Blink* *Blink* "...on second thought...that may not have happened. And I'm guessing your name isn't Thorndal, with a silent G."

Noticing he was the recipient of some awkward/bewildered stares, he recomposes himself and "Well then allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Edgelord-" draws his blade

"-Milkweed, with y, Chickasta! capital a, no k." he sheaths his sword and goes back to his normal, slumped, layabout self.

*Blink* *Blink* Hana turns her expressionless stare at Loki. *Blink* *Blink*  She says nothing. Just stares.

ooc: Shadows already knows this but I'll reiterate it. Each day has 24 hours or which:
8 are for traveling,
8 are for resting,
8 are for free time.
(If you don't travel then convert the 8 travel hours into 8 free time,for a total of 16 free time).

Whenever you go adventuring or force march or train or craft or whatever (basically any time that's not travel or rest), that time is taken away from the free time.

When you break camp you need to choose duties. These duties are optional and count as free time which is why breaking camp rarely takes exactly 8 hours (unless you're willing to risk it). So whenever you break camp please just post a short summery like below to tell me who's doing what.

Hunting: 4 hours (provides food/water. Survival check)
Campsite Location and Security: Find a suitable place to break camp. Nature check.
Cooking: Cooking check, cooking kit (not necessary with trail rations)
Special Roles:
Loki (training, 8 hours, Prepare spells 1 hour)
Hana (prepare spells 1 hour)

Watch Order: Perception check. If 2 people in a single shift, they can roll separately or 1 can use Aid Another.
• 1st shift:
  -1.
  -2.
• 2nd Shift:
  -1.
  -2.

This message was last edited by the GM at 00:35, Fri 24 May 2019.

In reply to Hana's stare, Loki sighs and slumps his shoulders before looking up and giving her a reassuring wink.

As the day wore on, Loki finally spoke about plans after several annoyed looks as the sun approached the horizon.

"I will take first watch, and while I have some dry food, it is best we supplement it with some hunting. I can set some snares, but it would beneficial if one of you is able to track and choose a good place for us to camp." he says, his eyes sweeping over everyone before settling on Edgelord with an expectant look followed by a painfully awkward silence until someone volunteers that isn't Hana.

Once someone did volunteer, his gaze swiveled over to Hana, "Those that aren't hunting should stay with the ship and setup the camp." he said as he seemed to speak to all of them adding,  "After that I would like to get in some time to train before I take my watch. Please feel free to spend that time as you wish, although I am considering seeking your help in conditioning myself for combat Edgelord. And Hana, I expect you intend to continue your studies as well, ne?" his voice taking on a dangerous tone as he turned to her...



"You wouldn't want Onēsan to think you have been avoiding your studies, would you?" he asked in a tone that left no doubt about the answer.

Irfan is  unsure if the kitsune is serious, miraculously still half drunk, or something worse.



Irfan had tried to stay near waypoints marked by other's old camp fires, on his way here. It had been relatively easy on foot, he could make pace with locals and had plenty of time to spot trails on foot.

 Glad the day passes uneventful, no mounted riders chasing after wayward royals. Irfan is glad to strech out when Loki finally is content with their progress, or just plain hungry.


He volunters to go hunting, putting down his heavy bags and pulls out some essentials, glad he had someone to watch his stuff for a change. He puts his canteen on his belt, scrounges up a few sling stones, and pulls out a empty wineskin and sac.


Irfan rolled 16 using 1d20+6,  Survival Hunting (rabbits, a few eggs, tubers, maybe a fruit if i roll high)  rabbit stew.


One of the benefits of camping at odd points was usually the area wasn't as picked over as common camp sites.

Shadowes thinks camping evolved since last game. Npcs just naturally had to fill roles or starve though, some of them whete quiet vocal.


If Edgelord volunteers for second watch, Irfan doubles down or counter offers, probably the latter.


As dawn breaks Irfan pulls out paper and sketches the sun cresting over the mountains.

ooc: Well it worked for kingmaker the game so I figured why not try it, what with all the emphasis on training this game will have.

The Edgelord kitsune shakes his head as he watches the 3 "indoors" people patter around. "^{I expected better from you}" he mumbles as he looks at Loki then springs into action "You! Go hunting-" he stabs a finger at Irfan "-and when you get back go to sleep. You-" he shifts the finger to Loki "-set up camp, start a fire before we freeze, cook the food, then rest. You-" Hana *startled jerk* "Off to bed, I'll be waking you early for 2nd watch" he finished, then picks a spot, lays down, hat over his face, and went completely motionless.

Irfan was having some difficulty. His breaths came in harder, he got tired really fast, a serious impediment to hunting...if he did it with a bow and arrow. Thankfully, Irfan was the kind of person who preferred to work smart rather than hard. He set up some snares and bait and waited. Mountains were a little sparser in fauna and edible flora, though still head and shoulders above the desert so catching a skinny rabbit wasn't out of the question. While waiting Irfan had time to think. He wasn't surprised for Loki and the little tengu princess to be fine, they were probably used to the high altitude, but the kitsune? 'If he's a foreigner like me then why isn't he having the same problems as me' Then cast his eyes to the sky at the mounting heavy clouds. A chill breeze was picking up. Exalted of storms and winds or not, mountains were still mountains. Irfan is fatigued due to altitude sickness.

Loki bit back the retort and just heeded the advice. He reparked the Skimmer so that it provided some cover to the camp against the wind. Using his telekinesis he quickly unloaded the bedrolls and other needed stuff off the Skimmer, using his hands for the more dexterous tasks. As for fire, he realized he hadn't bought any dry kindling along. Shrugging he approached a tree and tore off a few branches with his powers. "You need ^{Hana could you come over here for a moment} dry wood for- *VOOF*" the kitsune droned but was interrupted by the sudden roar of fire. Loki smirked at the silent, unmoving edgelord with a covered face. 'Anything can burn if you put enough fire into it'

The rest of the night was...meh. Hana, used to fancy palace food up until yesterday, looked sourly at the stew "...Nii-chan, I'm not saying you are not a good cook, don't misunderstand, I'm quite grateful, but, um, I don't think this is a balanced diet, yeah, that's it, it doesn't have all 4 basic food groups"
-"4 basic groups? I'll give you 4 basic food groups: Beans, Bacon, Whiskey and Lard! Now eat what you're given!" Edgelord chastised her and took a bowl for himself. Everyone takes a spoonful and make faces. The rice and beans were overcooked, the rabbit meat was undercooked and poorly skinned. And the spice. Too much spice. WAY too much spice.
-"^Bleah" Hana pulls the spoon out, the food still on it.
Loki *cough* *cough* cough*
-"_{I'm blind in 1 eye}" Irfan leans and tells Milkweed.
-"^{I see dead people}" he responds.

However, hunger is the best seasoning so by tomorrow morning the pot was empty.

Milk and Hana had not roused you throughout the night so that must mean no problems were detected, although you did find her huddled around the fire when you woke up. This was probably the very first time she had spent the night without a roof over her head and even with warm clothes the cold was getting to her. You could only hope the winds would blow over the heavy black clouds before something bad happens.

Weather: day 1, Night
Cloudcover: Heavy
Wind MPH: 2
Degrees F: 10
Wind Chill: 10

I'm ganna say you guys all "trained" while waiting for the skimmer to arrive this day.

Hunting: Irfan (4 hours, +1 food and water)
Campsite: Loki (Nature check, negate Chill Wind; Survival check, +20 F), Cook (sucks. -4 food and water)
Special Roles:
Prepare Spells (1 hour, Loki, Hana)
Hone Blade (15 min, Milk)
Watch:
1st shift:
-1. Milk (4 hours)
-2.
2nd Shift:
-1. Hana (4 hours)
-2.

22:00 to 02:00
Irfan: Hunting
Loki : Set up camp, Cook
Milk : Rest
Hana : Rest

02:00 to 06:00
Irfan: Rest
Loki : Rest
Milk : Watch
Hana : Rest

06:00 to 10:00
Irfan: Rest
Loki : Rest
Milk : Rest
Hana : Watch

10:00 to 11:00
Irfan: Breaks camp, make breakfast, stuff
Loki : Prepare spells
Milk : Sharpen weapon, Eat, stuff
Hana : Prepare spells

11:00~
Loki and Hana eat and stuff

14:33, Today: GM rolled 9,11 using 1d20+4,1d20+6.  Hana and Milk perception.
14:18, Today: Secret Roll: GM, on behalf of Loki Karnak, rolled 10 using 1d20+4.  Loki Nature check, protection from elements and security.
13:46, Today: GM, on behalf of Loki Karnak, rolled 16 using 1d20.  Loki survival check, find materials for a fire.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:11, Fri 24 May 2019.

Taking a seat next to Hana as he ate, he asked, "Regretting coming along Imotsu?" he asked, spooning some stew into his mouth and swallowing it down as he watched her expectantly.

He made sure to take a few minutes with each of them in conversation, complimenting Milk on his fine advice, telling him about he reminded him of a brilliant guardsman that used to protect Hana, mentioning his great advice and wit. And then off-handedly, he briefly alluded to his departure as he walked away, saying he missed the man as he walked away from the Kitsune, muttering to himself something about him being sent to the frozen hinterlands when it was discovered he spoke too harshly to Hana.

To Irfan, as they were all packing up, he asked, "How are you holding up?"

Hana gave Loki a weak reassuring smile. Clearly this was more than she had expected, her worldview was shattering and reshaping in realtime -reality was cruel in it's indifference to the plights of mortals- but she remained steadfast determined too see her sister safe.

Edgelord Milkweyde was silent and reduced his form of communication to nodding or shaking his head or other non-verbal means of communications. He was pretty much in the same condition as the previous morning (clearly he had spent his shift doing more than just watching for dangers). Milkweyde is Fatigued

---

But the morning(?) would not go by uneventful. As the party was getting ready to leave, they notice a wagon coming up to them from down the road. It was pulled by some sort of giant, muzzled scorpion that seems to have had it's tail and pincers cut off, clearly reduced to a domesticated pack animal or something.

The driver was a tengu and he had 2 humans by his side, 1 more human walking besides the wagon on 1 side and another much larger human on the other. Upon closer look as they neared it became clear that the large human had at least some orc or ogre blood somewhere in his lineage.

"We should probably not call attention to ourselves. Irfan, Milk, what would be the most boring explanation for who we are and what we are doing healing I'm the same direction?" he said quietly, while offering a polite smile from afar.

ooc: They're coming from the opposite direction, from the road you are heading TO, not coming FROM.

The kitsune shrugs, "Textile traders? Female clothes, specifically. That's something they wouldn't want to take even if we offered it for free, let alone fight them over it. ^{I know I wouldn't}" he lazily mutters, sheaths his sword and unties it from his hip before getting up (teeters a little till he finds his balance) then old-man walks nearer to Loki, using the sheath as a walking stick (or steadying stick in this case).

"Hail and we'll meet. I trust the road has been kind to you?" Loki asks with a smile as he moves forward to introduce himself, and lend a steadying hand should it be needed.

ooc: How exactly do you introduce yourself as?

The tengu raises his hand and they slow down. Someone else might not detect it as easily, but growing up among the feathered folk, you could tell he was returning the smile. Yellow, shaggy feathers could be seen clinging over a skinny, lively frame and face. Sparkling blue eyes reveal something extraordinary about him, perhaps a painful past or perhaps it's simply his warmth. He's wearing a thawb (desert clothes) rather than traditional tengu clothing, just like the humans with him.

The 3 humans exchanged brief, reassuring glances and nods and smile at you. The half-orc(?) however remained grim-faced and took a step forward threateningly/protectively screening the others on the wagon. His glare took a turn glowering over each in your party, but settled on the kitsune, the closest one, who teetered forward a step or two ahead of Loki and leaned on the hovering ship to nurse his hungover temples. The stench of booze hadn't quite aired off him yet.

The tengu however had decided to ignore both the kitsune and his less-than-polite companion and instead continued conversing with Loki as they weren't there "Well met to you as well, my friend of the road. I wish I could say I bring good news but I fear The Lonely One will not look kindly upon me if I lie to a friend. The worst of my trip is behind me, but it seams my past will soon be your future," he nods back the way he came that leads down the mountain and onto Arcania beyond. "The weather and land is more treacherous and wild than usual for this time of the season. Seems like the winter is a guest that doesn't know when when to leace, and the everburning gaze of the Arcanian sun has lost his hospitality, so the 2 are feuding right now. And when the forces of nature are at odds, the denizens of nature are stricken by frenzy the most," he nods sagely as he explains. "We had to make an unplanned detour in Zarazeh. The journey was longer than planned so we run out of regular supplies, but then we also had to stock up on some uncommon supplies to face, avoid and repel the new dangers. Those greedy, bloodthirsty ticks-of-a-merchants- *spit*" he said that in away that in an alternative universe it would sound something like 'those damn greedy jews', but then it was like he only just realized what he was saying and turned to give his 3 human friends apologetic looks, but they just smiled and shrugged as if '*sigh* sad but true' "-they took us for everything we had because they knew we was out of options. I will sing the praises of The Lonely One if I break even on this trip," he makes a quick gesture of prayer towards the sky then slumps and deeply sighs "the life of a merchant is not an easy one, eh my friend?" he looks at you sympathetically while the humans patted him on the shoulder and back, reassuring him that everything was going to be ok.

"I'm managing, the mountain air disagrees with me when i'm out in it. calmly placing his gear into a impossibly tight bundle, you keep thinking each time he puts something in, it won't fit, but it slides right in. "I'm more worried about your companion. She doesn't seem to be taking to the cold. "



Irfan offers up, "Something that covers her ladyship's fine clothes, trade or travel would be the most reasonable. It is fairly obvious we have no trade goods however. "

~~~Obviously you are are on your way back to Yuzna Ironia, bypassing the easy formal bordercrossing after unloading loading goods in Pinterest. How you getting the skimmer through customs, would be a legal nightmare at best. -~~~~




Irfan reads the room quitely and decides he is both unwelcome in the conversation and something about their visitors makes him uncomfortable. It was not the dismissive attitude so much as they way his companions or perhaps guards didn't reacted to his slurs.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:19, Wed 29 May 2019.

ooc: How exactly do you introduce yourself as?


 "We had to make an unplanned detour in Zarazeh. The journey was longer than planned so we run out of regular supplies, but then we also had to stock up on some uncommon supplies to face, avoid and repel the new dangers.

 "the life of a merchant is not an easy one, eh my friend?" he looks at you sympathetically

OOC: Intersting, The Lonely One appears to be Irfan's local exalted, I'll have to consider this in character, and which exalted he is drawn to personally. I imagine it's quite a bit like American Football team, Majority roots for the local team even if just to keep appearances.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loki leans into the assumption provided by the merchant, and his companion's advice. Concurring about the life of merchants, and hoping he wouldn't have to come up with a set of circumstances to go with it. Attempting to preempt any hard questions, he offers up a explanation that he was coming back from Pinterest with the only deals he could scrounge up after making a special delivery, A could chests of fine clothing from a noble's seasonal cleaning. What feel out of fashion here, was simply waiting to come into fashion elsewhere.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:55, Fri 07 June 2019.

The tengu merchant nods along understandably. "Well it seems we've both run afoul of some bad fortune *sigh* such is the life of a merchant. Still, I would curse myself for an eternity if I were to see you face the dangers ahead if I knew there was something I could do to ease your journey. We have some surplus uncommon supplies. We will not be needing it now that we've left the desert behind, but to you it could mean your life. Would you be interested in buying some?"

Loki's eyes widened. He seemed very interested. Hana was still off in the back, packing absentmindedly while watching intently but not saying anything. You got the feeling that that had been her role for a very long time, conditioned to stay out of sight and not heard while the grown ups handled matters. The kitsune was still teetering, edging along the sandskimmer, past the skulking brute looking like he might want some private spot out puke his guts out. The orc eyes him suspiciously for a few moments as he scraped past, but then decided it might be better to direct his glowering stare at the rest of you. An intensive to take the generous deal and not think of harming his benefactor.

Loki is indeed interested in staying alive, but he is also a magic user. He isn't convinced that a threat to an ordinary merchant us something that may threaten him. Most importantly he wants information on what kind of threats to expect. Loki asks what could possibly have troubled a well off merchant with such sturdy bodyguards enough to buy above cost.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Irfan resumes packing up the camp as he listens, he knew a sales pitch when he heard one. Still on usually doesn'tbet on meeting a clueless mark, so there was probably some truth to what the man was peddling.

Irfan rolled 24 using 1d20+7.  Premptive appriase check, would said goods be worth half, that much, double, tripple what is offered.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:21, Sat 08 June 2019.

The merchant starts listing off one horror after another. The infamous camel spiders, the deceptive walking sticks, the dreaded scarabs, the voracious giant locusts, the creepy stalking beetles, the sinister death worm, the infamous solifugid, the nefarious grounding wasps, snakes, ants, scorpions, dogs, foxes and so on and so forth.
Camel SpiderIt's a real thing

The solutions for these things were a menagerie of clearly non-magical items. Now you recognize that some of them were legit things that would work, like the vermin repellent or animal repellent sack, but other stuff were just junk or plain normal stuff like a chicken that was fed on a special substance (it wasn't) since birth to exude a certain pheromone (it didn't) that made it especially attractive to some of the larger predators of the desert, so if facing one you just drop the chicken and run away. A scented tincture (cheap alcohol) to repel some of the smaller but deadly in numbers vermin, special black beans harvested at great risk from a mystical plant (coffee) that repelled this, leaves of a rare and exotic plant found only on a certain island on the ocean south of the now occupied territories (mint) that repelled that, extract from the queen of the species that makes others of its kind think you're one of them (milk), ect...

In ether case though, whether legit or junk, he was overcharging. In the case of the junk (because he was trying to pass it off as real stuff) he was WAY overcharging. Clearly he was trying to scam you. And it seemed to be working because Loki was nodding along, interested. (failed a perception check vs influence)

Vermin Repellent 7gp (normal price 5gp)
Animal-repellent sack 2gp (normal price 1 gp)
The rest is junk that normally costs cp or sp, but he's selling it off at around the 1~5gp range
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:32, Sat 08 June 2019.

Irfan politely refrains from rolling his eyes as he listens, there was any unusual risks at all. As far as the bugs go, he understood were a bit bigger in his homeland then elsewhere, but bug were everywhere. Maybe in one of the soggy ground areas (wetlands, marsh) He hear they were thicker then smoke there.


A chicken could be useful, but he didn't know how tengu felt able eggs. That and having a chicken was one of the few times you had to worry about foxes, they would leave a dying man alone but a man with food they would rob blind.

He looks over to see what Fancy name McDrunk was taking away from this.

Sighing, he decide it would be better to step in befpre his benifactor was robbed blind on the highway. It was also liable to be their last chance to pick up supplies for a few day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping up to Loki, he speaks to him softly, but not secretly "Perhaps replacing an extra bedroll and blanket for the mistress in case of bad weather." hoping to steer the conversation towards useful items. It seemed that both of the nobles were rather rather light on traveling supplies and he didn't think they would want to stop by side towns for supplies.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:22, Sun 09 June 2019.

ooc: The chicken was overpriced as well.

You almost missed the kitsune, being so off to the side an' all, your vision obstructed by the others and the wagon an' whatnot, HOWEVER you did catch sight of him meandering near the rear of the trader's wagon then creeping forward ether towards the menacing half-orc or the traders seated in front of the wagon. Probably the former because as you tried to change the subject towards more commonly known items everyone knows the prices of, the smiles started sliding off their faces and the half-orc seemed to grow more livid, their glares shifting to you.

Loki seemed conflicted, mulling it over. "Well...we can light a fire to warm ourselves, and we'll reach the desert soon enough so it won't be cold anymore..." he reasoned on one hand, but then turned back to look at Hana and his conviction started ebbing away. "We do not have any blankets to spare that is not the trade we're in this is all off the cuff do you want the life-saving supplies for the dangers that are definitely ahead or waste time on things that may or may not happen and you can already solve time is money and we're wasting daylight some come on going once going twice-" the tengu merchant started yammering very fast and put Loki on the spot, pressuring him to take the deal.


This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 15:06, Sun 09 June 2019.

Irfan rolled 19 using 1d20+6.  Influence to convince to sell 2 blankets,  and take his vermin repellant, for 8 gold.


Knowing Loki had already given up a lot of ground in the negotiations, Irfan knew he had to accept some measure of quid pro to get what they needed. The desert was going to be just as miserable or worse at night then the mountains were. Both he and the merchant were well aware Pinterus was only a day or two journey away and that the desert was decidedly unkind as to tempatures. He had no choice but to show his vunerability in his negotiations.

He also had a suspicion even if the offer was refused it would be better then letting McMilkweed get noticed. He was probably up to no good but better to let it play out then call attention to it.

" I'll give you 7 gold for the vermin repellant, If, you throw 2 blankets. you'll be able to restock by tomorrow and that is including a convenience fee for delivering out here." Irfan counter offers, leaving a ready an excuse to inflate the price. Cover story be damned if he was going to let highway robbery like this happen, and not get anything useful out of it.

Now that you had effectively taken over the negotiations, and the previous master didn't seem to object to having someone else speak for him, the tengu turned his full attention to you. The way he shifted his gaze from one eye to the other, taking the full measure of you, you believe you saw the look of someone who realized he may be dealing with a rival con artist rather than a lowly hireling as he had originally thought.

There was a certain level of resignation as he broke contact and resumed his fake magnonimity towards Loki, pretending he was still negotiating with him and not you. You were a native, too late now to change negotiating tactics so better wrap this up. "As I said we're not in that business, we only have the blankets we use for ourselves and my traders honor and integrity would never allow me to sell to a customer a used, sub-quality product. I can however give it to you for free. As you said, our journey is coming to an end where as yours is just beginning. You need it more than we do. But, my friend, I would never forgive myself if I were to give you only 1 protection and leave you at the mercy of all the other terrors. I must insist you take a little bit of everything I offered for the low low price of just 1 measly _cold coin
. *theatric sigh* I will hardly break even on this trade but at least I'll sleep easy tonight knowing I may have saved some nice folks lives, even if I had to convince them to take a deal that was in their best interest" he finished by holding out his hand to Loki, which he accepted and the deal was done. The half-orc relaxed his posture, lowering the tension in the area, a pleased smirk spreading across his ugly face. With this de-escalation of agression, the Kitsune stopped trying to creep up on the brute and instead went back around the tail end of the Skimmer, continuing to pretend he was suck and barfing. The 2 Arcanians sitting in front of the wagon with the tengu started unloading the goods while he collected the coin from Loki.
"Ah, excuse me my friend-" he politely objected with perfect timing just as the 8th coin fell into his claw and Loki was turning away "-you forgot the Value Added Tax, VAT tax as they say. I can waver the convenience fee, *nods at you* I am but a humble, honest, law-abiding merchant. ^{How much is it?} It is the law and I must obey _5% the law. You don't want to break ^{how muc-} _{4 silver} any laws do you? Why bother with the headache of dealing with the authorities, I'm sure you understand. ^{I don't have any change. Just 1 gol-}_{<i></i> Don't worry I'll make change} If it makes you feel any better, it will go to their pocket not mineTHANK YOU" the tengu takes the gold, immediately hands 6 sp back and his departure was, let's just say a lot less fanfare-y than his sales pitch.

You have gained:
1 vermin repellant
2 blankets
Technically enough food for 1 meal (if you're not too picky with the diverse ingredients). So...1 Trail ration(?)
Loki lost 8,4gp.

Loki and Hana get 250xp
Kitsune gets 300xp
Irfan gets 400xp
You have all gain tier 1 staggard Advancement (Staggard Advancement is when, instead of gaining all your abilities at once when you level up, you get them incrementally when your xp is 25, 50, 75 and 100% https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/unchained-classes/
Irfan choose 1 of the following:
1)+1/2 bab (which should put you at 1 BaB)
2)+1 rexlex and will save throws
3)Roll HP as per level up. Gain half now and half when you level up fully (100% xp)
4)Gain Flashbangs
5)Gain knack

Loki the same. Bab, saves, HP or magic talent?

This message was last edited by the GM at 04:59, Wed 12 June 2019.

Flash bangs i think, gives me some fangs, enough to rationally be able to defend myself from wild dogs and such.  The lightning rod knack would be nice, but jarring storywise at this point.


Feeling at ease once the other group leaves, Irfan realizes why he was so tense, traveling in a group meant you had more to loose and that you were considerably more threatening. That and they were all dressed completely different, which gave reasonable pause.

He knew one thing, that his kitsune companion may not be as drunk as he acts, which was both a relief and infuriating.

Irfan intends to use prestidigination to throughly clean the blankets today during the ride. He reasonably assumes Milkweed has his own travel kit.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:31, Wed 12 June 2019.

"Wheeew-" the kitsune wipes the imaginary sweat off his brows when the trades were out of sight, "-for a second there I thought those smugglers were ganna get violent. Well maybe not the talkative one, but the brute sure was itching for some "toll" money. Guess they figured we don't have much so they took what they could get," he explained as he walked over to where Hana was and threw the remaining luggage in quick succession aboard the Skimmer, "Come on, we've been out here too long already."

Loki nods in agreement and shoots a protective look over at Hana before doing his part to get them on the road before anyone else comes along. "Better a little gold and their silence than... unwelcome complications."

Although... he does shoot some dark looks at the backs of the "merchants" as they get things tied down. But once he is back at the helm, he seems more relaxed, and focuses on applying as much speed as possible.

Ooc: Magical talent fo sho.

The rest of the journey through the Wingheld kingdom was thankfully a lot less drama filled. As the last vestiges of Summer fully surrendered their flimsy hold to Fall, the first flakes of snow already whispered in the morning's chill, covering the still vibrant green foliage on each side of the road with a shy blanket of smiling white, only to be hidden away by the falling leaves of Autumn's full bloom, and then by a sheet of snow again the next day and the circle repeats tself. If one were to carefully cut the surface of untrodden land, he could see layers of snow, ice, leaves and other matter in various states of decay before being preserved by the cold, forming a mosaic, a chronicle of the land itself.

With the sandskimmer one didn't have to though for it was so fast it cut the wind sharply, making a continuous sound like a sword being pulled out of a sheath while pushing the air down and outwards caused an updraft to blow up the sediments, causing a sort of rainbow (with a meth addiction) to gush on each side of the skimmer wherever it went, and leave a similar multicolored trail in its wake. Like a knife cutting through a wedding cake.

With P'ung gone for the season, you were blessed with much clear and calm weather, albeit increasingly cold (colder than it already was anyway). Still, that didn't mean once could not appreciate the cool breeze on their face, tingling the cheeks, caressing hair, fur and feathers alike, bringing fresh scents each time of nature's final blowout before the serene rest of winter's proper.

The gracefulness however ended whenever you had to stop and break camp. The ground that wasn't road had become a perpetual state of slushy, spongy mud. not enough to since in more than an inch, but enough to hear and feel yourself trudging through it.


But all that changed almost instantly, almost jarringly abruptly I might add, upon crossing the last mountain peak separating Wingheld from Arcania. Even though you had yet to scale down the mountain and enter the desert proper, this wave of hot, dry desert air (even in Autumn) just blasts you out of your senses. The change in temperature was staggering, the air itself breathtaking...literally (sand was being blown up and caused coughing). But so was the view in all honesty. It couldn't be more different from the lush mountains yet the sparking golden sands, dancing on the breeze faking a fog, was mesmerizing.

Suddenly you were all glad winter was not far to take the edge from the heat away for the great expanse was as foreboding as it was welcoming. Who knows what challenges lay ahead, you could only hope you'd be ready enough to face them.