Retrieving their horses from the stables, they could see evidence of the care that Myrick had provided the horses--clearly he had taken great pride in his job and the evidence was that he had been overjoyed to do his job again, something denied him during the reign of Cannibal and Damon over Farnworth.

The road was quiet, taking them past Urard's farm, the turn off to Monteci, and the old house near that turn-off.  Shortly after that, the rain began, a light spring rain, but this road was of sufficient quality that it did not impede their travel.

It was shortly after Vespers when they reached the stables from which the horses had been rented.

Pathwyn stopped at Urard's farm for a short visit to relay the news.  Away from the children, she told him that Cannibal had been a werewolf.  He was now slain and his men defeated.  Penrhyn had fled and a hunting party was after him.  Farnworth was safe to visit again, but she suggested he give it at least a couple of days for things to get cleaned up in town.  Their new friend Vendavel was watching over Farnworth, and soon Pathwyn hoped to get a priest of Atu from Shipton to take up the vacant church.

Then the Forhorns were back on their way.

Dak was soaked through.  His cloak, although nice, did not seem to be waterproof.

"Let's find an inn, get dried off, and something hot to eat," he suggested.  He was going to miss his horse, but the next leg of their journey was by boat.

He was hoping they'd have a bit of time in the morning to find a marketplace or something.  He really needed to do something about the weight of his pack.  And it would be nice to find something to do for two weeks on a ship.  He knew what to do on a small fishing boat, but a ship between islands was something else entirely.

Patting his horse goodbye, Hewney sliced an apple into quarters and feeds offers them to his now ex-mount.

"A really horse this one," he says to the man at the stables.

He wonders if they have time to wander the town a bit, but waits until Pathwyn finds a boat and they know for sure.

Alvador is happy the group is on its way, and he shows it by singing. He alternates between elvish and human songs.

OOC: I'm going to be undergoing about 12 week's chemo and radiation, and two operations. I think I"ll have enough oomph to participate, even frequently, but don[t expect inspired or long posts. Apologizes. Progn0ss excellent; I'm not dead person walking.

Once the horses had been returned, the fading light suggested that the best course might be to retire to either the inn--the White Horse where they had stayed before for the three men--or to the established quarters that Pathwyn held, and return to St Vallon's in the morning.  Perhaps a messenger might be sent, or they could go to St Vallon's after securing the night's lodging.

Pathwyn was sad to see Bourbon go, but she had a feeling she'd be back riding the chestnut mare again in the future.

"Let's call it a night.  We can meet back at the White Horse and go see Brothers Ros and Manus around Sext.  I'm sure we've all got things to do in Shipton.  I for one am in no rush to ship off for Bragi right away."

If the others were in agreement she retired to her room at Honus and Maya's house.

Alvado has a sond night's sleep: "Early to bed, early to rise, if the mage is wise." He studies his spells before joining the others.

Dak was glad Pathwyn had not wanted to do anything more for the night.  Getting a room, dried out, and a hot meal was enough for him.  He considered the drenching rain to have been a bath.  He did, however, spend a good amount of time drying out his armor and arms.  Then adding a sheen of oil to keep them in good order.

Heyney had a few drinks to warm his insides, then hit the hay.

Like most elves, Pathwyn was a very light sleeper.  The quiet comforting squeaks and creeks of her temporary home made it feel almost like she could see the room and beyond with her eyes closed.  She heard the hives in the courtyard, mostly dormant now, the dripping of rainwater off the eaves, and the light wind blowing through freshly budded leaves.  She drifted from her room into a dream.

She was in a small clearing near a bend in a stream.  The smell of dew and lemongrass was in the air along with the lilting sound of her sister's laughter.  Beala was the true beauty of the family, a celestial stunner even among elves.  Pathwyn had to admit she was a little jealous.

"Are you really here?" Pathwyn asked her sister.

"I don't know.  Are you?"  They were her sister's words, but her voice was not right, and she spoke with an ancient accent.

Beala was playfully tossing a handful of small simple sliver rings from hand to hand without letting a single one drop.  She caught one on the tip of her forefinger and then flung it up into the air.

"Shoot it, Pathwyn," she encouraged.

Pathwyn found she was holding her bow with an arrow drawn.  She quickly shot at the ring without aiming and missed.

"Again, again," she said, lobbing another ring upwards.

This time she took an instant to aim, but missed again.  Try as she might she could not fire an arrow through the silver rings her sister threw into the air.  The tiny rings were such a small targets.

"You know what your problem is, little sister?"  Beala asked.  "You're not letting me help.  Perhaps you should pray."

Pathwyn got the sense that 'me' did not mean her sister, but before she could ponder it much the dream slipped away.


At dawn she did pray, as she did every morning.  This time she was unexpectedly rewarded with new and unfamiliar gifts she was anxious to try out, but nothing that might help her hit tiny silver rings with her bow.

Maya made honey sweetened cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast and served grapefruit quarters as a treat on Pathwyn's return.  She knew the little elf loved citrus.  Pathwyn told them a bit about killing a werewolf and freeing the village of Farnworth.  Samuel refused to believe they'd even seen a werewolf, much less killed one.  The puppeteer's stubborn disbelief only made Pathwyn giggle.


Before meeting the others at the White Horse she went on a shopping jaunt with some of her newly overflowing asil.  She wanted to buy a white linen top and pants to wear under the elven chain once it was modified from her, and she'd like to get a short summer dress while she was at it.  She also aimed to stop by the armorer to see if he had an archery buckler and some tips on how to use it most effectively.

Amaya 7

Rooms had been found at the White Horse Inn for those who, unlike Pathwyn, did not have a permanent place in Shipton.  While Pathwyn enjoyed a breakfast of oatmeal and grapefruit, those at the White Horse arose to a breakfast spread as they had enjoyed on the prior stay:  options of a light ale, bread, cheese, and freshly cooked eggs, along with thinly sliced smoked fish.  The ale was a kipper for a pint, the bread a griel, and each of the options of cheese, eggs, or smoked fish were four griel (or 1 asil, 5 griel, and 1 kipper for a sampler of everything).

The air held the clean post-rain scent, a little cooler than the prior day, but still reasonable weather for the spring season.  Of course, Bragi, being further south was likely to be considerably warmer.  After breakfast, it would be a good opportunity to stop in at St Vallon's to get more information about the passage being arranged and how much shopping time they might have available in Shipton before their departure.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:48, Sat 17 July 2021.

His coin purse feeling a bit heavier than usual, Hewney breaks his fast with gusto, getting eggs, cheese, bread and some ale. Feeling generous, he leaves a full asil and tells the server to keep the change.

"I will be back in a few hours, I have some business to attend to," he tells anyone who cares, and heads out in to the streets of Shipton.

"Be back at sext to meet with Pathwyn," Dak reminded Hewney as the half elf left.  He took his time eating as much as an asil would get him for breakfast.  After that, he went looking for the market to sell some of the weight in his backpack.  Maybe find a way to spend some as well.

Alvador asks Dak if he might tag along.

"Sure," Dak agreed to have Alvador join him.  He was just looking to find a place to sell some of the island split and maybe buy a charm that protected him from magical sleep.  He'd seen firsthand how badly one's day would go forced to sleep in a battle.

Alvador walks along, content, keeping opposite Dak's sword arm. Dak is a good companion. He comments Might be useful for you to know: The spells I memorized this morning are Detect Magic, Read Magic, and Sleep twice.

Chree is sleeping.

"Do you know of any way to protect against being put to sleep?" he asked the mage. "I wouldn't want what happened to those men in Farnsworth to happen to me if we ran up against someone who had it."

They'd just dropped like helpless flies.  He didn't want to be a fly.

Alvador shakes his head. Elves and people such as I have some resistance. So do beings of power. And those who fall asleep can be awakened normally.

You cold pose that question to one who wants to sell you questionable trinkets, and you've made me wonder why such a thing has not been investigated as far as I know.

Dak found a place to sell off the expensive dinnerware he'd gotten from his island split and remembered seeing a gem merchant or something they'd passed by earlier.  He didn't know much about gems other than they were usually expensive and lightweight.  Now that his backpack weighed even more, he was looking for lightweight.

Looking over the selection and pricing, he picked out a dozen of the expensive 450 asil gems as well as 10 of the 225 asil gems.  He made sure to pick out a color scheme so that he could tell which were the more expensive ones.

Not having much else to do, Hewney wanders the town, buying a rat-on-a-stick from a food vendor to nibble on, wagering on the cockroach races and generally enjoying a day without the over potential for instant death. He even wanders into a confectioners shop and buys a bag of sweets which he shares with the street urchins.

He really liked Shipton, and if experience was any measure the town seemed to like him, but the chance to travel does tug at him in a warm and gentle fashion, the scent of the sea like a distant lover's perfume.

As Sextus inches closer, he returns to where they meeting, arriving early and taking a seat with his back to the wall, where he orders a platter of cheese, crackers and sliced meat to go along with a small glass of wine.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:08, Tue 20 July 2021.

The morning passed for the Forhorns in their various activities, shopping and other relatively safe amusements available in the larger town.  At last, it was clear that the sun was nearing its Sext position, and the four came back together.

Alvador sits by Dak and orders the same except for also ordering something fruit or vegetable. He scans his surroundings and the people.

Pathwyn entered the White Horse while everyone was eating.  She was still armed and carrying her pack, but not wearing her armor.  Her blue and green gown had light patches of dirt near the knees and hem and her fingertips on both hands were stained red.

"Hello gentlemen.  How was everyone's morning?"

She sat down at an empty seat and waited for the others to finish lunch.

"A pleasant day, for me, though I am ready to head out again. I can only handle so much relaxation before it begins to wear on me," Hewney stated in reply to Pathwyn's comments.

He had had his fill of the snacks he ordered, and shoved the platter out towards the others to share in if they wish.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:42, Wed 21 July 2021.

Alvador looks around to see of there are any eavesdroppers. Assuming none, he asks If we may know...the dirt on knees, the stained fingertips?

"Oh no.  Hewney, that's all an ocean journey is," Pathwyn said with a smirk.

"Well, it's not all relaxing exactly, but it is a lot of repetitive work and weeks of killing time.  You might want to pick up a hobby.  Fast."

Pathwyn looked down at her fingers a little sheepishly at Alvador's question.

"Oh that.  I went shopping this morning.  I felt safe here in Shipton, so I didn't bring my bow or spear.  Big mistake because this huge ugly hobgoblin from the goblin clan we fought at Gwysol's tower showed up.  I have no idea how he knew I was involved.  He might have explained it, but it was all in Goblin so I didn't understand a word.  When he was done with his monologue he attacked me with a big mace, bigger than the one Storm was using."

"Luckily, I'm a lot quicker than most hobgoblins and I'm not so easy to hit.  There were some other shoppers and city folk around too, but they mostly gawked.  Maybe someone ran to get the guards, I don't know, but what they didn't do is jump the hobgoblin and wrestle him to the ground to save me.  Sooner or later the hobgoblin tagged me with the mace.  It wasn't a very hard blow, but I went down anyhow, pretending he broke me into a dozen pieces."

She leaned in real close to the table and talked a little quieter.

"Then the brute loomed over me.  Maybe he was gloating or telling me how he was going to finish me off.  That's when I STABBED him right in the solar plexus with my knife, and he fell to his knees atop me, dropping his mace.  The knife was stuck in him, so I let it go and grabbed his head by the ears with both hands, and pressed my thumbs into his eyes!"

She kicked back away from the table and tried to look appropriately fierce and dramatic with her hands clawing an imaginary hobgoblin head.

"No no no, none of that really happened."

Pathwyn pulled a small wooden box out and slid the top open.

"I bought this little box and went to pick wild strawberries," she said, showing them the berries.  "They aren't very good.  Yet..."

"Wanna see a magic trick?"

Enraptured by Pathwyn's tale of danger and woe, Hewney almost fell out of his chair when she revealed it was but a jest. He attempted to laugh it off, but it was clear he had believed her.

"A magic trick? Sure." he said, pleased at her changing the subject.

Dak was still trying to figure out where the solar plexus was.  Did she stab him in the neck?  He didn't want to ask since everyone else seemed to have figured it out.  It was probably something she learned in her training to become a Blood Priestess.

He was also more inclined to believe that the stains were actually blood, even if it wasn't from a hobgoblin.  Her rituals were her business.

"Something new?" he asked of her proposed magic.  Other than some healing, Dak hadn't seen her use her divine energy much.  Perhaps this magic was related to the bloodstained fingers.

Pathwyn nodded with a smile.

"Yes, really new.  This is a whole other circle - something that was outside my reach for years until I met you guys.  I don't know what happened recently, if it was killing the werewolf, or freeing Farnworth, or the Forhorns coming together, but Veja is pleased with us like never before."

She spilled about a dozen puny strawberries out of the box onto the table.  They looked runty.  You wouldn't buy these if you saw them at the market, but they looked safe enough to eat.  Next, she took her holy symbol and necklace off and waved the rose gold symbol over the berries.

"eless-berrime póre."

There was a faint glow of energy in and around the little strawberries, much like healing.  Maybe some of the berries grew or swelled a little, or maybe they didn't.  It was hard to tell if anything happened or not, but Pathwyn beamed.

"TADA!  Now they're full of divine energy.  You can eat just one of these berries and it's as good as a whole meal."

To illustrate this claim, and to verify it for herself, Pathwyn popped one of the magic berries in her mouth, gave it two chews, and swallowed it.

"Mmmmm, good.  If you're injured they'll heal you a little too.  But that's not the only trick I learned this morning.  I've got something that can settle the mystery of whether Dak is charmed like the crew of the Ananke kept insisting, even though it shouldn't even be possible.  Are you OK with me casting a spell on your Dak?  It's completely harmless."

Baffled, but intrigued, Hewney picked up one of the strawberries and examined it. Given the way Pathwyn had tricked him with the story of the Hobgoblin, he was doubly cautious, sniffing carefully at the berry, half expecting it to smell like soap, or vinegar.

At her mention of testing Dak he glanced over to see if Dak was willing, and wondered if a refusal would actually mean he was charmed. Or was this yet another of Pathwyn's tricks?

Either way he nibbled at the berry to see if it was edible, or magically tasted like manure.

---

"Wow, that is... wow!" He pats at his tummy. "I am really full!"

"Probably better not to have two meals in a row.  Let's save the rest, shall we?"

Pathwyn scooped up the remaining berries and put them back in the box.  She could tell which had been blessed and which hadn't, so she wasn't concerned about mixing them together.

"I am impressed."

He sits back and sips at the last of his ale.

With the success of the berries by the half-elf's standard, Dak was game to see her divine energies at work again.

"I can tell you that I haven't been ensorcled," he said gamely, "but feel free to double check.  If it was any good, I may not have even noticed it happening."

As far as Dak could remember, he'd never been forced into doing anything he didn't want to.  And it's not like Eliphas needed a spell to persuade him.  The man had already been such a good leader, there was no need to resort to magic in order to have men follow him willingly.

"Alright, here we go."

Pathwyn maps out the sign of Luth in the air between herself and Dak.

"suor tel'quiet lúth"

Pathwyn patted Dak on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Good news, Dak.  As expected, you're completely free of charms, possessions, suggestions, geases, and mind control, so say the gods.  Is everyone ready to go see the priests of St Vallon?"

Alvador quietly says I'm glad and reassured, Lady Veja, that Your are pleased. By the way, Lady Pathwyn is Your devoted servant if a bit flippant.

Dak scooped up whatever food was left for the road and nodded his readiness to continue.  It was no surprise to him that he'd never been ensorcelled by Eliphas.  The man's leadership had been clear and had the others been of open mind, they would have seen it.

"I'm eager to get back to the sea," he added, though, beside the slaver ship, he'd never really been that far out to sea.

Heavily overburdened with a twice-full belly, Hewney grunted and strained his way to his feet. "Certainly, let us be on our way. I could use a good after-mean stroll to aid digestion."

And Alvador goes with the group.

Making their way across Shipton, the group soon arrived at the church of St Vallon, being admitted first to the room where ablutions were to be performed before being led to the room where they had first met with Brother Ros.

Shortly thereafter, Brother Ros came into the room and took a seat at the table.

"Your trip up-country went well?" he asked.

Sitting quietly, Hewney waited for Pathwyn to answer, as he felt certain the question was meant for her. He kept his face blank, and surreptitiously examined the room, mentally working up cash values for the various items, just to stay in practice.

Dak remained standing as he'd always found it difficult to sit with his sword on.  He hoped the elf wouldn't wax on over their exploits as she had a penchant to.  Feeling it might be inevitable, he began to unbuckle his sword so that he might sit comfortably for the overly detailed retelling of their simple success.

Pathwyn was glad for the chance to really scrub the berry stains off her fingers and the even give her gown a little brushing off.


"The horses were a delight and a great help.  Thank you again for that charity.  But, the rest of it didn't go as expect, that's for sure," Pathwyn told Brother Ros.  "Our employer was assassinated before we got there.  The village was under the heel of a gang of killers, bullies, and ruffians lead by a werewolf.  Their priest had been poisoned and replaced by a charlatan.  We were bludgeoned, slashed, stabbed, and poisoned..."

"So we shot the false priest, drove off the assassin, recruited some allies, killed the werewolf, captured the gang members, and freed Farnworth."

Pathwyn clapped her hands together as if shaking off dust and dirt, but of course her hands were now immaculately clean.

"I wrote a little song called The Battle of Farnworth.  I apologize for the lack of instrumental accompaniment.  Maybe another time."

With a deep breath, possibly unexpectedly, possibly not, Pathwyn started singing soprano.

Chorus
  Oh Farnworth, Oh Farnworth
  Catch fish and herd sheep
  Oh Farnworth, Oh Farnworth
  Where evil ran deep
  Oh Farnworth, Oh Farnworth
  In the fangs the Were
  Oh Farnworth, Oh Farnworth
  You've had quite a scare

Cannibal met crew at the center of town
Instead of a bell a shot rang from the tower
"Take more'n that tickle," he roared.  "Take 'em all!"
But he hadn't expected the somnumancers' power

So many men fell to arcane slumber that day
Soon Cannibal stood with few lackeys at hand
He grew to a fearsome lycanthrophic wolf
It would take might and magic to end the beast's stand

*Chorus*

Enchanted knives, blessed mace, weighted netting
Took down the cruel monster, though he put up a fierce fight
When the dust settled, the church bell rang true
and the townspeople cheered to be rid of this blight

The Forhorns
Alvador, Dak, Hewney, and Pathwyn
Ananke's Crew
Panatix, Wick, Telemachus, and Westin
Vendavel and Lenelle
The last blow struck by Storm

*Chorus*

When she finished the song she mentioned something else.

"Would you happen to have any journeymen priests willing to take up Farnworth's vacated church of Atu?  Justice has been meted out to the surviving gang members.  Vendavel stayed to keep the town safe, but the villagers could really use proper spiritual guidance too.  The church is in a bad way."

Listening to the song, Hewney taps his foot along to the tune. When it is over, he raises one hand tentatively, asking to speak.

Brother Ros looked alternately fascinated by Pathwyn's song and appalled at the content.  His eyes moved to Hewney's movement, and he said, "There's more?"

"Just a minor detail. I did a little research and I am pretty sure that Cannibal wasn't a werewolf. His final form wasn't human. I think he was a Jackalwere. Not a big deal, but I am a stickler for accuracy. Sorry, continue."

Dak wondered if she'd have to rewrite the song with a jackelwhatever in it.  Now that it was over, he was weighing whether the shorter song was better or worse than one of her detailed explanations.  Her Goddess was truly a terrible and merciless mistress.

Brother Ros looked thoughtful, and said, "We can send a priest up there for a time, at least until someone permanent is sent from Calandia.  I'll have to write to my superiors to get one sent there."

Alvador cleared his throat. A couple of other things worth mentioning: I believe we worked well together. And the second: The Lady Pathwyn furthered that by being an effective and inspirational leader. Her sometime lightness of manner only slightly obscures her devotion to the good, the just, and the natural.

Given Alvador's testimony about goodness and light, Hewney saw no reason to mention Pathyn's interest in hangings and dismemberings. They hadn't actually happened after all.

"I do want to make certain that you are still willing to carry the books to Bragi University, that we can fulfill the request in Gwysol's will?" said Brother Ros.  "And perhaps I was remiss in not confirming this, are you all conversant in Karakulian?"

"I speak it reasonably well. I wouldn't want to have to arrange a marriage in it, but I can order dinner and ask for the library."

He break into a little Karakulian.

"[Language unknown: Has ateil, ll on und cataol. Difor toplol e il pa ivlin]."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:34, Sun 25 July 2021.

I can speak both the old and current Karakulian as an older child might. In reading the script, I am proficient.

"I'll just let someone else do the talking," Dak said.  He'd been glad Hewney had clarified that Karakulian was another language.  Otherwise he'd thought it would be something the locals eat that they should stay away from.

"Thank you."

After witnessing Brother Ros' masterful use of divine magic in speaking to Gwysol's soul Pathwyn had a hard time imagining Brother Ros having superiors.  Then again she'd heard of priests of Atu not just conversing with the dead, but actually bringing them back to life!  That would be a superior priest indeed.




Pathwyn leaned over and gave Alvador a big hug.



"Yes Brother Ros, we're willing to take Gwysol's books to Bragi.  I believe it to be our Next Great Venture.  We will need a day or two before departing, though.  We need to get Gwysol's other belongings appraised and hopefully sold.  I also need to get some armor resized before we set off.  Not sure how long that will take."

"I speak and read Karakulian quiet well," she added.



[Language unknown: "Of miof, Somectlin.  Al et venthuble Fi ekfo at k noou silo po ispoca."]
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:57, Sun 25 July 2021.

Albador proves that at last one half-elf can blush.

"Then I will make arrangements for a ship leaving on the tenth," said Brother Ros.  "I may even be able to arrange for lessons in Karakulian.  Were there other matters of concern that came from the trip north?"

---

Current date Amaya 7

"We'll have some time to look for Penrin," Dak observed, squeezing the hilt of his sword.

They'd have to avoid entanglements with the local authorities, but without any evidence, they had to take justice into their own hands.

With nothing further to add regarding the situation to the north, Brother Ros concluded their meeting, asking that they return on the evening of the ninth for the details of their journey.

---

Anything further in Shipton for the day and a half remaining that hasn't already been stated?

Having no further business he can think of, or other activity  that entices him, Hewney will return to the Inn and purchase a (very) hot bath then hit the sack, as he is still very full from the berry Pathwyn had given him.

Pathwyn opened her mouth to speak as Hewney departed, but she decided not to try to stop him.  He looked tired.  Maybe he'd been up partying late last night, or didn't sleep well for some reason.

"I want use Veja's divine Manavision™ to go look at the stuff from Gwysol's tower and the loot we got from Farnworth to see if any of it is magical.  At the very least, I suspect Eliphas' ring will be.  We should start selling some of that stuff off.  Cyrus might be interested.   After that we can split up and inquire about green cloaked newcomers to Shipton."

"I like that plan," Dak agreed with a nod.  "Especially the part about catching up to Penrin.

"Though, if he sees us first, he'll run.  Maybe we should find a mask or something that's common in town that wouldn't draw suspicion."

He tried to think if he's seen anyone with their face covered in some way.  It would also probably be good if he bought something to wear over his armor and to stow his cloak back at the inn.

"I'd also like to find something I could use as a light in the dark," he added to Pathwyn and Alvador.  "I know no one else needs it, but I do and I was thinking there might be something magic that could do it.

"Did either of you see anywhere where I might find something like that?"

Alvador says One suggestion: We look around in pairs. Splitting the party is chancy; atomizing it is risky. Less coverage per unit of time; more safety.

"We'll all head back to the inn, then," Dak said, looking in the direction Hewney had gone.  "Once you've taken a look at what we have, we can buy disguises and pair up to look for Penrin."

He wasn't sure what she was looking for in what they'd kept from the tower, but as long as she wasn't trying to buy another gold shovel with their asil, he was fine with it.

Pathwyn followed a priest to the room where the salvage from Gwysol's tower was stored.  She added their Farnworth loot to the pile.

"If there's anything you want checked for magic, please take it out now," she said to Dak and Alvador.

A big smile crossed her face.  The little elf couldn't conceal her joy at casting this spell.  She held her symbol of Veja in one hand and traced something out in the air in front of her with three fingers.

"suor tel'quiet linta Faer"

She carefully looked over the gathered goods with her divine-heightened senses.

---

OOC:  I think this is a list of everything.

Gwysol's ring
Eliphas' ring - ruby and black pearls (found on Damon)
small chest from apprentice's room
 apprentice's clothes
 apprentice's blade(?)
 apprentice's spellbook (does Alvador have this?)
food from the larder - hams, sausages, barrels and bottles
bundles of bed hangings containing dishware, silverware, and ornamental items
chest from Gwysol's bedroom (now full of Gwysol's books)
pouch full of coins from Gwysol's chest
chainmail (may or may not have been taken from the church guard in Farnworth)
battle axe
two longswords
dagger
ornate snuffbox and pipe
nice pearl
small diamond solitaire ring
Oil of Enchantment in engraved flask

Dak didn't have anything he believed to be magic, but was interested in seeing what she might find.

---

First Pathwyn crouched down, then got on her hands and knees for a closer look at the pile of items.  She picked up the ruby and pearls ring first between her thumb and forefinger and looked at it from all sides.

"Ooooooooo..." she cooed, without really thinking about the sounds she was making.

It was beautiful and mesmerizing.  She could've looked at it all day if the spell lasted that long, but curiosity overwhelmed admiration.  She set the ring aside and rummaged through the dishware.  Unexpectedly, she plucked out a spoon.

"Magic spoon?" she said quietly to herself.

She gave the spoon a lick and then set it next to the ring.  She also picked out a plate and bowl.  She turned those over, looking at them from all sides and set them aside too.  Next, she took the flask into her free hand.  For a moment the priestess looked frustrated, but she freed up two fingertips from her holy symbol hand and nimbly twisted the cap off before peering inside.

"This one's magical, as we expected, but the flask blocks my view of it.  I wonder if it's made of something special.  Why intentionally hide a potion inside a flask and then engraved the word 'Enchanted' on it?"

It looked like alchemists were just as weird as wizards.  She recapped the flask and set it down next to the ring.

"So that's everything magical," she said of the ring, spoon, bowl, plate, and potion she set aside.  "Wait, no."

She pivoted on her knees and crawled one step to the chest that contained Gwysol's books.  She opened the chest and tried to determine if the contents or the chest itself or both were giving off the aura of magic.  She pulled the books out if necessary to determine what was magical.

"Alvador, will you please set your staff down near these?" she asked, pointing to the small collection of enchanted objects.

Pathwyn also took out her little box of wild strawberries and put one that she had changed into a Goodberry near the spoon.

She sat down crosslegged in front of the objects and stared at the items in fascination.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:54, Fri 30 July 2021.

Alvador complies.

Dak was really interested in what a magical spoon did.  If Gwysol had been a bachelor, having dishware that cleaned itself seemed like a worthwhile expenditure of magic.

He was now having regrets about selling the dishware he'd been lugging around.

---

Now that all Gwysol's books had been removed from the chest, Pathwyn stacked them neatly near the other mundane objects.

"This chest is magical too," she said as she stood up after what seemed like a long quiet period of sitting and staring at the chest, ring, staff, bowl, spoon, and plate.  "Some sort of plant enchantment.  Maybe that was why the other dog-faces all stabbed the one who opened the chest.  Two things are for sure.  This chest has stronger magic than everything else, and we aren't giving it to the library of Bragi.  We'll have to find a crate or something to put the books in.  They're less likely to get stolen in a plain crate anyhow."

She couldn't think of any plant spells that would cause sudden mass-stabbing.  Pathwyn thought back.  They'd been laughing about it too, those dog-face.  Or maybe part of their language just sounds like dogs laughing.  Pathwyn chuckled at that thought.

"Oh Dak, did you know your armor is enchanted?"

"It's just well made," Dak corrected the elf as he looked down at himself.  "It's easy to clean so it always looks good.

"If we're going to keep the chest, why not keep the books in it and just give them only the books in Bragi?  It'll be easier than carrying an empty chest and a full crate around."

Pathwyn thought about it.  She didn't think plant magic would be particularly dangerous to the books.  She shrugged.

"Sure.  We can do that."

She started putting the books back in the chest, wondering what the enchantment did.  Really she wondered what any of the enchantments did.

"Your armor IS enchanted.  It can also be well made and easy to clean, but it is most definitely magic.  This is divination, straight from the gods.  There's no denying it.  It's a good thing.  Enchantment makes your armor much more valuable.  Now what the magic does..." Pathwyn shrugged.  "The gods don't deem it necessary to enlighten me on that subject, so your guess is as good as mine."

"Let's gather up the rest of the stuff that's not magic and take it to the market.  We can probably sell most of it at Cryus' or at the weaponsmith.  Is there anything in there you guys want to keep?"

Dak brushed the front of his chain tunic and thought that easy cleaning was magic enough for him.  He looked further down and wished his boots were as easy to clean.

"I don't see anything I need there, but the gems and ring might be easier to trade with in Bragi than asil."

Pathwyn picked up the magical ring, plate, bowl, and spoon, leaving the magical chest and the Gwysol's books with the priests for safe keeping.

Three quarters of the Forhorns gathered up armfuls of mundane loot and brought it to various merchants in Shipton.  In the end they had 300 asil for their salvage.

"Alvador has been recommending a group fund for quite a while, so let's start now.  We can split this 5 ways.  Everyone gets 60 asil, and we'll keep 60 aside for future group expenses.  Since it was his idea, I suggest Alvador hold onto these group funds for us.  Here, I even have a coin pouch for it."

If there were no objections, she gave 60 asil to Dak, 60 asil to Alvador, plus another 60 asil in a pouch, and held onto Hewney's share for the moment.

"Alvador also suggested we search for Penrhyn in pairs.  Why don't the two of you pair up?  I'll go get the armor resizing started and then wake Hewney up, so the two of us can see if we can turn up any leads on green cloaked assassins.  We'll meet back at the White Horse tonight to compare notes."

---

OOC: Alvador, please add the coin pouch (holds up to 500 coins) containing 60 asil to your character sheet and the party loot item.  If you want, you can also transfer the magical and remaining mundane items, and I'll delete my post.

On her way back to her rented room Pathwyn decided that now was the time to break the news of her departure to Maya and Horus.  They were going to be disappointed, expecting Pathwyn to stay forever instead of leaving so soon.

She gathered them to the dining table.

"A few days ago we went to that wizard's tower I told you about," she said looking at the retired mason.  "The one with the breach blown out the side.  The owner, Gwysol, had been killed, not by the explosion, but by his double-crossing apprentice.  Once we had it all figured out and settled the church of St Vallon asked us to take Gwysol's books to Bragi University as was requested in his last will and testament.  On the 10th we're going to ship out for Bragi.  It's at least a month round trip, maybe longer if we get entangled with intrigue in Bragi."

"The long and short of it is I'll be gone for at least a month.  I really enjoy staying here, and I'd like to take up room and board with you again when I get back, but I understand if you rent the room out in my absence.  I can't expect you to hold it for me."

It wasn't quite goodbye yet, so she saved the hugs and farewells for the morning of the tenth.


With that, she took the prized elven chainmail to the armorer to be resized.  Hopefully the price was reasonable.

"One other thing while you're taking my measurements.  Can you craft me a bodice and skirt to go over the armor?" she asked the armorer.  "I'm not looking for anything to improve the armor value, just something to give it a little femininity.  Maybe leather for the corset and red for the skirt.  Keep the skirt short.  I don't want to get tangled in it while fighting.  I'd like needle and thick thread for repairing it too.  I expect the bodice will suffer some wear and tear."

She insisted on a written receipt from the armorer.  The last thing she wanted was the extremely valuable armor to disappear with no proof she'd been there.


Pathwyn had one more errand to attend to before meeting up with Hewney.  She went to the jeweler to exchange coins for gems, have the jeweler appraise the diamond solitaire, and have her take a look at Eliphas' ring.  Before Pathwyn got to the jeweler's store she checked Eliphas' ring carefully for any sort of maker's mark.  Unless it was some sort of family heirloom it was probably bought, made, or enchanted here in Shipton, or possibly in Monteci.  A little careful investigation sometimes turned up as much information about magic items as divination did.

"Can you tell me anything about this ring?" she asked the jeweler, pointing out the maker's mark if there was one.  "I'm hoping to track down those who sold it in hopes of discovering its powers.  Anything you could tell me would be of use."

Pathwyn bought a garnet and as many lapis lazuli as she could afford.  It was nice to unload the heavy griel and asil she'd lugged back from Farnworth.

"I think we need something so Penrin won't remember us, first," Dak said to Alvador as they seem to have been paired up.  "Let's go shopping first and then hit some taverns."

He was looking forward to finding the man that killed Eliphas.

---

During the time that they had in Shipton, those who had been to Farnworth made endeavors to prepare for the journey, resolve purchases, and seek out information to locate the man, Penrhyn.  Despite visiting the various taverns and places of low repute, they were unable to find the man.  Attempts to learn more about the ring which may have incited the murder of Eliphas were also without fruit--the maker's mark within the ring was unfamiliar to the jewelers consulted in Shipton.

The time came, however, for boarding the Jerfalcon.  The box full of books was brought, by wagon, from the church by two of the lesser clerics at St Vallon's, and the quartet was introduced to Manus Audace, a man whose primary duties were related to cargo and passengers, therefore quite busy in port.  However, once they were asea, arrangements had been made by Brother Ros that Dak could be taught Karakulian and the others could work to improve their ability with the tongue during the journey.

In reply to DM (msg # 83):

Birahu, heavily laden, came to the gangplank of the Jerfalcon looking for passage to the land of Bragi.

"Hello on board! I'm looking for passage to Bragi, preferably work my way as my coin is low. I'm an able seaman, a fisher and a cook! What are my chances?"

He is 5'9", 180 pounds, brown hair and blue eyes with a short cropped beard. He wears black trousers and shirt with worn short soft boots. He has a black cloak and a heavy pack on his back, he carries a walking stick and has a dagger on his hip.

Excusing himself from the conversation with the four Forhorns, the man from the ship came over to Birahu.

"We've got crew aplenty," he replied, "but perhaps we can come to terms on the passage nonetheless."

In reply to Manus Audace (msg # 85):

Showing up with a woman on his arm, and an attractive one at that, Hewney shows he made the most of the last few days. He seems fit and more healthy than at any time anyone could remember.

He gave the woman a hug, and passionate kiss, and hefted a duffle bag over his shoulder, and headed for the ship. The woman clung on for a second more, and another kiss was shared, as he shared promises of fidelity and a prompt return. Waving, he jogged over to the gangplank, where he spotted a stranger attempting to barter passage on the ship, a stout fellow with a keen eye, and a well kept beard.

"Excuse me sirrah, might I pass? I already have passage on this ship."

He addressed the purser. "Hewney? Traveling with Pathwyn na'Sylviis? This is the Jerfalcon, correct?"

He carries with him a pleasant manly scent of aged spices, mixed with perfume, and his smile is broad and friendly.

OOC In case I was too vague, I am addressing the as yet unmet Birahu the black.

When it's convenient to speak, Alvador lets the Captain know that he both an able seaman and a navigator.

Dak was still disappointed they hadn't been able to find Penrin.  Granted, they hadn't much time to search the entire town, but he'd at least wanted to test out his disguise on the man.

As consolation, he thought of the opportunity to learn the new language of Bragi.  Although he was sure Pathwyn would be doing all of the talking, knowing what she was promising to others in this new land would be helpful.

He also didn't volunteer to do any work on board.  This ship was much larger than any he'd ever fished from and he was more than happy to be a passenger.

In reply to Manus Audace (msg # 85):

"Do you take other than coin for passage? I have this, will it suffice?" He holds up an alexandrite gem. "I'm going to Bragi and really need to get there as soon as possible, you are the first ship. I'm a seaman and a cook." He said as he stepped aside for Hewney.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:40, Mon 02 Aug 2021.

"Just wait on the top deck," said Manus, "I'll take you all down together."

He pulled a loupe from a pouch and examined the stone that Birahu offered, and then put the stone in one pouch and the loupe back in the first.  "That will be fine," he said, "come on aboard."

"We're not looking for additional crew," he said to both Birahu and Alvador on the main deck.  "But we've decent accommodations for passengers.  Follow me, I'll show you to your quarters."

With that, Manus led the way down a stair and forward to a room  where a half dozen hammocks were arranged.

"I'll leave you to get settled here," he said, heading back above.

In reply to Manus Audace (msg # 90):

Birahu stowed his pack and other gear in a corner away from other's stuff so there would be no mistake. "I am Birahu the Black, pleased to meet you." he says to Alvador. He awaits response before heading to deck.

Dak set the books down against a wall and looked for a means to strap them in place.  they didn't need to be sliding around if the sea came up.

He then began to remove the heavy chain he wore.  He wasn't about to test how well he could swim in it and he wouldn't be needing it for the journey anyway.  If the crew attacked them or pirates appeared, he still wouldn't want the armor to send him overboard.  He'd leave it packed in his pack beside the chest with his sword and javelin.  All he really needed was his dagger for shipboard life.

Pathwyn was the last of the Forhorns to board the ship.  She wasn't late, and was in no danger if missing to boat.  She just wasn't as early as the others.

She had to set down the backpack she had slung over one shoulder and the large canvas sack she had on the other when Manus offered a handshake.  She returned the gesture with a curtsy in a short, flirty, baby blue silk dress none of her party had seen her wear before.

"Hello sir, I'm Pathwyn na'Syviis of the Fox Tanasi, priestess of Veja, bound for Bragi at the request of the Church of St Vallon.  Are you the captain of the Jerfalcon?" she asked.

Having been standing on deck, rather lost and confused for quite some time, and uncertain he was even on the right ship, Hewney is more than glad to see Pathwyn. Hefting his bag on his shoulder he sidles over to where she is standing and listens in.

"Manus Audace," he replied to Pathwyn, with a shake of the head, "no, just quartermaster--so let's get you settled in place.  Captain will be around once we've left port, but he's up to" and here he gestured level to his eyebrows, "paperwork."

With that, he led them down to the chamber down the stairs and forward, where Birahu, Alvador, and Dak were.

In reply to Manus Audace (msg # 96):

"Greetings fellow travelers, I am Birahu, a wizard of no great renown on my way to explore in Bragi."

"You're on the right boat," Dak replied to the renowned wizard he'd never heard of.  "We're going because we've heard Bragi has the best fish stew and we've been hired to confirm it."

No use sharing their business with strangers.  Especially a wizard who might be after Gwysol's inheritance.  Or perhaps even the man that that killed Gwysol himself!

Paperwork.  Pathwyn sighed at that.  She was fine with keeping things organized, but some places, Shipton included, were too heavily burdened by formalities, regulations, and mid-level officials all wanting a cut.  The Nauts had streamlined things as much as they could.  As a powerful guild they were able to cut it down in most ports to the ship's manifest, a fee, and an official stamp.  The Jerfalcon wasn't a Naut ship and she wasn't the navigator.  It would be a relaxing change of pace to be a guest for once, not that navigating was particularly strenuous.

She followed the quartermaster below deck and met one of their bunkmates.

"Nice to meet you, Birahu," she said with another curtsy.  "I'm Pathwyn, priestess of no renown, although I'm looking to change that with good deeds and possibly a song or two to tell the tales."

She continued by introducing the others.

"This is Dak, our swordsman.  Hewney, our scout.  He's the man with the plan, who gathered us all together in the first place.  And Alvador, quite the somnumancer.  Do you think we'll get famous for our fish stew reviews?"

Alvador comments Perhaps; it depends on how we can spice them up.

Oh, and pleased to meet a fellow mage.

In reply to Alvador (msg # 101):

"I am researching the spells of the dwarven wizards. I plan to have renown someday too. It is good to meet you." He shook hands with everyone in greetings.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:02, Wed 04 Aug 2021.

Two weeks cooped up with these other four was going to be a challenge.  He expected the two wizards to be talking wizardy all the time, while he just hoped Pathwyn didn't try to sacrifice any of the crew.  And to top it off, Hewney had been especially surly of late.  Perhaps the helf-elf just didn't like sailing.

Dak was really hoping he could borrow some fishing gear.  He wanted to try his hand at fish further from shore than he'd normally encounter.  Maybe the Blood Priestess would allow a fish to serve as her sacrifice just this once?

In reply to Alvador (msg # 101):

"Perhaps we can compare notes Alvador, I have a few spells. I can get some fishing done on board then too, anyone care to join me?" He asks looking at each in turn.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:04, Thu 05 Aug 2021.

Hewney settled into a hammock, and said, "We'll be more welcome to wander for fishing after we've gotten to sea, but I don't think I'd try it now."

In reply to Hewney (msg # 105):

"They're busy on deck now, no reason to get in the way until we're out to sea under sail. I'm also a cook and a brewer, sadly I have no beer samples right now. I can cook what we catch though!"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:30, Thu 05 Aug 2021.

Dak strung up a hammock of his own and joined Hewney.  Or rather, climbed into his own hammock.  It was nice to be on a boat and not have to work.

As the passengers of the Jerfalcon worked to get their things stowed away and find some level of comfort, the activity above grew, and soon the ship left the port of Shipton behind.  Although the deck would never be empty during the voyage, at least they would no longer be curtly returned to the passenger quarters--at least so long as they didn't interfere with the work of the crew.

Which Alvador doesn't, though he observes how well they do their tasks and how they get on together.

In reply to Alvador (msg # 109):

At this time, Birahu breaks out his fishing gear to see what he can catch. "Who wants to go fishing? I have hooks and a net as well, depending on what you want to do and how many you want to catch. We can bake, boil, or fry what we catch, or all three!"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:55, Sat 07 Aug 2021.

Pathwyn smiled at Birahu for his fishing offer.  She followed the others and found a nearby spot in the shade to lounge while they started fishing.  She sang a little song  for them about a fisherman at a bridge over a river who caught increasingly larger fish from a minnow all the way up to a whale (many of these fish were obviously not found in rivers.)  She took her turn trying to catch fish, but was more interested in sitting around doing nothing.  Soon she realized that the two activities were nearly the same.

At some point she brought up a subject from Farnworth.

"Alvador, did you ever look at those sketches from the church?"

Down below, Dak dozed to the sway of the sea.

No, and now is a good time as any. He fetches them, and finds a sunny spot to lay them out so Pathwyn and he can looks closely.

In reply to Alvador (msg # 113):

Birahu catches half a dozen fish and add in any that anyone else caught.

He tried to be a little nosy too, eyeing the sketches as well.

The sketches looked like they had been drawn by a reasonably skilled hand, depicting persons and places, but not very well-known locations.

Pathwyn regarded the sketches for quite some time.  She'd seen a lot in her many years, and heard tell of even more, but the world was enormous.  She couldn't put her finger on any of the people or places.  Still, there were hints here and there in the style and look of things in the sketches that spoke of the core island.

"It's clear to me that none of the townspeople drew these," she said to Alvador, but looked over at Birahu so as not to exclude him.  "Could've been drawn by the priest they poisoned if the elders sent him like they're sending the replacement we requested.  Damon is a reasonable guess for the artist too.  We found them in what had to be his quarters.  Penrhyn's a vanishing long shot.  He would've been sleeping at Eliphas' and any personal effects he kept at the church would've been in their clubhouse below."

Pathwyn shrugged.

"I don't think the sketches will do us much good.  If they were Penrhyn's they might've helped us learn more about him, maybe track him down or trap him.  Do you think anyone would buy these?"

Yes Alvador said. Price doesn't matter much; interest in thm mattes more...maybe a family that has more love of art than they have money.

In reply to Alvador (msg # 117):

07:51, Today: Birahu the Black rolled 11 using 1d20-1.  fishing. Int 18
This message was last edited by the player at 12:56, Tue 10 Aug 2021.

Birahu's fishing yielded a total of four fish, as Alvador and Pathwyn studied the drawings and started to assess them for value.

Hewney pulled up and coiled the line he'd been using, without much real interest, for fishing off the side of the ship. Wandering over, he took a look at the sketches over Pathwyn's shoulder. It was mostly for curiosity, and because the sketches were more interesting than continuing to watch the sea foam spill away from the ship's bow. "Huh. Had a bit of talent, whoever it was."

Below, Dak was out like a light.  It had been a long while since he'd been lulled to sleep by the sea.  This was going to be a leisurely journey, indeed.

Pathwyn nodded in agreement with Alvador's and Hewney's assessments.  She leaned back, still sitting on the deck, now propping herself up with her arms.  The air had already taken on a different feel and smell away from land.  She closed her eyes and felt the constant breeze of sea travel blowing through her hair and new dress.

"Hewney," she said, eyes still closed.  "Where'd you learn about werewolves and Jackalweres?"

He had been pretty specific about the distinction back at St Vallon's church.  Pathwyn wasn't completely convinced yet, but she respected Hewney's knowledge and wanted to hear the details.

The drawings are quite good! Any one want some fish? I caught 4 of them!"

The days passed with decent sailing weather as the ship made its way across the sea.  Now that they were sailing, Manus seemed to have more time available, and he offered lessons in the Karakulian tongue to any of the group who might be interested, explaining that Brother Ros had requested that he offer such lessons.

In reply to DM (msg # 124):

"I speak Karakulian fluently, with no accent! If you need help, just ask! I'll assist."

Dak takes advantage of the Captain's offer to learn the new language.

Pathwyn took Birahu up on his offer of fish.  He did claim to be an excellent chef.  She also wanted to meet the galley crew.  It was always a good idea to make friends with those who will be preparing your food for a whole voyage.  She made sure Hewney didn't turn down the offer.  She was still keen to hear about his Jackalware knowledge and the telling would be just as effective in the galley as out on the deck.

She also wanted to meet the captain.  Surely, he was done with his paperwork by now.  If not maybe she could offer some help.

Pathwyn attended the first Karakulian lesson to see if there was anything she could learn.  If the instructor figured she was wasting her time, she skipped the other lessons.

Shrugging at Pathwyn's question regarding jackalweres, Hewney answered easily, "Someone I know in Shipton. Lived a bit on the wild side, back in his youth. He'd had some run-ins with them, and you know how oldsters like to  reminisce." Laughing a bit, he added, "A few drinks and an eager listener had him off and running for hours. Never know when a bit of curiosity will come in handy, eh?"

He was willing enough to share in the fish dinner. It was a little impressive, that the wizard had managed to catch what he had with the ship in motion.

The captain's lessons in Karakulian found Hewney often in attendance. He already spoke it passably, enough for passing through, but it wouldn't hurt to improve his fluency. He also spent a good bit of time, the first few days especially, prowling about the deck examining the various knots the sailors used on the lines. Many he already knew, but when he saw something new, he watched the crew for a chance when a sailor was idle to ask one of them to show it to him and explain why it was the best knot for that particular task.

Alvador, a happy passenger, took the opportunity to improve is fluency in Karakulian, paying particular attention to idioms and local references.

Birahu helps the captain with the language lessons as he is fluent in the language.

The voyage passed easily enough.  It was not the captain offering the lessons, but rather the quartermaster, who requested that Birahu aid by using only the Karakulian tongue when speaking during the voyage.  Discussion, too, in Karakulian, included discussion of the currency on Bragi, which used the Karakulian mint.

The captain was willing enough to meet with Pathwyn and others at times when he wasn't directly involved in the work of directing the ship to the port town of Gulltown on Bragi.

---

Without prior knowledge of the language, roll for speech ability as per the post in the character creation thread, but with a cap of "acceptable".

Characters who had prior speech with Karakulian at a level less than excellent may improve by one category.

With two weeks and nothing to do, Dak does an acceptable job of learning the new language.  Ironically, he can now read and write this foreign language while still being illiterate in his native tongue.

He is actually quite fascinated by what being able to read can do.  It had always seemed useless to learn as a fisherman, but he now realizes it could come in quite handy.

---

Dak rolled 74,96 using d100+30,d100+30.  Karakulian Speach/Literacy.

"I speak, read and write 8 languages all together, if anyone wants to learn, let me know and I'll help."

At last, land came into view--the island of Bragi seemed to have two mountains, one to the north and one to the south, with a fairly hilly valley area in between.  In a sheltered bay, there was the busy town of Gulltown, and here they came into port.

A broad plaza, surrounded by a variety of small shops, was near the docks, with the warehouses to the south of the town.  The town itself was fairly busy, and it did not seem that the arrival of the ship was of great interest to all but a handful of people who seemed ready to receive the other goods that were being transported on this ship.  Two other ships of a size similar to the Jerfalcon were already in port, though there was room for at least three more ships even after the Jerfalcon's arrival.

It turned out that Pathwyn did learn something from Manus' Karakulian lessons.  In addition to plenty of new vocabulary unrelated to trade, sailing, and diplomacy, she also learned that she'd been conjugating her past tense verbs incorrectly.  Everyone had been too polite to correct her all these years.

She was intrigued by Birahu's breadth of linguistic knowledge.

"Oh?  Which non-human languages do you know?  Goblin would've come in handy a week back, and with as many goblinoid creatures we have running around the islands, I'm sure it will come in handy in the future too."

Looking forward to seeing how well his studies fared, Dak donned his armor once more and strapped on his sword.  He leaned the metal javelin against the bulkhead as he opened his backpack to get organized.

"It will be good to get back on dry land," he said collecting up his belongings to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything.  He dragged the chest of books away from the wall to remind himself of how heavy they were.

"What's our plan?" he asked of their elven leader.  "Find a place to stay first, or find this fish stew we're looking for?"

In reply to Pathwyn na'Sylviis (msg # 135):

"I don't speak goblin sadly, Calandian, Old Karakulian, Elven (Neroli dialect), Elven (Tanasi dialect), Orcish, Kobold, Gnomish, and Karakulian. All are spoken excellently, I read and write them too, though not quite as fluently."

Observing the port activity from the railing as their ship came into the Gulltown harbor, Hewney tried to start getting a feel for the city. Different languages could mean different attitudes, different approaches to everything from how the food was prepared to how the law was applied -- and both were generally good to know ahead of time.

He listened with one ear to Pathwyn's conversation with Birahu. She was right about that goblin might be useful to know. Would kobold or orcish eventually be equally useful? Something to consider, if the wizard was going to start traveling with them.

Like Dak, Pathwyn was also fully armed up when she left the Jerfalcon.  Gone was the mismatched, riveted leather armor.  In its place was a second skin of glistening, silvery, finely woven chainmail under a leather bodice and red skirt.  A curved metal shield, even smaller than the wooden shield she had before, was strapped to her left forearm.  Her spear and ever-present bow were nail hooked to loops on either side of her pack.



Pathwyn had been thinking about this for a while now.

"Ironically, the best fish stew is inland about a week's ride.  That's considerably further than Shipton to Farnworth and I doubt the church here will loan us horses.  Buying horses we can't take back with us seems wasteful unless we can be reasonably sure we could sell them for about what we bought them for.  There's walking, but that's long, slow, and we'd have to carry some awkward gear."

"My suggestion is we spend some time here in Gulltown to see if any caravans are heading our way.  I'll happily exaggerate our experience dealing with dangerous highwaymen and see if I can convince them to hire us on as security.  At the very least let us travel with them.  Better to travel with talented individuals such as ourselves than risk being robbed or slaughtered."

"You're welcome to join us, if you'd like, Birahu.  There are plenty of Spells of the Dwarven Wizards where we're going."

"The market square should be our first stop.  Sound reasonable?"

"It would be nice not to lug this chest around," Dak pointed out of their largest piece of luggage.  Now he wondered who was carrying their golden shovel because he certainly wasn't.

"But I like the caravan idea.  And we could see how much horses would be as a backup."

Otherwise, he was fine with the marketplace.

---

Just so everyone's picturing the same cumbersome item that I'm thinking of, how cumbersome is the full chest?

Or a wagon. He looks at Birahu and nods his head. Birahu, I deem that fate has brought you into association with us...at least for a while. If my companions approve, travel with us until you feel the need to go your way.

In reply to Alvador (msg # 141):

"I'm here to study ancient dwarven magic, I have to find it first, I accept the invitation. we can learn from each other."

"The market sounds good," Hewney agreed, although he eyed the unwieldy crate Dak was carrying. "Maybe we can find a hand cart there, to lug that box along more easily."

"Need help with that box until we find a cart? What is in the books? I'd have read several of them by now if I knew they were there!" he says with a grin as he offers to help Dak.

Leaving the Jerfalcon behind, the newcomers to Gulltown found themselves in the market square, seeing a number of shops that included a tavern named the Cock and Trumpet, with a signboard featuring a ferocious-looking fighting rooster, an inn named the Blade Bone which had a sign featuring a picture of a whale, a grocer, a money-changer, a fletcher, a tailor, and a cooper--and this just on the square closest to the docks.

Dak accepted Birahu's offer to grab one handle of the chest, but wondered why he thought there were books inside.

"Get some local coins?" Dak prompted Pathwyn with a nod to the money-changers sign.

Pathwyn nodded to Dak.  They were going to need some Querc along the way, even if they did sign on to a caravan.  She went into the money changers with the others and sold off a Lapis Lazuli (value 45 asil).  She figured that was better than trying to convert asil directly.  Coin to coin tended to get taxed with a changer's fee on top of that.  Gems could typically go for nearly full value and avoided the coin tax.


When they had gotten local coin Pathwyn split the Forhorns up for a short time.  She found an unused bench in the market and sat down there.

"Look, instead of lugging these things around," she said pulling the chest out of her pack.  "Let's have two of us stay here with the chest for the time being."

"Birahu, please find a stables and see what 5 horses would cost us.  We'll need that information as a fall-back plan.  Price out a wagon too, if they have one.  We could get by with 2 or 3 horses and a wagon if we have to.  In fact it might be cheaper and better."

"Alvador and Hewney stay here with our cargo.  I'll need Dak with me as we look for mercenary caravan guard work.  We'll all meet back up with Alvador and Hewney at this bench here soon enough.  Shouldn't take long."

If and when everyone agreed and Birahu was out of earshot Pathwyn had a little more to say.

"We don't have to worry about Birahu being some sort of thief or spy after these books.  During the voyage I used Veja's own divination magic to peer into his soul.  He is a good man, with a kind heart, who can be counted on to do the right thing.  The gods themselves have spoken and said that we can trust him.  We can drop this fish stew charade when he gets back and tell him the whole story once he finally have some privacy.  I mean, clearly not right here in the market, but we can at least let him know he'll get the truth soon."

For the lapis lazuli, the money changer gave Pathwyn nine marks and six querc.

In reply to DM (msg # 148):

Birahu went looking for a stable, by the gate of the city he figured, that would be the first place he'd look. Of course, he asked the first person he came across about the nearest stable.

Dak was more than happy to leave the larger chest with the other two while he accompanied the Blood Priestess.  He set it down in front of the bench for them to safeguard.

"Ready when you are," he declared, setting a hand on the pommel of his sword.

Pathwyn figured the cooper would be the one most likely to know about caravans, since most were also wheelwrights.  She walked into the shop and cut right to the chase.

"Greetings!  Would you happen to know of any caravans in town departing inland soon.  We're looking to offer our security services."

Alvador accompanies Pathwyn.

At the closest stable, Birahu makes inquiries. "Two questions good sir, I don't want to waste your time. How much for a wagon and 2 horses, or 3, also, if the price is right, how much for 5 horses?"

Birahu's inquiries had led him to a stable near West Gate in the city.  As he made his way there, he did note that Gulltown had probably gained its name from the large number of gulls that seemed to be ubiquitous on house roofs and such.

Being led to the master of the stable, Birahu asked his questions, and the man replied, "I've got some good, sturdy riding horses--eighty marks each.  Right now, I've seven available for sale.  But for pulling wagons, well, those require a stronger horse, and those would be a hundred seventy-five each--you'd want a pair, and there's ten of those that I can sell.  The wagon, if you don't mind it being open, that's one sixty marks."

---

At the cooper's, the man looked up from his work, pulled his shoulders back until there was an audible pop.

"Well, there's Cimon, I think he'll be leaving in two or three days," replied the cooper.  "He goes to Yarrin and on west from there.  You'd best be looking for him at the Blade Bone."

In reply to DM (msg # 154):

Birahu went to a moneychanger next, then back to the bench and the chest to help secure it. He walks into the moneychanger and drops his haul on the counter, asking how he can get for it all. Asil: 15, Griel: 4, Kipper: 6, Billon: 6, 2 garnet, 1 alexandrite, 1 sardonyx, 4 obsidian.

The man at the table took out a special lens, looking over the gemstones that Birahu presented.  He put the Calandian coins into a scale.  The abacus clicked rapidly, and then he called for a runner.

The coins and gems were collected, and then the runner returned with 370 marks, 9 quercs, 6 omen, and 3 penn.

In reply to DM (msg # 156):

"Thank you kind sir, I appreciate it. Perhaps we'll do business in the future."

He headed back to the bench to wait for and with the others.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:02, Mon 23 Aug 2021.

Dak recalled having passed the Blade and Bone coming into town so it wouldn't be hard to find.  Waiting around a few days was more of an inconvenience.

Finding himself quickly abandoned with the chests, Hewney shrugged and rearranged them. With his own pack as a pillow of sorts, he laid down across the top of them, boot heels resting on the ground. It was a lovely day to laze about in the sun, and surely beat lugging the chests back and forth across the town.

At least it was for a bit. It didn't take long for him to wish for the shade of a good, wide-brimmed hat. That'd be the first thing he'd buy, he decided, peering through his nearly closed eyes at passers-by, once he'd had a chance to get some of the local coinage. That one might look rather fetching, he mused. Not that one, though; too pointy.

He really hoped it didn't take everyone else a long time to get back....

"Thank you, sir," she said to the cooper.

"Do you want me look at that shoulder, upper back problem you've got going on there?  I might not look it right now, but I'm a priestess and healer by trade.  No charge."

If the cooper took her up on her offer she'd spend a few minutes applying her healing proficiency to the man.

Either way, the next stop was the Blade Bone to ask after Cimon.


"This doesn't sound promising," she told Dak on the way to the Inn.  "We need to go through Yarrin, but then north, not further west.  Let's talk to Cimon anyhow.  It might be the cooper got the merchant's route wrong, or maybe he's going to Corralis eventually."

Pathwyn shrugs.

"Or maybe he'll know someone who is going our way."


When they got to the Blade Bone she asked the innkeeper where they could find Cimon.

---

OOC: I'm fine if the DM wants to abstract/narrate this caravan search to keep from stealing too much screen time from the others.  If we do find a caravan going our way, Pathwyn will really lay it on thick to sell the Forhorns' merchants-and-goods-protecting-prowess.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:19, Tue 24 Aug 2021.

Birahu finished with his business and then went to help Hewney watch the books.

Dak shrugged in reply to Pathwyn's route planning.  He really didn't know anything about the island other than they were looking for the School for Wizards in Bragi.  Or at least that was what he was going to ask for directions to if he were somehow separated from the others.

As Birahu and Hewney stayed in the square with the chests, they saw the others return to the area, and then head into the Blade Bone.

Heading into the Blade Bone, it was a simple matter to find Cimon--a prosperous-looking man at a large table with a number of men already present.  It seemed that he had already started accumulating his caravan guards.

Cimon proved to be an affable man, explaining in response to the inquiry that his primary run was from Gulltown with goods from Calandia and Eikalde to the western coast where he picked up goods from Donghai and Tartessa for the return run.  While he was not particularly interested in hiring hands who would only be on a short part of the journey, he was willing for them to accompany the wagons as far as Yarrin; the answer did not need to be provided immediately, as they could join him at the West Gate on the 26th at Secunde.

Hewney eyed Birahu when he returned from wherever he'd been off to. Inquiring about horses, maybe; Hewney thought that's where Pathwyn had sent him. "Decided to tag along with us, have you," he said lazily. "You good with fighting magics? Because I'm pretty certain we'll find trouble somewhere along the way."

Besides, how boring would the trip be if they didn't encounter trouble along the way? There needed to be some excitement to make a trip memorable, after all.

In reply to Hewney (msg # 164):

"I'm a bit of use, how about you?" he asked Hewney in return. "Horses are expensive here!"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:59, Wed 25 Aug 2021.

It wasn't long after Birahu returned that Pathwyn, Dak, and Alvador met back up at the bench.

"Well gentlemen, we found a caravan, but it's not really what we need," she said mostly for Hewney and Birahu's benefit, since the others had been with her to witness events first hand.

"A merchant captain by the name of Cimon runs imported goods from coast to coast, which means he's not exactly going our way.  After Yarrin, he'd be heading west and we'd be going north."

Pathwyn had to speak up to be heard over a racket the local, white, seaside birds were making flapping around, cawing, and fighting over scraps.  So many birds.  She looked around at them with a mix of amusement and irritation.  She didn't want to be yelling their plans out in public.  Then again, passers-by still wouldn't be able hear much with all the noise.

"Someone else has to supply Corralis.  A university full of alchemists surely can't be self-sufficient.  They're landlocked, so wagon trains are their life's blood.  If you want, we can keep poking around more and see when these supply runs take place.  I imagine they occur often, I just don't know how often, or when the last one left."

"What did you find out about horses and wagons, Birahu?"

After Birahu speaks, Alvador opines Might as well take this one. Would look strange if we didn't now. Than at Yarrin, we'll see.

In reply to Alvador (msg # 167):

"The stable had sturdy riding horses--eighty marks each.  Right now, he has seven available for sale.  But for pulling wagons, well, those require a stronger horse, and those would be a hundred seventy-five each--you'd want a pair, and there's ten of those that he can sell.  The wagon, if you don't mind it being open, that's one sixty marks. That is an almost exact quote"

"We could leave tomorrow and go directly there if we bought horses," Dak encouraged as the prices sounded reasonable to him.  Especially so since he thought the prices were in asil.

He'd been getting fond of riding and would like the chance to do more of it.  He was even thinking of getting one if they accompanied a caravan.

"We'll just sell them back when we leave the island," he said reasonably.  "They're an investment."

"True.  That's the quickest and simplest way to go about this.  I have to admit I really liked riding back and forth to Shipton, and we'd be able to move on our own timetable. However, horses are NOT a good investment.  Especially in the short term.  The stable keeper will probably buy them back for 70 marks each, or less, maybe even half the original price.  He knows we can't take them with us, so he'll happily short us on prices.  Our best bet is to get a buy-back price in writing while we still have some leverage when we're buying."

Pathwyn stopped to wonder for a moment.  Could they bring horses on a ship?  In theory it was possible, but it might be expensive.  You'd have to have stables below deck and bring a lot of feed.  There's no grazing on a ship.

"What do you think, Hewney, Birahu?  Buy horses and leave tomorrow morning?  Buy horses and ride with Cimon in a couple days?  Keep looking for a caravan to Corralis?"

In reply to Pathwyn na'Sylviis (msg # 170):

"Thankfully, the decision is not mine, we can do as you say, get a buy back price when we purchase them. I plan to study magic is all I know."

Dak hadn't thought about negotiating a resale price on their return.  The elf was cutthroat in both her religion and business.  He wondered if all elves were so focused.

In reply to Dak (msg # 172):

"What are you lot after? Not fish stew for sure!" he says with a grin. "I can better help if I'm in on the secret. Dwarven wizards from millenia ago were the greatest wizards in the lands, I want to find some of that magic and learn it!"

Pathwyn wasn't too keen on the idea of shouting their business right out in the middle of the marketplace, even if there was a bunch of cover noise.  She tugged on the shoulder of Birahu's cloak until he leaned his ear down to her mouth level, and said something, not quite in a whisper, but not loud enough for anyone else to hear.


"Alright.  Let's go get boarding at the Blade Bone.  Dak and I will keep looking for a caravan headed to Corralis.  Barring that we'll buy horses and head out either tomorrow morning or the next morning with Cimon."

With that, Pathwyn headed towards the inn.

In reply to Pathwyn na'Sylviis (msg # 174):

"And nobody read them?" he asked questioningly in a loud whisper.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:37, Wed 01 Sept 2021.

Dak wondered if the man could bring any more attention to the chest than he already had.  Could the man at least try to keep his voice down?

At least it sounded as though the plan was to get horses of their own.  After all the commotion Biraho was making about the chest, Dak was hoping they'd be heading out as soon as possible.  He didn't know whether the books were worth anything or not, but they only had to seem valuable for someone to try and steal them.

"Leaving sooner is probably better," he said, trying to redirect the conversation away from the chest.

In reply to Dak (msg # 176):

"Can we take our time delivering them and read them on the way?" he asks of Pathwyn.

Birahu the Black quote (msg # 165): "I'm a bit of use, how about you?"

"Absolutely useless," Hewney answered. Doing magic was not his thing. Using gear that had been magicked, though... he grinned. "I like blades." He patted one of his daggers fondly, even as he saw Pathwyn and the others returning.

He listened to the conversation about the caravan, and the price of  horses, though he shook his head at Dak's notion that the horses would be an investment. Whatever the stablemaster was selling them for, he was buying them for less, or he'd be quickly out of business. Predictably, Pathwyn understood that clearly enough -- although negotiating for a buy-back price in advance was a novel idea.

Standing up and stretching as the elf asked for opinions, by the time he'd finished a jaw-cracking yawn, the conversation had abruptly shifted to their intentions. Hewney cast a puzzled look at the wizard broaching the subject in such a crowded location, then cast his gaze around to see if the question, or simply the group themselves, had attracted any particular attention. Any port this big and active was likely to have a gang of thieves looking for new opportunities. Maybe more than one.

"If there's a caravan going out soon, and it's going our way for even part of the journey, we should go with them. They'll know the common danger spots, and both two- and four-legged predators are warier of larger groups than small." He looked over at Pathwyn and shrugged. "We know nothing of the inland hazards here. We ride with a caravan even partway, we'll have time to learn from them what we might face after we split off."

In reply to Hewney (msg # 178):

"Take the caravan, strength in numbers." Birahu suggests, distraught that he can't see the books. Oh well, he may get some time later at their destination.

"We should really get a map of the island," Dak proposed.

He was hoping that a map might embolden the elf to choose independent travel.  It's not like the 4 of them were inexperienced travelers.  Between the Blood Priestess, Hewney, Alvador, and himself, they should easily be able to fend off a dozen or so bandits.

Pathwyn answered Birahu's question in the same fashion as earlier before going to the inn.


After they checked in at the Blade Bone, and dropped off Alvador and the two boxes of books, she grabbed Dak and anyone else who wanted to tag along and went to the docks to talk to the harbormaster.

In reply to Pathwyn na'Sylviis (msg # 181):

"Amazing, that is exactly what I was thinking! You want me to come along to the wharf, or stay with Alvador to watch the room."

"You're welcome to come with us," Pathwyn answered as they left for the docks.

In reply to Pathwyn na'Sylviis (msg # 183):

Birahu followed, pondering his options quietly.

It was obvious, now that the Blood Priestess was testing the man.  If he chose to abandon an opportunity to read with Alvador at the inn, they'd know he had no real interest in the books.  It was very clever of her.

If he stayed with Alvador, the wizard could discern the man's interest and expertise in the arcane.  As well as probe for any weaknesses they might need to exploit in the future.

Very clever, indeed.

---

After settling lodging--at a cost of 6 quercs per person for rooms which proved to be single occupancy--at the Blade Bone, Alvador was left in charge of the two boxes while other luggage had been stowed in the various rooms.

Returning to the docks, it was still quite the hive of activity with things being unloaded from ships and other things being loaded onto other ships.  One small house was nearby, which was the home and office of the harbormaster, with several men coming and going from the structure.

Birahu follows the others back to the docks, keeping his thoughts to himself unless he was asked for them. This could take awhile he thought to himself, assimilate to the party. They were paranoid to the extreme. He was no threat.

There were exactly 6 quercs in her belt pouch.  She sorted a couple of gold coins out and handed the innkeeper the silver for her room.

When they got to the harbormaster's house/office there were several men and now one elf women coming and going.

"Hello sir," she said to the harbormaster when she got the chance.  "I'm interested to know how Corralis is supplied.  We're mercenary guards looking to provide security for a caravan."

Pathwyn gestured to Dak and Birahu with the implication of others not with them.

"We've discovered that Cimon's westward caravan is already secured, but surely someone is heading north.  If so, they could do no better than to hire the Forhorns.  They'll soon thank you for pointing us in their direction."

"Also, I wonder where we might find an accurate land map of the area.  I expect the caravans stick to the main roads, but threats tend to skulk off the beaten path.  Good to know where you stand at all times."
This message was last edited by the player at 09:30, Mon 06 Sept 2021.

The harbormaster greeted the group in a manner friendly enough, as it seemed all the activity on the docks was well in hand.

"Truth be," the harbormaster replied, "I have little concern about what's inland.  I don't know anyone has a map, as most folk just follow the roads.  Going to Corralis, now there's not that many going up there in caravan.  They got more 'an a few mages powerful enough to just --" here he made a gesture as though waving an invisible wand "poof things into the city when they want 'em."

Dak had no idea what "poofing" was, but assumed it was some kind of magic that allowed them to grow the food and animals they needed on their own.  This would make them a very self-sufficient city and in little need of goods from incoming caravans.

There were probably holes in his explanation, but magic was magic, and Dak's stomach was leading him down a well worn path.  He looked up at the sky to see how near their next meal might be.

"I have money and can help with horses and or a wagon if needed. I have 370 Marks." he whispers to Pathwyn.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:50, Mon 06 Sept 2021.

Hewney left the inn with the others, but split off to visit the money-changer's. He figured he could catch up, or just return to the inn and get something to drink
 Hopefully something cool, but he'd settle for just wet,if it came with some shade.

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 01:01, Tue 07 Sept 2021.

A whole city and university supplied by teleportation?  That was incredibly reckless and irresponsible.  The Fox Tanasi elves knew some of the great arcane secrets of all history, but were wise enough to use third circle arcane magic sparingly.  All arcane magic was eventually unreliable.  You couldn't just keep teleporting in your daily bread and mead.  Sooner or later you would stammer, say the wrong word, or hold your fingers in the wrong position and blow a big whole in the side of your wizard tower.

One thing she knew about wizards in general, human wizards in particular, was the more powerful they got the more chances they took.  They were all incredibly bright, but that didn't keep them from making bad choices.  Pathwyn admitted they probably were poofing things into the city when they wanted them.

Why couldn't they just poof the books in and save them all a lot of time?

"Poofing you say?  Yes, that would explain a lack of caravans.  The lack of maps disturbs me more."

For a moment she toyed with the idea of surveying the land and producing a map themselves.  It used many of the same principles as seaborne navigation, so both she and Alvador would be well suited for the task.  However, without a royal patron or the like it just wouldn't be worth their time.  They had a wholly different task at hand.  It looked like they'd be buying horses after all.

"Thank you for your help, sir," she told the harbormaster.

She curtseyed before exiting.  There was no sense in wasting the busy man's time any further.

"The way I see it we'll each be buying our own riding horse for 80 marks," she said after they left, mostly to Birahu, who had brought up the subject of buying horses and wagons just before their visit with the harbormaster.

She did a little quick math in her head to figure out how many lapis lazuli she'd have to sell to get the marks.  Just about all of them was her answer.  Might as well cash in the garnet instead.

"So Birahu, what are your thoughts on this notion of wizards poofing in supplies?"

Just as she asked, Pathwyn spotted Hewney leaving the coin changer.  She smiled and waved him over to join them.

"A lazy waste of magic is what I'd say. I'm not powerful enough to teleport though, so I have to ride."

"Maybe check the market for a map?" Dak suggested.  "The harbormaaster might only care about the sea, but that doesn't mean there aren't any maps of the island at all.

"Then spend the night, get horses in the morning, and leave?"

He was happy they were getting horses and would be on their way.

Pathwyn nodded.  Maybe there would be a cartographer in the market.  It wasn't as far fetched as it sounded.  Port towns had much need of charts and maps.

"Alvador, Hewney, and Birahu have all stated the opinion that we should ride with Cimon's caravan as far as Yarrin.  It does sound like a good opportunity to gain information and allies.  Might be safer too.  It's only one more day to wait," she said to Dak.

She could understand his hurry, though.  They'd spent so long on the boat just waiting.

"As they all sail, there are cartographers, the sailors need charts. Cartographers should have a map of the land too."

Giving up on an early departure, Dak heads to the market to see if there are any local maps for sale.  Now that they weren't leaving for a few days, they had time on their hands.

Pathwyn will tag along on Dak's trip to the market.

Birahu will stay and read books if he is allowed to.

Now that the lodging had been arranged, Alvador sat at a table in the Blade Bone, enjoying a cioppino and bread.  He demurred at Birahu's request, advising that it would not do to draw attention to the cargo.

Perusing the markets, there did not appear to be any shops dealing in maps.  There were, though, a great variety of other shops in the area.

Dak kept an eye out for somewhere to pick up some supplies before they left.  They wouldn't need to get them today as they wouldn't be leaving just yet.

As they were now on their own, he also wanted to make a first hand look at the horses available.  Maybe give Pathwyn a chance to propose her resale idea.

"Let's take a look at the horses and see if they'll do the sale thing you wanted," he proposed.

Dak asked around for the stables and lead the way there for the elf to make her purchase proposal.

Seeing Pathwyn's wave, Hewney ambled over to rejoin the group. From there, he was willing to just wander about and discover what sort of vendors were about.

He kept his eye out for someone selling suitable hats. While he no doubt already looked like a well-browned sailor after the days aboard ship, he was quite ready to blunt the sun's force. And if they were going to be traveling overland soon, there were other supplies he'd need, like a good cloak, and a bedroll, for starters. And some travel rations, in case the hunting was thin, or there wasn't enough time for it. He was used to being only a day or two away from a town, and this trip sounded a bit more extensive than that.

Meantime, he didn't mind going to look at the horses, so he'd know where to go later. At the rate things were going, he was going to learn to do better than just sit atop the beast, pull the reins to turn or stop it, and thump it in the sides to make it go forward, just by virtue of repeated and prolonged interaction. Idlely musing on whether or not any of the others had displayed any real proficiency in riding, Hewney followed the group on over to the stables. It would be nice to learn what he was supposed to do correctly.

Pathwyn followed Dak and Hewney to the stables, determined not to let the owner swindle them.  She could tell Dak liked horses, maybe more than people.  He took good care of his horse during the time they'd been borrowing them.  He should certainly get first choice of the stock.

Birahu sits and worries about the books being soooooo close, but so far away! Grin and bear it he says to himself in his mind.

Inquiries led Pathwyn and the others to the same stables Birahu had visited earlier, near the West Gate.

Here, the stablemaster, met them.  There were seven riding horses--two dark bay, one blood bay, a dappled gray, two chestnut, and a palomino.

Upon entering the stable, Pathwyn gave the horses a quick looking-over to make sure that none were substandard, or at least that 5 of them weren't.  When she was satisfied, Pathwyn looked up at the master of the stable with a warm friendly smile.  She reached out her hand to offer a shake.

"Greetings Stablemaster.  I am Pathwyn na'Syviis of the Fox Tanasi.  Myself, Dak, and Hewney are members of the Forhorns, slayers of the Werewolf of Farnworth."

It felt good to brag on the team's accomplishments, and it sure couldn't hurt to build up an impressive reputation.

"We will be riding out with Cimon's caravan the morning after tomorrow, and we would like to do so on your horses.  We are in need of 5 riding horses.  Your asking rate of 80 marks per horse is acceptable.  However, we fully expect to return in a short time, maybe a month or so, to sell these horses back to you.  Assuming that we can all agree upon return that the horses are no worse for wear, we offer to sell them back at the price of 75 marks each.  This will net you a tidy profit of 25 marks, with no risk, and you will retain your full stock."

"What do you think of those terms, sir?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 04:55, Sun 12 Sept 2021.

Dak looked over the horses as the elf negotiated their release.  He was by no means a good judge of horses, but he could probably tell if one was limping or not.  That was probably as far as his judgement could be stretched.  And they should probably pick out the friendliest ones as well.

Otherwise, he liked the dappled gray one.

The stablemaster's brow furrowed as he considered the proposal that Pathwyn had put forward.

"Seventy, if they're returned within a month," he said.  "If it goes past a month, well ..."  He gave an expressive shrug, "I'll give consideration, but I won't be promising."

"Have him throw in tack and saddles for that price," Dak suggested to the elf within earshot of all.  He didn't want to step on her negotiations, but he wasn't sure if they were already part of the bargaining.  It's not like they were going to take saddles back on the boat with them.

He started gently lifting hooves to see what they looked like.  He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he'd seen other people do it.

Pathwyn wanted to haggle down the price difference, but with Dak's saddles suggestion and the time issue she didn't feel like she had a lot of wiggle room on price.

"We don't expect this to take a month, but it shouldn't matter to you if it's a month or three.  We'll be feeding, grooming, and taking good care of our steeds the whole time.  All that should matter is that we get them back to you in shape that you can sell them for 80 marks again.  That will be our responsibility.  All you have to do is live up to your buy-back price of 70 marks."

If the stablemaster agreed to the prices, saddles, and the vaguely open ended timeframe, Pathwyn asked him to write the deal up.  If he wasn't literate Pathwyn offered to write it up and have someone he trusts look it over.  They planned to buy the horses the next morning.  Pathwyn would also buy a horse brush, a small sack of oats, and a treat or two.

Mildly amused by Pathwyn's straight-forward bargaining techniques, Hewney idlely glanced at the available horses while watching the procedings. Dak's pointed reminder of making certain tack for the beasts was part of the bargain was a good one, though. The horses were a step shy of useless without their gear, given that only Pathwyn -- so far as Hewney knew -- was a particularly skilled equestrian.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:45, Tue 14 Sept 2021.

"Of course the tack goes with them," the stablemaster said.  "One month is all I can hold the space for buying them back."

From what Dak could tell, the horses looked like they were well-kept with neatly trimmed hooves and what appeared to be fairly new shoes.

Dak shrugged and nodded to Pathwyn as he patted the gray on the shoulder.  They needed to get around and the horses looked good to him.

Birahu is restless in the room. "What can you tell me about your group?" he asks his mate in the watch. (forget who is there.)

Pathwyn gave him a doubtful look at this claim.  He wasn't limited by the space in his stable.  Anyone who sold horses would have a ranch for breeding them.  Plenty of extra space at the ranch for excess stock.  If he didn't have a ranch nearby he should get one as soon as he could.  At the very least set up a deal with a local farmer or rancher.

But she wasn't here to tell the stablemaster how to run his business, much as she wanted to.  She let the stablemaster have his way on the timeframe and moved to getting the agreement in simple writing.  It would be wonderful to get back in the saddle tomorrow.

Having reached agreement, the stablemaster said, "I'll go get the scribe on this--we'll need copies for me and for you.  I'll have it ready on the morrow when you come for the horses."

"It's about as much as we said on the way," said Alvador.  "We've been traveling together for a short time before we took this journey.  Still, we seem to have come together well as a group.  Though we may find that we complement each other well with whatever hazards we might find on this new journey."

Pathwyn smiled and curtseyed to the stablemaster when they concluded their negotiations.  She would need to visit the money changer again to get 80 marks for the horse, but no sense in doing that today.

"Caravan hunting, maps, and horses...  our errands are pretty well wrapped up.  It's your lead now, Hewney.  Where to next in bustling Gulltown?"

Pathwyn was interested to see where Hewney would go.  Back in Shipton he really had a handle on the people and places, but here on Bragi things were just as new to him as they were to the rest of them.

There proved to be a hat shop, with a variety of hats from a wide-brimmed straw hat to hats of various types of cloth--from those which came close to the shape of the straw hat to something closer to a beret.

Since they were there, Dak tried on a few hats to see how they suited him.  If they were doing a lot of traveling, it might be prudent to get something against the sun and rain other than the hood of his cloak.

In the end, he picked out a wide brimmed cloth hat that complemented the color of his mulberry cloak.

"How does this one look?" he asked Pathwyn for her honest opinion.  He was sure Hewney would tell him it looked good even if it made him look like gullible foreigner.

Browsing through the hats, Hewney saw several that would do, and a few he liked. Ultimately, he settled on something practical, though: a broad-brimmed variety woven of some moderately stiff plant fiber. It had a string, so he could snug it down in a wind, or if it blew back it would simply fall and hang at his back -- but the string would rip loose from the hat if someone tried to use it to strangle him. No point giving an opponent an easy hand-hold, after all. It provided good shade from the sun, and would keep the inevitable rain out of his eyes.

Seeing Dak modeling a hat, he told the man -- in all apparent seriousness -- "That just needs some tiny tassels about the brim, Dak, and you'd have the ladies swooning for you."

As for next things he needed, he told Pathwyn, "I need a good cloak. Dak needs some competition. After that, some basic traveling supplies. I'm not usually more than a day or two from some village or town. I could go hungry that long if I had to, but more than that would have become a problem. I wouldn't know which direction to go here, to quickly reach someplace useful, if I had to leave the road.

"And perhaps while we're here," he added with a grin, "we can find more horse treats for you. As big as horses are, I don't think one or two is going to last you very long. They like carrots and radishes, I've heard, and those will travel well. I saw a herd get into to a farmer's melon field one summer, and they seemed to like melons quite a bit, but those would be awkward while traveling."

Pathwyn didn't like hats.  Well, she didn't like them on her.  She liked hats just fine when others wore them.  She didn't like covering up her hair, and she preferred feeling the sun, rain, and wind on her face.  Her light skin didn't burn or tan in sunlight like humans' did, so she was destined to spend another century or two growing slightly paler until she became an ethereal spirit and drifted off.



Pathwyn regarded Dak carefully.  It was strange seeing him in a hat.  She'd gotten used to him without one, but she tried not to let that skew her judgement.

"It's functional and the color works, but it's too big with that brim.  Makes your head look small.  A little smaller brim would be less floppy too.  That's a sharper look."

When Hewney commented about the tassels, Pathwyn slapped the mischevious half-elf playfully on the upper arm.

"Stop it," she giggled.

It hadn't taken 20 seconds upon entering the shop for her to spot the hat she wanted Hewney to choose, but she didn't say anything.  It turned out that he'd picked something totally different.

Pathwyn held her hand out in front of her with one finger up to stop Dak a moment before he looked at other hats.

"What do you want people to think when they see you in a hat?  Who do you want them to think you are?" she asked Dak, very curious to hear the answer.



"A cloak is an excellent purchase.  It will stay with you a good long time.  You'll get decades of use.  Personally, I can't go covering up this bodice and skirt over shiny chain look," she said to Hewney with a chuckle.

"Unless...  I got a modest priestly black double mantle cloak that covered me down to my ankles and then tossed it aside just before combat, revealing the whole archer priestess of Veja outfit.  'Eat arrows, evil doers!'  What do you think?"

Dak found a less floppy hat and thought about what the elf had asked.  He really just wanted a functional hat that didn't make him look stupid.  After that, he really didn't much care.

"I think if you shouted anything," he finally replied to the Blood Priestess, "you'd just be drawing attention to yourself.  Just let your arrows do the shouting."

Hewney raised an eyebrow at Pathwyn's suggestion any cloak would last him decades. It'd need some magical help to survive that long, even if he didn't end up losing it sooner. Tanasi fabric must be woven of something tougher than mere wool. And as for looking fetching... he'd rather be warm and comfortable.

He watched her advising Dak on his hat, but forebore to say more on the matter himself. The elf was likely enough of a challenge for the warrior to handle. The man's advise to her, however, made him laugh.

"I think that's the right way to do it, too." He'd seen enough to know that he'd live longer if his opponents never saw him coming. "I think my knives will get my point across convincingly enough."

Turning his attention to the shop's proprietor, he asked, "So how much for this one?"

Dak purchased his new selection and was ready to follow the others wherever they were shopping next.  He had no other plans in mind.  They could pick up supplies once they had the horses so he had nothing better to do before they left.

Birahu contemplated new ink and possibly another spellbook before they left town. But what is in the books and tomes! His curiosity ate at him!

The hats selected by Hewney and Dak were each three marks.

When returning to the Blade Bone, they would be able to enjoy a fine meal and the rooms that they had acquired for the night.

Birahu will go out and buy 6 empty vials and some spell components for his pouch. After he saw the hats of the others, he thought it might be a good idea to buy a wide brimmed hat to keep the weather from his face. He'll hold off on supplies for spell writing until he gets to where they were going.

Seeing Birahu head for the hat shop made Pathwyn wonder if they should change the name of the group to the Forhats.  She chuckled to herself, doubting that the name or the hats would work in their favor picking up mercenary work.  It didn't really matter now.  That ship had sailed, so to speak.

Pathwyn had to admit, the Blade Bone served a good meal.  After dinner she joined in the merriment, and sung a song or two if the crowd was so inclined.  Maybe she'd even sneak The Battle of Farnworth into the mix.  The Forhorns weren't the only crew leaving town the next morning.  She figured most of Cimon's people would be at the Blade Bone and the night before was always a bit of a party.  Pathwyn didn't stay up too late, however.  A real bed on dry land beckoned.  Sleeping would be in a bedroll with one eye open for the short term future.  Best to rest well while she could.

In the morning, after breakfast but before they bought their horses, Pathwyn stopped by the moneychanger to cash in her garnet (450 asil) for local currency.

In Birahu's shopping he found glass vials for 6 marks each.

In preparation for buying a horse, Dak visited the money changer as well with a white pearl.  He was looking forward to purchasing the dappled gray.

"How many days of food should we get," Dak asked of the elf.  "Two weeks, maybe?"

---

OOC: 450 Asil White Pearl.

Birahu puts on the black wide brimmed felt hat, it fit perfectly (Clint Eastwood style) it would be water resistant too! Excellent! He stowed the vials for spell components in with the actual components he carried. They would be handy in the future.

"You've got a better mind for bringing rations than I do, Dak."

As a navigator or a guest traveller and a mediocre cook at best, Pathwyn usually left the logistics of food to others.  Now here she was leading a small crew and suddenly responsible for them not starving to death on the road.  Little chance of a priestess of the hunt starving in the wilderness.

"But yes, it'll take about a week to get there and another back, so two weeks should do you fine if it's the sort that won't spoil.  I've still got enough cheese to get myself to Yarrin."

They had eaten all the mutton and flatbread they'd bought from Urard, but Pathwyn saved most of the cheese, knowing it would keep.

"So I'm going to wait and buy something fresh there.  Let The Great Wizards of Bragi University teleport us some food if they make us ride back."


At the stables Pathwyn read over the contracts and signed them if everything was on the level.  She paid for the palomino, a brush, oats, and some treats.

Dak made sure he was with the priestess when she went to get horses as he wanted to make sure he was part of the prearranged deal.  He purchased the dappled gray and then 2 weeks of rations for the road.

He made sure to get a good saddle that fit him, a clean saddle blanket, and a good leather bridle.  If saddle bags weren't thrown in, he'd get some of those, too.

---

Birahu chose the blackest horse for himself with saddle, blanket and bags plus harness and food and treats for the horse. He would help buy food supplies too, since he was the cook!

deducted 80 marks
This message was last edited by the player at 13:25, Wed 22 Sept 2021.

Before retiring for dinner, Hewney finished up his shopping, finding a dark green cloak, some basic travel rations, and a few other supplies.

Come morning, Hewney chose the bay with the least amount of white markings on it. Nothing like a big white blaze amid the leaves to draw the eye; he'd spotted some watchers once that way. Horses might not be able to sneak well, but he wanted to be able to at least hide his.

Spying on Pathwyn and Dak helped guide him through getting a saddle that seemed to fit (as best he could tell, anyway), a saddle pad for it to sit on, a bridle for riding the animal, and a halter for tying it with overnight. Good thing the horse was carrying it all, and not him.

It took some guidance from a stablehand to learn how to securely tie his backpack on behind the saddle, so it didn't fall off to one side or the other. Saddlebags would have been better for that, being designed for it, but this would work. Add in some brushes, and a crooked bit of metal to pick rocks from the horse's feet, and he figured he was set.

"Does he have a name?" Hewney asked the stablehand, before the lad moved off to help someone else. Dogs liked to have a name, and sometimes even came when called. Did horses do that, too?
This message was last edited by the player at 21:32, Wed 22 Sept 2021.

Birahu went shopping for fresh vegetables that would keep. Potatoes, turnips and mushrooms and carrots and cabbage and some cured meat to make a stew with. Beans and lemures and onions and leeks as well. They would eat good!

For horse names--feel free to name your horse.  If you want inspiration, try any name from:

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/horse_names.php

In reply to DM (msg # 244):

okay, trying to make it 'real'. ;-)

Pathwyn named her palomino Chantilly.  The horse doesn't know she's just a rental.

Happy to have a horse again and provisioned up, Dak was ready to join up with the caravan and get on the road to the university.  Although, if he remembered correctly, the caravan wasn't going to the university, and they'd need to figure it out from there.

Hopefully, they could use trip to learn the lay of the land and create their own map of Bragi to find their way.

As the group made their way around Gulltown gathering various supplies and purchasing horses and food, the morning of the 26th came, where Cimon could be found at the city's West Gate, driving the lead wagon.  There were another three that looked just like the first, all seeming heavily laden with goods.  Some twenty armed men looked ready to move into positions around the wagons, while there were two smaller wagons--less heavily filled, and from the appearances  belonging to people who had arranged to travel with Cimon's caravan for at least some part of the journey.

Pathwyn was surprised and impressed by the sheer number of Cimon's caravan guards.  There were more guards than Canibal's gang and Eliphas' men in Farnworth put together.  It worried her a little.  Were the Bragi roads that dangerous?  It could also be that fame and large cargos brought out proportionally larger and better organized packs of bandits, or maybe the show of deterrent force was the merchant's trademark and preemptively discouraged any attacks.

Long golden hair flowing behind her, Pathwyn rode Chantilly sidesaddle up to the front of the wagon train.  She loved how little noise the fine elven chain made under her bodice and skirt.  The armorer had done a fantastic job resizing it for her.

"Good morning, Cimon.  You have the Forhorns with you 'til Yarrin," she announced, loudly with a flourish of her left arm.

"Quite the army you have here," she added.  "Planning to fight a skirmish for a local lord along the way?"

Dak held back, letting their leader speak with the caravan master.  He had enough to do this morning without hand holding the rest of them.

The dappled gray was anxious to get going after its time in the stable and Dak held it back with a light hand.

"The road will be long enough without you trying to win the race," he said to it.  "You don't need to go spooking the big horses," he added with a wave at the larger draft animals pulling the big carts.

Birahu rode the black with some skill, but not a lot. Easy to see that he has ridden before, but he is no expert horseman. He rides with the rest of the Forhorns as they called themselves. He wandered what a Forhorn was.

"Dak, hate to ask, what the heck is a Forhorn?" he asked curiosly.

"It's from something in elven," Dak replied to the man of one color palette.  "Hewney and Pathwyn were talking in elven about our group and I thought they were calling us the Four Horns because there were four of us.

"It turned out they were talking about something else that just sounded like that, but we liked the name and that's what we started calling ourselves."

At least, that's how he recalled it's origin.  As he couldn't read in Calandian, it's spelling was beyond him.

"Ah, I wonder what they spoke of, I speak elven. Thank you Dak." He continued to ride beside Dak. "I want to thank you all for accepting me."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:41, Sat 25 Sept 2021.

"Keeps bandits well away," replied Cimon to Pathwyn, with a seated half-bow.  "Better to avoid trouble than need push through it.  Perhaps you'd like to give a bit of security to those wagons traveling with us?"

Once the five had settled into a place to ride in the group, the wagons started forward along the westward road from Gulltown.

Much to the dismay of his horse, Dak reigned him in to wait for the column to pass.  He then rode up on the far side of the trail wagons and rode abreast their first driver.

"We're just heading in the same direction," he explained.  "The caravan master suggested we ride alongside your wagons.

"I'm Dak and there are three more of us, plus one that's tagging along with us for a while."

Of the options, deterrence was the most comforting.  It's likely that hiring armed men was cheap here too.  She'd have to keep that in mind if they needed backup like they did in Farnworth.



"It's not too late for them to hire us, but with your battalion up here I'm betting they feel plenty safe."

Of course she planned to help if any of the wagons were attacked, but she didn't intend to make it official if the Forhorns weren't getting any coins for their services.  On the other hand, she did plan on talking with the owner(s) of the two smaller wagons on the off chance they were splitting off north at Yarrin.

Pathwyn waved to Cimon and let her horse drift back as the wagons and guards passed.  She saw that Dak was already talking to one of the wagon drivers.  She was going to ask Hewney to do that, but seeing Dak take the initiative was encouraging.  Maybe the hat was making him bolder.

She pulled Chantilly up next to the driver of the last wagon.

"Hello.  I am Pathwyn na'Syviis of the Fox Tanasi, currently leading The Forhorns, the five riders you see around you."

She asked a few questions, giving the driver or whoever else spoke up time to answer and make small talk or even ask questions of their own in-between.

"Is that wagon up ahead yours too?"

"Are you going all the way to the west coast and back with Cimon?"

"Have you travelled with his caravan before?"

"We heard some folk in Gulltown talking about The Crystal Caverns.  What are those?  Tourist attraction?  They sound beautiful."

Birahu rode beside Dak then Pathwyn, listening to the conversations, learning what he could of the Forhorns he now seemed part of. He would have to fit in and wondered what he could do. Cooking well for them would be a start! He was a chef and could make any food delicious!
This message was last edited by the player at 13:40, Mon 27 Sept 2021.

Hewney trailed along behind everyone else on Shadow, but drifted to the very back of the caravan, behind the last wagon. He could listen in on Pathwyn's conversation in the background, and still be free to focus his attention beyond the road.

As they left the town behind, he experimented with where to ride, to find the best place to keep the creaking and rattling of the wagons from totally overriding every other sound. It was unlikely any bandit would be fool enough to attack such a heavily guarded caravan. They'd have to be nigh unto an idiot to do it within an hour's ride of town. And that was ample enough time for him to sort out just where he wanted to ride.

"That's good to know," said the driver of the wagon addressed by Dak.  "Always good to have a few more in numbers when you travel, keeps trouble away, so they say.  Be turning north at Yarrin and heading into Arnor, if you'd be going that way."

Behind that wagon, Pathwyn had fallen in alongside the driver of the last wagon, and he gave her a broad smile as she joined.

"Just to Yarrin," he replied to the query about destination.  "Other folk, I heard they're turning up to Arnor when we get there."

"Don't know about any Crystal Caverns," he added to Pathwyn's additional query.  "I heard there was some long time ago, even what you'd think was long time ago.  Not sure anyone knows where to find 'em any more.  Might've got lost when some volcano go blowing lava and ash all over."

"I'm not sure where we're headed just yet," Dak replied to the driver without looking at the chest strapped down across the saddlebags behind him.  He'd let Pathwyn figure out if Arnor was going in their direction or not.

"Right now, this direction is as good as any," he continued.  "We couldn't find any maps of the island in the marketplace so we're just wandering at the moment.

"Perhaps you could help us, tell us of the big towns and where they lie.  I think one of my friends has some paper if you'd be able to help us put together a rough map."

Pathwyn raised an eyebrow.  There's only one other wagon.  Pretty obvious they're the other folk, and they're going our way.  Very promising!  Dak was probably talking them into hiring the Forhorns on as security at this very moment.

"Yes.  Volcanoes certainly can ruin a good tourist attraction.  That's a shame.  What sort of wonders are still around on Bragi?  Anything worth our time checking out?"

Those with the wagon that Dak was by said, "Mostly, you just follow the roads, don't get into too much trouble that way.  It's about four days to Yarrin, but there's a town we mean to get to each night.  Arnor is north of Yarrin, and Rhudarir north of that."

To Pathwyn, the driver said, "Well, I don't know that there's so much in the way of wonders, other than the University itself.  It's pretty tame up there, though maybe not quite as much as always.  That's why we're happy to be traveling with a larger caravan."

Dak tried to remember the towns and days for someone to write down.  It looked like they might have to make their own map.  He hoped all the roads had signs.  That would make it a little easier to get around.

"Here's hoping for a boring ride," Dak said in closing to the driver.

"A very boring time." Birahu repeated for good measure.

---

The journey had been quiet, moving along the road between the hills to their south and a forest to the north.  From Gulltown, their journey had taken them on Briar Glen and a pleasant little inn there, and tonight they were arriving at Camdorrus,  though the inn was located just across a very shallow stream, easily forded.

The inn had, in several years, grown to be nearly an independent village on its own.  The old Briar Inn, now built out of stone was surrounded by a number of wooden buildings which comprised stables, warehouses, and various businesses catering to the needs of travelers--farriers, wheelwrights, coopers, blacksmiths, and a tannery.  While it was not pleasant smelling in the least, this area was surrounded by a double wooden wall and seemed quite safe for the night.

Tomorrow, the group had learned, they would be reaching Yarrin.

"So we're breaking off from the main caravan tomorrow?" Dak asked quietly as they sat around their table at the inn.  He was pretty sure that was the plan.  Geography wasn't his strong point.

This island was definitely bigger than the last one they were on.  Places were further away from each other, but it didn't look like there were a lot of people.

Looking into his tankard and wondering just how they'd gotten that odd, but not unpleasant flavor in the ale, Hewney acknowledged a bit absently, "That was the plan." Shrugging -- he'd not really expected to see anything visible in the liquid -- he took another swallow, then looked up at Pathwyn. "That is still the plan, right?"

Birahu listened, Pathwyn was the leader, the others obeyed her implicitly!

Pathwyn could not shake the offensive smell at the Old Briar, inside or out.  This was not how you built a village.  You should put a pleasant town square in the middle with stalls and shops, maybe a shrine or guild hall.  Flowers would be nice.  Surround that with houses.  The tannery, slaughterhouse, smithy, and other stinky endeavors go a short hike downwind.  The only thing that gave her pause was the double city wall.  That meant just one thing - Raiders.  That's why they have to cram all their industry into the village center.  From what she'd seen so far Bragi was not as safe as the lands around Shipton.  At least danger is good for the mercenary business.

She nodded.

"Yes, that's the plan.  We're going north at Yarrin tomorrow, and from what I've heard one of the wagons is going north too.  Dak, did you talk to them about hiring us on as security?"

If Dak hadn't gotten a solid agreement yet she asked Hewney to gather a little information first.

"Hewney, can you talk to one or more of the guards Cimon hired and find out what they're getting paid as a daily wage?  We need some baseline to offer the merchant who is going north."

"Birahu, what sort of spells do you know that might be useful in defending a merchant on the road?"

Pathwyn planned to ask around to find out the name of the merchant whose wagon would be heading north at Yarin.

"I didn't say anything about where we were going," Dak replied to the elf.  "Just that they're headed to Arnor."

He was trying to keep their travel plans close as it wasn't anyone else's business.  Pathwyn was in charge of telling people where they're going.

"I have a sleep spell that can be useful!"

Hewney shrugged. "All right." He picked up his drink and stood up, looking first toward the table where he'd seen a couple of the caravan's off-duty guards. If they were gone and none of their fellows had taken their place, he'd wander on outside to find some of them. He was taking his ale, though, not being even half finished with it yet.

Pathwyn smiled and giggled a little.

"Another Somnumancer, huh?  Alvador has put that spell to good use for us," she said, nodding to the quiet mage.  "Can't have too many.  Anything else?"

It looked the prevailing curriculum these days was to teach every mage read magic, detect magic, sleep, and armor.  Not long ago the Evocation and Alteration schools were dominant.  Things change quickly when human are involved.

As Hewney began his wanderings, a few snippets of conversations could be heard floating above the general hubbub.  Talk of increasing bandit raids as one traveled north, odd weather fluctuations, and a few odd disruptions to trade.  All in all, it seemed a fortuitous time to make an introduction to the driver of the wagon which was said to be turning north at Yarrin.

If every wizard was taught that sleep magic, Dak really needed to find a way to combat it.  There had to be something that would protect someone from its effect.

"What will wake someone up from this sleep magic?" Dak asked the wizards.  He'd seen it used before, but didn't know how deep a sleep it created.

In reply to Dak (msg # 277):

"A swift kick in the ass will wake you, it isn't a deep sleep."

So some kind of jolt would wake someone up, but falling down from a standing position didn't wake them.  He'd seen that for himself.

It was something to think about.

As it looked like all the new wizard knew how to do was sleep, Dak looked to see if Hewney had found anyone to talk about caravan guard wages.  He agreed with Pathwyn that they needed to know what the locals charged.  If their group offered to work for too little, it would look like they weren't that good.  If they asked for too much, they'd be turned away.

Hopefully, the half-elf could find someone to ask.

Once he located some of the caravan's actual guards, Hewney gave them a nod and asked,"Might I ask you a question? I'm hearing a fair bit of talk about the inn of banditry and less... specific... trouble on the road in the direction we're going to be heading. I don't expect we'll have too much issue with it, but it might ceate some opportunities down the road for us. Is there a standard rate of pay for caravan guards?"

If there's another caravan present, he'll approach some of its guards with the same question, albeit after introducing himself.

The caravan guards, seeming to recognize Hewney from the days of travel, were friendly enough, allowing him to join them at the table as some cards had been brought out.

"Want in?" said the one holding the deck.

"Depends," said another guard, "if the caravan master is any good--he'll offer your board in any of the towns, and it's six querc a day.  Others, they'll give you a mark a day, but when you get to the inn, you're paying your own way."

"This far to the south," said another guard, indicating his interest in the game about to start, "not so much odd stuff.  Gets a bit weirder the closer you get to Corralis, so I like staying on the route with Cimon.  Been working his caravan five years now."

Dak saw the half-elf talking with a table of men.  He recognized a few from the caravan so it looked like progress was being made.

Pathwyn finished off the last of her barley soup and rye bread.  The low angle of light coming through the far window reminded her there was little time left for outdoor activities.  It was bound to get unsafe here after dark outside the walls.

She took out a small wooden box.

"My berry box has been empty for too long.  I'm going to poke around to see if there are any here for the picking.  I only need a few for the spell.  Does anyone want to join me for a little berry gathering?"

She had some idea where to find berries this time of year.  What she didn't know was if they'd be on someone's land, so she'd ask around when she got near.  She didn't mind handing over a few copper for the right to pick a dozen or so berries.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:20, Fri 15 Oct 2021.

In reply to Pathwyn na'Sylviis (msg # 284):

"I'll go with you. Spell components are important!" Birahu volunteers to accompany her on her berry hunt and get a little evening air.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:23, Fri 15 Oct 2021.

Dak had been about to join in the priestess' berry foray to alleviate the boredom, when the other wizard spoke up.  Picking berries in the gloaming with the elven priestess sounded romantic, but it really wasn't.  It was just picking berries.

And he'd rather sit with the last of their half elves in silence rather than suffer the musings of the errant wizard.  He raised his arm for another flagon of ale instead.

Pathwyn remembered seeing a small vineyard not far outside the wall, and decided to head that direction.  Maybe they'd find berries before reaching the vineyard, but even if they didn't there was a maximum distance for their trip.  They were sure to get back before sundown.  As a bonus, they were headed upwind which would reduce the offensive smell they'd have to endure.

"How much do you really know about the sleep spell aside from how to cast it?" she asked the dark wizard.

Birahu was a man of few words who rarely spoke more than a sentence at a time.  She wondered if she might be able to draw him into a deeper discussion about arcane matters.

"For example, why is it, with exceptions, universally successful?  The victim of an ice jet can sometimes leap out of way.  The strong of will can occasionally shrug off an illusion or suggestion, but not sleep.  It works every time."

She paused, to let the question sink in, but not long enough for Birahu to answer.  She would answer it herself.

"It's because the spell is celestial in nature, not physical or ethereal.  It works on the soul, not on the mind or body.  Doubly strange since since dreams are ethereal, but that's how it is.  That's also why it almost never effects elves.  We have spirits, not souls.  There's very little for celestial based charms like sleep to interact with without a soul.  It does beg the question as to whether half-elves have souls or spirits or both.  They are partly immune to sleep.  I'd say they have souls with spirit-like tendencies.  Souls don't last as long here in the material world as spirits, thus the shorter lifespans of humans and half-elves."

This pause was not only long enough for Biharu to respond, but she'd prod him a little if he didn't respond.  She had more to say once he stated his views on the subject.

"Now that we have another human in the Forhorns, we should plan our defense against enemy somnumancers.  As much fun as it might be, I don't want to rely on kicking you all in the ribs and skulls until you wake up.  Can you cast some sort of a counterspell?  Divine magic is often reversible due to the dichotomy of good and evil.  The dark and light can cancel each other out.  Could you do something like that if an enemy was casting sleep?"

"I've also heard of great heroes who develop an immunity to the spell.  I've been told that they become too grand for first circle magic to harm them, but I reject that as nonsense.  The simple blasts they teach journeymen mages still work against legendary heroes."

"Do they learn some fatal secret flaw in the spell through repeated experiences?  Do they gain celestial protection from gods or angels once they get important enough to warrant such attention?  I'd really like to know.  Surely the great wizards of Bragi University are mighty enough to have risen above the sleep spell, what with their teleportation and all.  Perhaps they'll let us in on the secret if asked nicely enough."

'Or tricked,' she thought.

In reply to Pathwyn na'Sylviis (msg # 287):

"There is no counterspell to Sleep that I know of, a swift kick is the only way to wake someone susceptible that I know of. I'm not sure why some simply fall asleep and other heroes are immune, I guess it is experience though I'm not sure. Teleport is a spell well beyond me, I just have a few spells of the First Circle, Teleport is fifth or sixth Circle. You have a well thought out theory though, I never thought about it.

"Bragi University will give me a chance to possibly learn a few new spells, though I may not be able to afford it."

"No counterspell that you know of," she said emphasizing the last part.

"This is magic, Birahu.  Anything is possible!  If you want to become a wizard of renown you need to think outside simply what's been taught to you and blaze your own unique trail.   You could discover or create such a spell, and where better to do that than a famous magical library."

"Of course, you need to consider whether a sleep counterspell would really be worth memorizing.  It certainly isn't nearly as flexible as the sleep spell itself.  Limited use for sure.  Perhaps there's a way to use a memorized sleep spell to counter another caster's spell.  Either way, Alvador would be a better person to discuss the details with than I.  He's rather expert on the subject."

Pathwyn stopped to examine a tree to see if its berries were edible.  Could she create Goodberries from berries that elves typically didn't or couldn't eat?  Some of them had no value.  Others would make you ill, cause you to lose your lunch, or even poison you to death.  Would a goddess' blessing turn worthless or bad berries to good?  She picked just one berry to test it out, then continued on.  At least this one wasn't the poison-you-to-death sort.

"I didn't think you were hurting for coin," she said.  He had bought a horse, after all, and those weren't cheap.

"If I'm at all able, I'll make sure this trip is more than a simple charity run.  You'll have gold for your studies.  I need gold for magical purposes myself.  I know some divinations, but the most powerful of them requires an expensive celestial focus."

She sighed.

"I don't want it to sound like I'm driven by avarice, but I know if The Forhorns are to really help people and do great deeds we're going to need more resources than we have now."

"We do have quite a few spellbooks already.  In addition to yours and Alvador's we also have Gwysol's and Eliphas'.  Gwysol was an enchanter, so his book alone should hold enough to last you the rest of your life.  I don't think you're going to need to pay the wizards of Bragi for lessons."

In reply to Pathwyn na'Sylviis (msg # 289):

"I have 230 marks, I'm not in the poor house, but we always need money. I will travel with you at least as far as Bragi, possibly further. I need continuous support too. I'll not always be a one trick pony. I'm learning all the time."

The fading light was not a difficulty for Pathwyn as she and Birahu made their way along the edges of the community.  Here and there, there were spiky bushes--unkempt and apparently mostly ignored, where some green gooseberries--that is to say, berries which were green in color even when ripe--could be found.

Pathwyn stopped at the first gooseberry plant.

"I can't use any more than 16 of this for my spell, but you're welcome to pick more if you get a taste for them."

She flicked away the bayberry she'd picked earlier and set about picking some of the larger gooseberries.  She could try casting the spell on the berries birds ate if things got dire or at a time when she didn't have to worry about an upset tummy.

Once they had gathered 16 berries, it was time to cast her spell on some of them right there on the spot.  She took off her necklace with the rose gold symbol of Veja and waved it over the little wooden box of berries.

"eless-berrime póre."

A few of the berries turned magical.  She'd try again in the morning.

"One of these will substitute for a whole meal if you're hungry, and they can even stop your bleeding or heal you.  Handy little things to have around."

If Birahu was ready, they returned to the inn.

In reply to Pathwyn na'Sylviis (msg # 292):

Birahu ate a few of the gooseberry's, "They make good wine!" he said. Ready to go back.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:51, Mon 18 Oct 2021.

"Sure," Hewney agreed to join the game, taking a seat in an empty space. He didn't figure it'd be too expensive, so he was willing to risk wasting some coin.

"Having the inn costs covered sounds good, so long as the place is half decent. What sort of weird stuff happens towards Corralis? Weather? Beasts?"

You want me to stay with you on a continuing basis, that is possible, an equal share of treasure and magic and all can be arranged I believe." he says to Pathwyn. I won't be a wizard of the First Circle forever. I will advance my knowledge considerably! It sounds like Alvador will be staying at Bragi University."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:50, Thu 21 Oct 2021.

"I don't know what Alvador's plans are, but whether he stays with the Forhorns or not, we welcome you to join us long term.  All loot and payments will be split up equally and fairly," she assured Birahu.

Other than hungering for arcane knowledge, Birahu struck Pathwyn as somewhat directionless.  It would do him good to join their group.  However, it did make Pathwyn wonder about the Forhorns' direction.  What was their long term objective, and what was their next move after delivering Gwysol's books to Bragi?  Some of that would probably take care of itself in unforeseen ways.  After all, they went to Farnworth never expecting to defeat a werewolf's gang, but they knew what they had to do when they saw it.  Still, their goals would be a good subject to discuss after they got to the university.

"Mostly odd beasts escaping from some experiment or another," one of the men replied to Hewney.  "Sometimes weather that just ain't natural."

"But lately, there been raids, bandits, making things tougher to the north," added another.

---

Pathwyn and Birahu returned from a successful berry-picking excursion, and soon it was time that those at the inn were being encouraged to turn in for the night.

In reply to DM (msg # 297):

Birahu slept on his purse, he slept well. He was finally being accepted into the group by some, but not all of them.

Dak was more than happy to turn in for the night.  He enjoyed riding alongside the wagons but it was still a bit tiring.  And they were early to rise with the caravan for the next leg of their journey.

A leg without the bulk of the caravan to deter aggression.  He didn't think they'd have trouble striking a deal with the wagons that split off with them from the main group.

Pathwyn had dreamed of her sister Beala, and a silver ring archery challenge back before they left Shipton.  At the end of the dream her sister suggested that she pray for her help.  Often since then, while lying in bed at night she thought about the dream.  Sure she missed her sisters, but she the more she pondered it, the more she felt it wasn't really about Beala.  It was about Veja.  In the morning she resolved to pray for Veja's assistance with arrows.

As the first rays of sunlight crept into the sky, not even high enough that the sunrise was yet visible over the walls, Pathwyn sat on the ground outside facing east with her holy symbol held out before her.  The air was not as acrid and sour in the early wisps of morning, but there was enough to remind anyone with a nose they were at The Old Briar.  It was no shrine.  Nature, if you could call this nature, would do for now.  There was earth and sky here, and that was enough.  Perhaps some day she would build and consecrate a shrine to Veja, but it sure wouldn't be here.

When her prayers were finished she took the little box of berries out, opened it, and waved her holy symbol over the gooseberries.

"eless-berrime póre."

Protecting the other four might soon require more than simple cures.  These blessed berries were a small precaution, but every little bit helped.

Pathwyn got up and went back inside the inn.  Only a few of the many caravan staff and guards that had packed the inn solid were stirring.  She waved to Dak.

"Have you seen Hewney about yet?" she asked him.

She was keen to hear what the half-elf had learned.

"I haven't seen him this morning," Dak replied to the elf as he took off his boot to dump whatever rock had hidden there.

"He was still here when Alvador and I turned in last night."

Dak had been tempted to join Hewney and the guards in their game, but he won more often than lost.  He'd found that winning often made others less inclined to share information, so he'd reluctantly left it to the half-elf to collect what they needed on his own.

Up in the stables hayloft, Hewney sprawled on a blanket and listened to one of the hostlers ranting furiously at his sister outside the building She wasn't ever going to find herself a husband, he thought wryly as he listened to the man extolling the sins of men in general, and caravan guards in particular, not with a brother who was that territorial. From the lass's brusque responses, none of what she heard was new to her, and she didn't particularly care what her brother thought of her choice of overnight liaisons. Hewney thought the man had best be careful. The young man had looked strong enough yesterday, but the lass had arms as muscular as Hewney's own. Milking cows day in and day out, churning butter, and then carrying tankards and trays all evening in the inn had put some good muscle on the wench.

Stretching, he noticed it was getting lighter outside. Time to get up. He was careful getting dressed, mindful of boards that might creak, and made sure to shake the hay off his clothes and rake it out of his hair. He took up the woman's blanket, too, giving it a rough fold and tucking it aside for her to collect later.

Picking up his pack, he moved quietly to the other end of the stable from the argument and down the ladder there to stroll out into the yard.

Pew. He'd forgotten how bad it smelled worse outside, without the scent of good clean hay to mask it. But he could also smell fresh bread and some kind of meat cooking, so that meant breakfast was ready. Stink in the air or no, he had an appetite. Humming to himself, he went into the inn to find the food.

Seeing Pathwyn and Dak, he smiled cheerfully. "G'morning to you. Find out what's for breakfast, yet?"

"Not yet," Dak replied to the half-elf.  "What did you find out last night about wages for caravan guards?"

Dak wasn't really interested in the wages, but it would come in handy to get some more of the local currency.

In reply to Dak (msg # 303):

Birahu came down well rested, everything packed up and ready to travel.

"Pay varies, some," Hewney answered Dak, lowering his pack to the floor. "A good deal is six querc a day, and the caravan master covers your board in towns along the way. Or some'll pay a mark a day, but you pay your own way if you stop at an inn."

He saw Birahu coming into the room, carrying his own gear. "They also told me there's 'weird' stuff that happens out towards Corralis lately," Hewney added, looking at Pathwyn to see how she'd respond to the news. "Strange beasts that don't look natural, sometimes weather that isn't natural. There's been an increase in bandits to the north as well."

"I doubt unnatural weather will be any match for your new hats," she said to Hewney and Dak with a grin.  "Strange beasts, on the other hand, those will probably need shooting and stabbing."

"Birahu, do you stab or shoot or both?"

Pathwyn was actually looking forward to some shooting.  It had been a good long while since their last action.  She made a mental note to remind Alvador that he had a sling.  She'd still never seen him use the weapon.  In fact, maybe they'd take a little target practice in Yarrin to make him feel more comfortable with the sling.

"I'll talk to the merchant who's going north at Yarrin.  See if we can get hired on as guards.  Hewney, what do you think about scouting the road ahead of the wagon if and when we get hired?  It would be nice to know about trouble before we ride into it."

She looked around to see if the wagon driver Dak had been talking to was around for breakfast.  If so, now was as good a time as any to discuss the matter.

In reply to Pathwyn na'Sylviis (msg # 306):

"I club with my staff. I'd like to learn to use a crossbow some day though."

Dak waved for a serving girl to bring them all something for breakfast.  They'd need to get back on the road and didn't have time to dawdle around.

The various wagon drivers and guards had also made their way down for breakfast, and soon everyone had a fine meal set before them--eggs, bread, a small bowl of stewed berries, and thinly sliced ham.

"I think that's him coming down now," Dak said, pointing out a man to Pathwyn.  "He's the one driving their lead wagon."

It was the man Dak had spoken to on their first day with the caravan and would be a good starting point for their offer of guardsmanship for the group turning north.

Pathwyn thanked and nodded to Dak.

The eggs wouldn't be as good if left to cool, so she scarfed down the last few bites before getting up and going over to the table where the man Dak pointed out was sitting.  Of course, she'd recognized him too.  She just wasn't sure if he was the merchant in charge of the wagon and its goods, or just a hired driver.

"Hello sir," she said, standing next to the table, smiling.

A little elf girl rarely looks intimidating.  Pathwyn can sometimes pull it off when she's got an arrow pointed at some vital part of your body.  For now she settled for a confident and friendly stance.  She's had plenty of practice shipboard getting male human sailors to take her seriously on words and body language alone.

"I'm Pathwyn na'Syviis of the Fox Tanasi, leader of the Forhorns.  We're a small, talented mercenary band out of Shipton.  I'm sure you've seen us riding along.  Dak tells me that you plan to split off from the safety of Cimon's caravan at Yarrin and head north.  Cimon doesn't need us with all these armed men he's hired, but I have a feeling you will.  The Forhorns can handle threats both natural," she said holding her left hand palm up. "And unnatural," she said holding her right hand up and balancing them as if they were a scale. "Either of which you're likely to encounter north of Yarrin.  What do you think about hiring us on as security as far north as you're going?"

Securing his pack to his mount, Hewney kept a watch on Pathwyn, hoping her queries paid off. Granted that they were going north either way, but he liked the idea of getting paid for it, too.

Of course, if the trader declined, that meant they could travel faster, not holding to a wagon's slower pace.

In reply to Hewney (msg # 312):

After breakfast, Birahu fastened his pack to his horse and got ready to move out, would he get paid to ride for a few days, that would be awesome. Then once at Bragi the chance to learn more spells! Maybe. He hoped!

---

The man who had been driving the wagon looked at Pathwyn as she spoke, and said, "True enough that we've been hearing word of dangers, and we're just going up to Arnor, but sure you'd be welcome enough after Yarrin.  Five marks for the lot of you for the way from Yarrin to Arnor."

It had been a short exchange, but Pathwyn took away a wealth of information.

"It's a deal."

She reached out her hand to shake on it.

"You can pay us the marks upon safe arrival."

She returned to the Forhorns' table to finish her breakfast and talk about the job.  Pathwyn kept her voice low and confidential.

"You all might've overheard that we've been hired.  It's only a day's worth of work, less than I was hoping for, but we need be alert, prepared, and professional."

"Our employer has done this run from Gulltown to Arnor before without trouble, probably several times.  He felt confident enough to risk the journey unprotected part of the way there and all the way back, but these unnatural threats are new since his last trip, and have him worried to the tune of 5 marks."

Pathwyn finished her ham.  It was a nice treat, but she would've preferred to eat it along with the eggs instead of after.  There was just something better about the combination.

"He didn't ask us to accompany them back to Gulltown.  I think he's waiting to see if there's really any danger between Yarrin and Arnor, and if we're worth hiring for the trip back.  Bad news for him on that second part.  Hopefully, he can hire other guards in Arnor if he needs them."

She rubbed a chunk of bread along the inside of her bowl to scoop up the last of the berries and sauce.

"He also didn't offer his name even after I told him mine.  That's odd for a merchant.  Merchants want everyone to know them.  Better for business.  There's a good chance he's just making a delivery for someone else.  If the delivery was prepaid that would explain why he's not worried about the unguarded return.  No cargo or payment to lose."

"OK, let's talk combat tactics.  If there's a fight, we want them to come to us.  The first stage of combat should be arrows, crossbow bolts, and sleep.  If they weather that and close I want Dak and Hewney to cut them off.  Remember, we're not just there to win the fight, but to keep the wagon and our employer safe."

She looked at the mages.

"Two sleep spells each?", she asked as much as suggested.  "Can either of you cast a spell to protect Hewney when the time comes?  We'll need his daggers on the front line with Dak, and he'll be a lot more effective if he doesn't need to worry about getting cut to ribbons.  What other magical support do you suggest?"

"Alvador, don't forget your sling.  If you've exhausted your useful spells, look for a target you can pelt without hitting Dak or Hewney."


Even though the job wouldn't begin until tomorrow, Pathwyn was excited.  Adventure awaited!

Dak appreciated that Pathwyn had excluded him from the targets of opportunity list.  However, he was still uncomfortable with all of the sleep spells to be thrown around.  He'd be doubly sure to throw his javelin first before getting anywhere near someone they might try to put to sleep.

"I can ride towards the front of the wagon," Dak proposed.  It seemed like a good place for him.

In reply to Dak (msg # 317):

"Would an armor spell work on Hewney? I can forego it myself, I won't be in combat."

"What does an armor spell do?" Dak asked, despite himself.

He was picturing the half elf suddenly clad in a suit of clanky armor as he tried to dash up to a bandit.  It didn't sound very useful.

In reply to Dak (msg # 319):

"It envelopes him in an invisible suit of armor, about as strong as Scale mail Armor I think! No noise, no weight."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:45, Fri 05 Nov 2021.

Pathwyn nodded.  She knew about the Armor spell.  Birahu was underselling it a bit.  The spell was even more effective than leather armor.

"That's perfect, Birahu.  You can cast it on Hewney tomorrow morning before we leave."

"It's good protection," she told Hewney.  "But be aware that the spell can only take two or three hits before it's shattered."

---

13:28, Today: Pathwyn na'Sylviis rolled 3 using 1d20.  Spellcraft (10 or lower).

In reply to Pathwyn na'Sylviis (msg # 321):

"It will last all day unless you are hit, so do you want to wait for trouble to appear for me to cast the spell, or cast it now."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:44, Fri 05 Nov 2021.

Not entirely certain about submitting himself to an unfamiliar spell, Hewney nodded a bit warily. While the mage was still a bit of an unknown, he trusted Pathwyn enough to accept her word. He'd never had much need for armor before, but he was a long way from home now, and no longer working primarily alone. He wasn't going to be able to simply sneak past trouble the way he was used to doing.

Maybe they'd get lucky and the remainder of the journey would be as quiet as the first part. With that hopeful thought, he swung himself aboard his horse, ready to go.

Dak was more than happy NOT to have a spell cast on him.  Let someone else be the fish bait.

He finished up breakfast and headed out to ready his horse.  Another day in the saddle.  He found it much more pleasant than the long shipboard journey.  It was odd for him to think of it that way, but he'd just never had anything to compare it to.

Traveling was much better than staying in the same small village doing small things for the rest of his life.

With her breakfast finished, a job in her pocket, and the prospect of both a pleasant horse ride and leaving the smelly Old Briar behind, Pathwyn was in high spirits.  She quietly sang a song about an angel benevolently meddling in her affairs as she gathered her gear and made her way to the stables.

"Chantilly," Pathwyn said to the Palomino.  "Tomorrow might bring bloodshed and battles against unholy creatures, but today," she patted the horse on the shoulder.  "Today is a good day."

"Romra" he says and makes a few motions with his finger while holding a oiece of leather, and Hewney gets a glitter about him and he is protected by Armor until it is defeated.

First wiggling his fingers, then moving his arms a bit, Hewney wondered if the spell had worked, flashy sparkles notwithstanding. That faded quickly enough, but even before it did, it didn't feel as if he were wearing any armor. He wasn't about to question the mage on it, though; that sounded a bit too much like looking a gift horse in the mouth.

So he simply gave Birahu a polite nod and said, "Thanks. I appreciate the help."

PM

When Pathwyn first saw Birahu casting she opened her mouth to stop him, but then changed her mind and said nothing.  She had planned for Hewney to be protected tomorrow.  Today should be a relatively safe day of travel, what with a score of armed men all around them.

There was much wisdom in what Birahu was doing.  Not only was there no harm in casting the spell a day early, but it could come in very handy.  Additionally it would free up one of Birahu's spell slots tomorrow when they were most likely to face danger.  If she had known earlier that Birahu had the Armor spell in his repertoire she would've asked him to cast it on Alvador and Hewney before they even stepped off the boat.  Sure he had already cast it on himself.  Right?

---

OCC: "Romra"  Very Zatanna of you!  :-)

Once breakfast and spells were out of the way, the caravan continued on its way to the next town.  While there had been plenty of animal activity along the areas within sight from the road, it seemed that any bandits were well and truly warded off by the size of the caravan's guard contingent.

They arrived in good time at Yarrin, a town with a square that was dominated by a statue of an iron gelded horse (though it appeared that the gelding was something that had taken place well after the statue had been first placed).

The town, like the one previously, was walled, although it did seem a cleaner place than where they had spent the prior night.  Most of the entertainment in the inn seemed to be at various tables where dice games were being played.

Dak wandered over to the gaming to see if it looked like something more than just chance.  He much preferred cards over dice.

Pathwyn did not partake in the games.  She loves chance and randomness, but she dislikes losing more than she enjoys winning.  For a while she contemplated how she might cheat at such games, but doing so without a good reason didn't strike her as befitting a priestess of Veja.  She noticed Hewney contemplating too and wondered if he was also thinking about ways to rig the game in his favor.  Pathwyn smiled.  She decided to bend his ear a little.

"Astragalomancy," she said to Hewney and paused as if it were meaningful all on its own.

"That's divination using dice.  I could be an astragalomancer, but to set up an honest-to-goodness conduit between my questions and the goddess' answers I'd need special dice.  Very expensive special dice, that is.  I'm not sure why Veja wants to price the non-wealthy like me out of the divination market.  She's a nature goddess, after all, not some gnomish god of trade."

Pathwyn shrugged.

"We're you thinking about how to cheat at these dice games?" she added quietly.