Pantelis finishes his song and seeing the smiles takes a slight bow. Afterward he takes up his pipes again and begins another song, this one a soft and soothing tune suited for eating, one that would not be out of place in the households of nobility in far off Athens.

OOC:
21:39, Today: Pantelis rolled 30 using 1d20+13.  Perform (pipes).

After the two hunters brought back the kill they made, Yngvar built the fire up and salted the meat to taste and added a few spices as well, there would be a feast tonight at least. When all was done, he helped the women clean up and found a dry place to sleep the night. He was worried.

It was nice to hear the noise of merriment. Cassandra suspected it had been a long time since the village folk had been so well fed and happy. She was of course aware that with them staying there, the chance of the Gods sending violent forces here was much greater, but if they were lucky nothing would happen tonight

In the meantime she kept up her watch

Anstice watches Garvarius's arrow find its mark in the chest of the animal. She follows it up with a stone from her sling. Finding a strike on the flank of the animal. She doesn't break cover as it starts away. Focusing on seeing how it moves and deciding how far its going to be able to flee with injuries. As it stumbles and falls about 100 yards away she moves towards it pulling her dagger to slit its throat before starting to setup for field dressing and preping the animal to be ready to move it, "That was a great shot Garvarius." Moving through the preparatory work quickly and efficiently. Its clear she has done alot of hunting and preparation in the past.

Dusty gave a hard glare at the two new comers, giving them a look up and down. His smile turned, faded away as the offered wine, blessed by Dionysus, was rejected. Not really hearing any true questions, but a line of statements, he turned his back on Eleni and Aetius. "There is the door, get out....and take your Sun King trash with you (pointing to Tito and Melua)." A smile slowly grew back on his face as he began helping other villagers to free wine and what little food he had.


Garvarius and Anstice returned to the cheers and tears of joy from the many of the villagers. They begin cooking the deer at once and as the night went on a small feast of deer began and as Pantelis played on his pipes, people even began to dance. To many, it was the greatest music ever heard in their lives. As villagers began to cut off pieces of meat, the group knew nothing would be left by dawn. Two young women sit close to Pantelis, watching him lovingly.


OOC: Feel free to post as if your in the space time now. Things are a bit timey-wimey, but I'll work it out in post.

Exhaling slightly at Dusty's reaction to the pair who had surrendered Aetius shrugged, "It's your inn. And given these two surrendered shortly after Kimon and his other fellows were slain I don't think they'll be considered amongst the Sun King's followers by any of them anymore." Despite saying that he indicated for the pair to follow him. Getting them outside and remaining with them would not be a good look for him but giving Eleni space without them to work was more likely to get things going in the right direction Just like mentioning the fate of the most significant of the Sunk King's people hereabouts would hopefully get her a second chance at a first impression. Of course she might think it better go give the man some space first but that was down to her, the best he could do was minimise distractions.

Once out there he looked to the others putting their various efforts in around the village and shifted his direction to put himself away from the inn and any clear throughfares to take a seat. Looking between Tito and Melua he spoke, "Where did the Sun King recruit the pair of you then?" That was not the last question he asked but he kept his tone mild through the quiet interrogation, looking to try to actually get some idea of the pair that they were likely going to have to keep company with for a while longer given the reaction of the innkeeper. While he did that he kept an eye out for any who int eh wake of the group's arrival who was heading outside of the village, given then had the possibility of heading off to inform others.

When the hunters returned or any of the others he travelled here with looked like they were in need of assistance he rose to check if his help was wanted. Otherwise outside of the conversation with the pair he kept himself apart from anyone else.

While he cooked, salted and spiced the food, and afterwards when he helped the women clean up, he kept a friendly conversation with the women. Asking about their families, their children and husbands. How many were lost when the Sun King came and all about those events too. He was saddened by the loss and the destruction and how the idiot left them all with nothing to die. He asked if they planned to stay here, or move to the next town up the river

"Artemis has graced us all with the gift of her Sacred Animal. Let it sustain all who need food. I implore you all to make sure that those that need food get some as well." Anstice focus as the feast begins is keeping the hide in good condition. Pulling it aside to act as the offering to Artemis from this Hunt. As she works she eats one of the berries trusting them to feed her and allowing the starving villagers as much as they can enjoy. She asks one of the women, "Is there a person among you with skill in the care and creation of works of leather. I wish to turn this hide in an offering to Artemis to thank her for her aid in the hunt this night."

Malvolo was glad for the people. There was an extraordinary amount of work to be done yet if this village were to be saved. Much less the whole island... That even assumed the island was home base for the Sun King, though it would make sense to be the case.

Arachne spun her glassy thread onto her loom, occasionally stopping as though her attention were grabbed for a moment. Malvolo spread his bed roll. He ate some of his own rations to spare the food for the village as well. Night was approaching and villagers likely took up rooms in the inn.

It prickled in his mind a bit but he had no doubt they would confer in the morning about what to do next. They had arrived with little sun left after all. He hoped he remembered everything that bothered him in the morning, and they were all alive.

Eleni gives Dusty some room as the others leave. She wasn't ready to give up, and hoped they would be able to help these people. Once those present had the opportunity to get the wine, she re-approaches Dusty. "I apologize for the earlier offense, I merely wanted to be at top condition if more agents of the Sun King arrive here. If you are still offering, a cup of wine would be lovely. The Sun Kings minions attacked us here, and thus he is not our friend. If you have any information that might help us rid this island of the Sun-King it would be most welcome." she explains. She tries to appear contrite and apologetic.

OOC:

23:14, Today: Eleni rolled 34 using 1d20+16.  Diplomacy.

Cassandra was still outside the village watching the merriment from her tree. And watching for anyone slipping away, or any outsiders coming to attack

Garvarius smiled with a little bit of pride as Anstice and himself brought back the deer for the village. Has he sat by the fire where it was cooking the smell of the meat made him hungry, as Yngvar seasons the venison as it cooked. Still, he waited until the villagers had their share, before partaking in some of the meal. "Yes, we were blessed with a good hunt...Yngvar, where did you learn to cook?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:53, Mon 20 Feb 2023.

Yngvar just smiled in reply, "Here and there, since I was knee high." As he cooked, he consoled the widows and orphans, building a relationship with the women and kids. He hoped for a warm night of snuggling, the air was cold to his bones last night and he didn't want a repeat. Body warmth being the object, not sex. That he didn't care about at the moment.

He fetched and carried for the women, taking care of them and then helping to clean up.

As the night carried on, the stars shined in the dark clear sky above. The smell of wood, meat and wine came to pass, and Pantelis played on his pipes to the adornment of the village. Malvolo sat back and eat some of his on rations, while Anstice, Garvarius and Yngvar prepared the deer. One of the women named, Dorothea, a old Tanner by profession takes the hide from Anstice. "We will make a worthy hide for Artemis."


Tito and Melua shrugged to Aetius, "Kimon forced us to do it. We should have asked Dusty for help, but we where....scared. Kimon knew not to mesh with Dusty and Dusty always hid himself away when the Sun King came around....We didn't want to do it, but it was better than starving." The pair spoke each in turn, finishing off each other's sentences.



Dusty looked up at Eleni, staring at her eyes for a moment before relaxing. "Ok baby. Let us drink together and talk about the Sun King problem....where the river springs forth, high on the mountain top, there is a temple. Hard to get to I hear. I myself thought about taking on this Sun King, but I'm retired and well passed my prime. Do you think you can stand against him and his horsemen?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:12, Tue 21 Feb 2023.

Listening with interest and a measure of sympathy Aetius noted, "You won't be the first or last to make mistakes, especially while hungry." That the bartender was capable enough to keep one of the Sun King's underlings in check while also being able to avoid the the fellow when he was around was telling. His attention focused again on the matter of them being fed which of course would be the logical tool to keep people loyal who were enforcing the Sun King's will. They would need to be anyway to be in fighting shape. But that would suggest then that if there was not a supply of food here then there must be some provided on a regular basis for Kimon and any others who had worked with him.

"Where did the food Kimon provided you with come from? And for that matter which house was his?" There were still some possibilities for hunting down information from here even with the fellow who had the most already dead.

Cassandra was still up her tree checking that things were alright

As the day begins to dawn, Tito and Melua take Aetius to Kimon's home. Ransacking it, you find 78 Rations. Hardtack, dried meats and fruits. A Spyglass, Masterwork Short Sword, 83 Gold coins and 6 Deep Blue sapphires.

The birds begin to sing, the village begins to slowly get to the bussness of the day. You find yourselves well rested and ready to continue your journey if you so choose.

OOC: game on! :)

Eleni takes the drink and has a sip. It's surprisingly sweet and catches her off guard. She expected cheap watered down wine, but this could be served to nobility. "I think it is my responsibility to ensure the imbalance here is corrected. In this case, they means letting your people prosper by removing the Sun-king problem. Any information on his numbers, his assistants and their abilities, and any details on his temples layout would be very helpful. I can't promise we will succeed, but I will try to help. I don't think he will let my companions and I leave after taking down some of his people. I think we wrecked here for a reason, and this just might be part of it."

Yngvar woke from his sleep and tried to unentwine from the two widows that spent the night in the comfort of his arms. They had crawled under his blanket to keep warm and to comfort their grieving. He had done his best to comfort their losses, they were good women and did not deserve the trouble the Sun King had brought them. He would take them to the next town if they wished, later, or they could rebuild here. He would leave them a little gold to help.

He spent an hour with his spell book to prepare for the day.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:13, Thu 23 Feb 2023.

The following day, relieved to find confirmation that Kimon had left the food here, Aetius informed the rest of the group of that discovery, leaving it to those who the locals were more at ease with to distribute the food within though he did note that it might be wisest to bury any gold or jewels the village kept hold of till they needed it. Aside from that he suggested taking the the spyglass and weapon with the group, the latter because it seemed leaving weaponry about the village was only likely to attract negative attention if found by the Sun King or any of his fellows.

Taking no food for himself from the find he did pass a couple of day's portions on to Melua and Tito but otherwise in the morning he was waiting on the arrival of Cassandra to see if any had left the village while she watched or Eleni to see if Dusty had been able to give her any more information since thus far it seemed none of the others had found fresh details for them to pursue in their time here. Otherwise he passed the time preparing to leave, returning the assorted gear that had been taken off overnight back to Astera, Theoros' steed, finishing preparation of his own magic for the day and once everything else was done working his way through a slow series of drills a distance away from the general crowd of the village.

A sleepy Cassandra came in for breakfast. She'd tried to stay awake the whole night, and had mostly succeeded, but it was always hard to be sure when you were the only person watching. Grabbing a bite to eat she relayed the news about what was upstream

"Not a lot found. No habbitation that I found between here and the mountains." she shook her head quietly at Aetius's unasked question. "I didn't find any clues to where the Sun King is. Sorry."

Malvolo would want to get a move on as soon as they had any tactically relevant information on the Sun King's minions, "Once we secure safety then a broader analysis of resources and damages versus possible improvements can be done. I imagine there are other villages similarly troubled by the local tyrant. The people can work together to help each other and undoubtedly new resources will be found as the island is secured." he pressed for ending the Sun King and horsemen as quickly and as safely as possible then they could assess larger issues and get people the help they needed efficiently.

He helped heat breakfast foods and start morning fires with limited exposure to the flaming gauntlet while Arachne wrapped up the last of yesterday's threads into a fairly small rectangle.

His next statements may assume some additional conversations with Dusty but
"No one else found him either but if there aren't any large groups in wait up river, with an better timeline of how often and how long ago this place was attacked or demanded tribute from... We get something of an idea of how much they likely move around and just how far they may go. At least we can start watching or investigation of their nearest stronghold."

When Anstice prepared at midnight she focuses maximizing food production for the day. As people start discussing what to do next and what the plan is she speaks up, "I think a day or two more here would be helpful. Well we cant fix everything I have a theory of how to give them a short term solution to help with the food problems while other issues are dealt with." She reaches into her pack and pulls out a full size fishing net, "I want to see If I can set this up as a trap on the river. The river cant support 50 people by itself but it could be used to give them a consistent source of food for awhile. Meaning the hunting and gathering on other fronts might hold them out longer. One Deer is a good band aid but I cant rely on that kinda support from the goddess every hunt. "

Yngvar helped the women in preparing breakfast for everyone, leftover meat and bone from last night would start a nice stew, with some roots and vegetables it would be delicious.

"If anyone needs me, let me know, as long as we're here, I'll make myself useful with cooking and such."

Cassandra listened to the others. Nodding at Marvello's comments on strongholds "I can certainly do a bit of looking around in the next couple of days. If there's anything significant within... twenty miles of here... I should find it"

"It's good of you all to help these people. They certainly need it. Just remember that being here will attract attention. And then they will get caught up in the fight. And ... well ... you know what will happen when that happens"

"I think I'll catch a nap until noon: I've been awake all night. Then I'll go do some more scouting."