Sighing, the mayor turns towards the gnome."You can be resupplied at the apothecary for free and let them know I deed it neccasary. I believe she felt after all the gear given, he asked for more but I know what he meant. Can we continue forwards and not step back? I know you are intent on helping them. And I have not seen a ship in months. We do have a ship but since the dragon attacked it has refused to leave out of fear of being sunk and its passengers killed. If there are any other aspects of magic within this town, I know little of it. Its a peaceful place until recently." He lowers his hand but hoped it was to be taken."I will be in the tavern if you wish and accept it. If not I bid you the best. I truly hope you will accept this." That said the mayor turned to leave heading towards the inn.

After the mayor has left and is well out of earshot, Ballast turns to the group.  "That was unpleasant.  But we do not need to let that dissuade us.  The woman is only a small part of a whole town under threat by many sides: the loss of their protective crystal, the threat from within their own crypt, and the threat of the dragon that cuts them off from the outside.  Destroying the undead was a good thing in and of itself.  Restoring the town's protections and possibly gaining it a magical practitioner is a good thing.  And stopping the threat of the dragon, if we can, may be the only swift way we may eventually return from where we came.  I am willing to find this crystal and this hermit, and I would accept the mayor's offer," Ballast says.  "What do the rest of you think?"

Brankx listen she to the mayor with a stoic look on his face, and when he offered his hand, the dwarf shook it. "I understand th woman's loss, and though the words cut, I may have worded it better....fer that I apologise. As fer you, I hold no I'll will....we offered her family gear back sincerely. Dwarf's craft magical weapons and armor, and are often passed through clans, so I know the closeness of family artifacts. When she settles, try to explain my motives to her please...I meant to insults. If she wishes any gear she can have it. As fer the restock of gear, we will not claim it free....at the very least we will accept a slight discount. Ye people have to survive too."

He nods and watches the mayor go, then listens to balayst. "Ye speak wisely me friend. Fer now, this place is home....we don't know how long we'll be here so we do what we must to keep the town safe. I am all fer helping the mayor...find te crystal and th hermit. But first we rest and restock...and I want to sell this staff the saugian had."

He looked at dimble and Cumarinda. "This is Ye home...we will are your lead on where to restock. Cumarinda....take Fenris and balayst and restock out rations....a few days should be enough. Dimble, Ye come with me....I want to see the merchants and apothecary. I want to sell this staff. Any gear Ye don't need, sell. And don't accept goods fer free...these people need to live too."

He looked around. "When we are done, we meet th mayor and start our search"

Returning from a private moment of prayer nearby, Cumarinda briefly looked toward the ways which the woman and the mayor had taken before speaking.

“In Pelor's name please forgive the people here their ignorance. At heart they are simple folk suddenly thrust into an ever growing list of troubles that they can hardly understand, much less even consider overcoming. I originally came here to revive the worship of Pelor, giving these good people a chance to rediscover their original faith. What I found was a people not only needing spiritual guidance, but also deeply in need of worldly help as well. So I've been doing what I can to remind them of the hope and health our Sun Father's light brings them every morning.”

After a short pause she continues to speak, “This disrespect is not acceptable and I will speak to the mayor myself if you wish Brankx. Since you have claimed us as part of your clan, for which I am honored, I will remind those who need reminding that goodness from all peoples grows in the light of the Shining One. As for these items we will keep them, to use them wisely.”

Turning her attention back to the whole party she smiles warmly saying, "We have bound ourselves together to do good. Pelor has and will bless us as we continue to strive against evil and bring happiness to those who might be weaker than us but are no less deserving. We have things to do, things to fix and wrongs to make right. We should take time now to enjoy the open air, bask in the warmth of the sun, eat and drink, then meet with the mayor again later."

With a momentary frown she sighs to Brankx, “May I suggest that such a staff might better be kept from evil with its destruction. I and others in closer service to Pelor are not fond of such a thing of darkness remaining in the world. However, I will trust you to deal with it as you see fit.”

She smiles to Fenris while walking over to him, “You and I shall see about what food and donations we can gather. Also, I want to share with you private lessons about what I can do with my lips other than eat, talk and pray. That is, if you're still interested.” she finished with a wink and a smile.

The barbarian growls as the mayor and woman leave. He shakes his head and finally speaks."Leave them be. They know nothing of you dwarf and you of them. Fuel to the fire will not end well." He then looks at the cleric."They worship Pelor not you. Their faith is with the diety not you. It will not do any good." He backs away and watches the group."Leave it be. They need us, and we need them." Wow. He actually spoke? He walks back to Brankx, putting a hand on his shoulder. And give it a rough shove. He nods his head and looks at the cleric, tilting his head.

The dwarf looked at the cleric and barbarian with a nod and smile. He looked at the cleric. " Ye be right....we can't dwell on th past. No Cumarinda....there is no need get talking to them. Th mayor holds no I'll...he be stuck in th middle....it's the woman who had th harsh words, and most is grief and confusion. Time and deed will show them who I am...who we are.

He looks at Cumarinda. "Get some rations and meet back at th inn. we will speak to th mayor when we regroup"

He looked at cloak. "Ok rogue....show me th way"

<OOC: I want to go to the apothecary and the merchant (in that order). while we go I'll talk to cloak about the people in town....trackers, hunters, magic users, etc.>

Cumarinda thinks, 'It's true, I am not Pelor. But I am the being closest to him that they will ever see.' She then immediately chided herself for her lack of humility. She then became slightly frustrated with Fenris' moment of seemingly selective awareness.

She shook her head and sighed before stepping up to the barbarian's face with a refreshed smile. Looking into his eyes she speaks softly, "Fenris, I am a servant of Pelor but I am also a woman who is not immune to your best traits. After we get food for the next journey and before we meet with the others and the mayor, maybe we can go and get to know each other better. Somewhere private where we can share a friendly touch, or two."   

"Best traits?" The barbarian tilts his head."I do not like talk. Talk when I see no other choice." He glances at the dwarf."You talk less." And he looks out at the woodlands.

Ballast stared at Fenris and Cumarinda for a moment, then turned his head away.  Organic courting rituals were sometimes so strange.  More than once a sailor had brought a... temporary companion down to his area of the ship for privacy from other sailors, telling the women to ignore him while they went about their strange business.

It seemed Fenris and Cumarinda had something of the ilk in mind, but at least he was unlikely to be an inadvertent party to anything beyond the preliminary stages.  And for certain they seemed to have more care for one another, at least.

With the group temporarily scattering, Ballast decides to make himself useful.  It's not in his nature to be idle, and they would have work again soon.  But with no need to sleep or eat, there is much he can get done.  He searching through the town for the blacksmith, and presents himself to person tending the forge.

"I am Ballast, and I am temporarily at loose ends.  I am a ship's carpenter and have much knowledge of blacksmithing as well.  Is there work I can do for you for coin?"

Brankx looks at Fenris and snorts. "If i talk less, then what in th nine hells will get done Fenris?" He shook hios head and looked at Cloak. "c'mon gnome...show me yer home and it's secrets."

The barbarian stares at him. The elf shakes his head, and turns to leave moving away from the dwarf and the gnome.

Brankx/Cloak: Apothecary
Unfortunatly they were unable to find any merchents able to pay for the odd belt and staff. The apothecary seems like a viable area and they go inside the small building. Several herbs and odd knick-nacks line the wall. Standing at a small desk in the center is a well a old elf. He turns towards the dwarf and gnome and smiles."How are you doing Cloak and who is your friend?" He writes down something and crosses his arms over his chest."Don't really have much but take a look around. I got a small array of potions though. Good for a cold. Or something better."

Cumandria/Fenris: Outside (Center of the small village)
The barbarian moves ahead of the woman, seeming aggrivated. He looks around at the shops they are closed, walking by Ballest as he talks to the smith and stops in the center. There's no one around but the occasional passerbyes, most are human. They steer clear of the upset Fenris as he sits down near what looks like a old, abandoned building.

Ballast: Blacksmith's Area
The man comes out, seeming to be human. He wipes off his hands, covered in dirt and mud. The smith shrugs."Eh? Never heard of yah. Whatcha be?" He watches the warforged and goes over to the furnace, starting to heat it up as it was almost dead."Don't got much fer coin so can't help yah."

"I see," Ballast says, disappointed that this town, full of so much trouble, has no market for skill.  Or, at least no market for it.  No doubt the old man would accept Ballast's free help, but much toil had been done to free the warforged from their slavery.  He had learned to never volunteer uncompensated hours without cause.  A little help was good and just.  Being taken advantage of was another.  "I will help you warm your forge, then, and I will be on my way."

Ballast will, if the old blacksmith allows, work the bellows to help pump up the forge to a good heat, and then leave the old man to his labors.

So, no blacksmithing to be done.  Carpentry, perhaps?  Are there boats here which need fixing?  Or perhaps salvage?  If the water is shallow and the sun is strong, I could walk along the bottom of the bay and collect things, Ballast muses to himself.  He walks down in the direction of the docks, and then remembers what the mayor had said about the boats in the town being too scared to go out to sea because of the dragon.

"Salvage it is, then," Ballast says to himself.  He pauses at the edge of the harbor to find a good place to go in and out of the water, then will walk in to scour the sea floor for anything interesting or useful, up to and including a little opportunistic hunting of fish for his companions, if the opportunity presents itself.  If there is nothing to see after an hour or so, he will instead try to collect some dead branches or waste wood to whittle into little boats until it is time to meet he mayor at the inn.

The dwarf smiles at the elf. "Me name be Brankx master elf.....a traveler to Ye island and town. If Ye don't mind I will look around." As he walked, he chatted to the elf. "When we get some time free I may be able ter help Ye business as well....I am skilled in the scribing of magical scrolls. If Ye know of anyone in need of such I can make some fer Ye to sell onto Ye people." He picks up a flask, and examines it. "...completely up to Ye of course. Th' price I will ask of Ye is the cost of materials only...ink and parchment. Do Ye happen to have any potions that can heal a person good elf?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:34, Mon 14 Oct 2019.

Cumarinda looks into Fenris' eyes and shrugs, giving him a look of confusion. "You don't like to talk unless you need to, I heard what you said. Maybe I talk too much for you. Maybe I should listen more. But I cannot hear you unless you speak. So speak Fenris, tell me what you feel." she says earnestly.

"The dwarf is a bloody fool." The barbarian looks at the cleric."You lead us. But not everyone worships your god or how faithful you are." He stands up, hands over his chest."I do what needs to get done. I don't expect anying from anyone."

"I think that Brankx is a proud man trying to do things that might not be simple for a dwarf to do. I lead only when necessary." she paused and managed a warm smile, "Everyone and everything that wakes up with the rising of the Sun pays homage to Pelor whether they know it or not. Also it makes sense that not everyone is as faithful to the Sun Father as I am, most others are not in His service."

Taking his hands, she slowly leads him around the side of the old abandoned building. Once they are safely out of sight of the road, she looks deeply into his eyes and cups his face between her hands. "You have kissed me twice Fenris, was that something that needed to get done? Did you expect me to kiss you back?"

Brankx/Cloak: Apothecary
"I make my own potions and no need of scrolls. Most here can't read them anyways cept that there Cloak probably. Yes Cloak." The gnome moves around the are and slips out the back for some reason. The elf crosses his hands."Potions potions..." He taps the side of his face and smiles."Oh I think I got it. Pardon the mess." He shuffles around the area and taps the side of a bookcase. It lowers to one side revealing well potions of different colors."So what yah looking for?"

Cumandria/Fenris: Outside (Main Square
"Arrogant fool. Get himself killed." The elf watches the woman attempt to lead him elsewhere and he doesn't let her."You needed it. And talk too damn much. Quiet."

Ballast: Boat Ramps
PM
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:25, Fri 18 Oct 2019.

Brankx looks at the array of potions with both interest and surprise. "if he make the potions yeself then I am both impressed at he skill and dedication."

Brankx was impressed by the potions and the variety. The few alchemists he knew back home knew only a few recipes...for this range, he was surely talented.

Brankx snapped out of his musing. "What I need is potions that can cure injury...healing and such. if he also have it, something like alchemists fire."

Cumarinda looks into Fenris' eyes, “Maybe I do talk too much.” She pauses for a moment, thinking, “I will try to talk less. But do not expect me to be silent. I...need to speak to tell others what I think and feel. To speak the words of my God and to call upon His power.”

Still looking into the barbarian's eyes she says, “If you kiss me just to silence me, then you waste the true power of your kisses. A kiss is more to me than just a reason to be quiet. I thought the same was true for you too. I thought you liked me. I...like you.” her eyes fill with tears and she turns away from him.

Ballast walks underneath the water, enjoying the relative quiet, searching for anything of use.  It's only when he comes upon an old shipwreck that he finds a still-intact shield, heavily encrusted with barnacles.  If it survived in one piece long enough for that to happen, it was possibly quite sturdy indeed.  Ballast pried it loose and trekked back to land, pausing to rid himself of debris and seaweed before taking some time to get the worst of the barnacles off his find.  He then walks to the inn.  If his companions are there, he will go in to join them.  If they are still elsewhere, he will sit somewhere nearby and continue to clean his possible prize.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:38, Sat 19 Oct 2019.

"Are all woman like this?" Well Fenris doesn't think before he speaks. Or doesn't care. He tilts his head as she pulls away."You like me?"

In reply to Fenris (msg # 364):

After a moment she turns back to answer him, with red rimmed watery eyes and a tear streaked face. "Yes, Fenris I do. I like you. That's why your kisses are special to me." she says in a frustrated voice. "NO! Not all women are like me. Just like all elves aren't like you."

Brankx/Cloak: Apothecary
The shopekeeper pulls out three potions and puts them on the counter. He rubs his chin."So got two healing potions and a alchemists fire. So..." The man crosses his arms."70 gold."

Cumandria/Fenris: Outside (Main Square
"Don't understand women." The barbarian seems confused."Fine." Fine with what? He walks by the cleric, still looking out of it.

Ballast: Boat Ramps
The warrior sits down by the shore, but some of the barnacles don't seem to want to come off no matter what he tries to do.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:11, Wed 23 Oct 2019.

Ballast examines the shield minutely to see if there are any inscriptions upon it that might indicate its purpose or origin; a maker's mark, a sign from a House Cannith workshop, a name, inscription, or picture. If the barnacles were not coming off under his strength, then perhaps they had been carved there in the first place!  Once the examination is done, Ballast will put the shield in his pack for now and move to outside the inn.  There he will take out some blocks of scrap wood from his pack, and a small knife, and begin to whittle little toy boats to pass the time before the rest of the group joins him for their appointment with the mayor.