Booth laughed.  "This isn't farming."  Although, now that he thought about it, kill a man, bury him and grow some mushrooms there made sense.  Maybe that is some sort of underground code word for murder.  "I think she meant to say 'make friends.'"  He just wished he was certain of that.  "Dwarves have a reputation for fine ale, I'm certainly going to do my best to make friends."

"I heard these worms are big.  Real big.  Dig tunnels big enough to walk through big.  Why would something that big need poison?  In the sea, it's the little guys that have that kind of survival mechanism to fend off larger predators.  What the hell hunts a Purple worm?"  He liked Elodie's idea of bait and poison.  But if this thing could poison, it was probably immune anyway.  Trying to fight something like this was going to be a challenge.

"Deuxclaw, what do you know about his hammer?  Is it a real weapon we can use or just a key?"  He was hoping for something that would be useful for more than just luring a Giant out and opening a barrier.

Elodie smirked and stepped closer to Booth, wrapping an arm around his waist at the mention of socializing.

"Make friends? Not without me, you're not. I've heard all the stories about 'dwarven hospitality' to tall, comely strangers." She gave him a wink, then went on. "As far as why they have it...they are from the deep dark beneath the earth. Maybe there's things bigger than them. Or maybe it's like dragons and spiders with their fire and liquefying poison. Aids in digestion."

A sagely - or rather, resigned - nod was given on the mentions of cultivating a relationship with the Governor and Dwarven affairs.  "Dwarves and Elves are both long-lived peoples, and their societal behaviors reflect that.  It takes a lot of time and effort to invest yourself into their good graces in any significant way.  Not like with Humans, where a single kind gesture or a shared drink can make a friend for life." she wasn't entirely certain how the others' future investments were set.  Jurassic and perhaps Tauroak were obvious, but Booth and Elodie were another matter.  Her own, however?  She had literally all the time in the world, so getting in on the ground floor of a conjoined Dwarven/Elven business venture was something she'd never dare pass up on.

"I heard these worms are big.  Real big.  Dig tunnels big enough to walk through big.  Why would something that big need poison?  In the sea, it's the little guys that have that kind of survival mechanism to fend off larger predators.  What the hell hunts a Purple worm?"

"As far as why they have it...they are from the deep dark beneath the earth. Maybe there's things bigger than them."

Zoccola's tome once more came out as she flipped through the pages in search of information once more.  "Well, for one thing, pretty much everything that lives below the surface is either venomous, resistant to poison, or both.  Just a commonality of the area.  But in the grand scope of things?  Purple Worms are the little guys in need of a survival mechanism." she mentioned as she turned the book over to show a few illustrations of different animals.  A broad-winged bird, a tortoise of some kind with a rocky growth on its shell, some kind of centipede... unremarkable on their own, until one looked close enough to notice the scale and perspective legend assigned to each.  The bird being so enormous that it held a blue whale in its claws like a hawk snatching a little river fish.  The tortoise having entire flocks of full-grown dragons nesting in the mountain range set upon its shell.  The centipede arched like a living bridge across entire islands, using them as stepping stones to cross an ocean.  "It's a very big world out there."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:45, Mon 06 Dec 2021.

"I've never seen it myself, so I can't say for sure what style of hammer it is. Every tale I've ever heard about it is in reference to it being the key; that, the stories had in common. The physical description of it though, that changes with every telling. I've heard tale of it being a wee thing like a jeweler would use, and every variation you can fathom, up to a massive war maul. It's of dwarven make and legend, and told of dwarves who were builders, so I'm more inclined to believe it fit for a tool."

Tauroak knew a fair amount of information about the creatures of the world, but the evolutionary paths of the purple worm were not a part of his tool kit. So he stayed quiet on the worm.

He looked over at Jurassic and asked, "How do you cultivate a person?"

Jurassic just looked completely confused. "I've not a clue Tauroak. It must be some sort of human idiom, but I am at a loss to it's meaning."

"It must be some sort of human idiom--"

Zoccola's eyes shifted over to Booth and she took a breath to comment, but stopped herself.  "Nah, too easy."

"As far as the Hammer is concerned, it's probably all of the above.  Certain types of magical item can change shape and size to fit their wielder, so it's likely the Hammer's going to be in the form that best suited whoever it was last attuned to." When it came to magical items, there was no better person to ask than an arcane inventor.  "Honestly, once we do get our hands on it, I'd much rather study it a good long while before we actually make use of it.  I want to try and reverse-engineer its enchantments just in case anything goes wrong."

A well-manicured hand raised to touch at the necklace worn double-looped around her throat; it had been much larger and better suited to a Human's scale when she bought it, but shrank to a fit once she'd taken time to acclimate to its enchantment.  "And speaking of magic items, I'd appreciate it if you call could help me out a bit while we're here.  If we can't safely return to civilization and if there aren't sufficient resources here in The Root, we'll have to rely on crafting our own equipment and gear." she noted as she flipped through her tome once more.  "I can manage the enchanting process for the most part, but I'll need a workshop - if any of you have any craftsmanship skills, it'd help a lot as well.  Let me know if there's anything you want and I'll see if I can manage it.  For the immediate future, I'd like to focus on potions and getting some flight-capable gear for us all."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:54, Tue 07 Dec 2021.

Booth patted Elodie on the hand.  “Not tonight sweet cheeks.  We’ve all been cooped up for too long.  I’ve gotten to know you.  I should get to know them.  Time for a guys night out.  Jurassic, Deuxclaw you coming?  Let’s see what this place is like.”   This would be a new experience.  He doubted they would meet another human.  He wondered if these dwarves were going to be all reserved or had a wild streak.  It would also be good to get to know the two new members better.

It sounded like Zoccola had some research planned.  Yea, not his thing.  That gave him time to see what was what here.

The goliath sighed and followed Booth, hands clasped behind the back.

I would like to use Eyes on Me, my background feature.
Your accent, mannerisms, figures of speech,
              and perhaps even your appearance all mark you as foreign.
              Curious glances are directed your way wherever you go, which
              can be a nuisance, but you also gain the friendly interest of
              scholars and others intrigued by far-off lands, to say nothing
              of everyday folk who are eager to hear stories of your homeland.
              You can parley this attention into access to people and places
              you might not otherwise have, for you and your traveling
              companions. Noble lords, scholars, and merchant princes, to
              name a few, might be interested in hearing about your distant
              homeland and people.

The very idea of another round of chaotic wandering from one of Booth's drinking nights made Zoccola groan into her palm.  Why did he think that all men wanted to do that for fun?  "It's like he doesn't even remember what happened last time he ran off for this nonsense..." she muttered under her breath.  While Booth had taken Krak and Red carousing on the town in drunken revelry, pursuing assassins had cornered her and Elodie.  Very little of their situation had changed at all and they'd just received a warning that it was going to get even worse, yet there he was running off to pickle his liver again...

"Longshanks, just... don't cause a bunch of chaos, okay?  Bad reputations and grudges last even longer than good relationships do among Dwarves and Elves.  I really don't want to have to bail you out of jail in the morning." the Goblin sighed.  "Besides, there's going to be real Dwarven spirits being served around here.  The stuff produced by the Estate kitchen gets the taste right, but the kick is a whole other matter.  Don't go accidentally killing yourself with a flagon."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:13, Tue 07 Dec 2021.

“Hey, it’s me.  You’ve got nothing to worry about.”  Booth made friends, not enemies.  Besides, he didn’t think they even had a jail.  Not that Booth had any history of spending any time in jail.  She must not know how to do things right if that was her idea of fun.  Goblins…

“Let’s see what this place is about.”  The sailor would like to scope the camp out.  What’s for trade.  What services are provided.  How many taverns.  Are magic items, tattoos available here?

Tauroak looked around to the others to see what plans everyone had. It had been quite some time since he last had a night out with the boys. Come to think of it, the last time it had happened was a midnight hunt in your choice of prowler forms, and the night he had seen the giant elk he had modeled himself after during the fight with the cyclops. There had been drinking that night, but not of alcohol.

The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and give Zoccola some reassurance, "I'll keep him from taking things too far, and cleanse the poison from his liver if it gets too out of control."

Booth's reassurances clearly did nothing at all to help Zoccola, but Tauroak's at least got a grateful nod in return.  The Dwarf and the Goliath each had a good head on their shoulders, so surely they could handle Booth, right?

"Thanks." she sighed, then looked over to Elodie with a helpless shrug.  "Y'know, we never did get that dinner-and-a-show.  Wanna find some way to occupy ourselves in the meantime, El?"

"Oh, and to answer your question before, Zoccola, I know my way around plants and herbs, and the herbalists' tools. In my younger days I helped with rebuilding homes and fortifying walls. I don't know that masonry is very applicable to magical item fabrication, but it is knowledge I have. The other tools with which I am proficient are not related to production of any kind."

“Cleanse the poison?!?”  Booth shook his head.  The Druid thought alcohol was bad.  It seemed he has his work cut out for him to get Tauroak to break out and enjoy himself.  But hey, Elodie opened up and cut loose.  Booth was sure he could get the two newcomers to do the same.  “Don’t worry, we’ll find your inner animal.”
This message was last edited by the player at 18:16, Thu 09 Dec 2021.

This message was deleted by the player at 20:56, Thu 09 Dec 2021.

Booth woke the next day refreshed.  It was a strange feeling because hungover would be his norm after a night on the town.  He chuckled to himself at the memories of the evening.  That Branagan had disappeared didn’t surprise him one bit.  It would have more surprising if the little guy had stuck around.

“Anyone up for some shopping?”  He called to the rest of those in the temporary residence.  Booth wasn’t sure if this place would have the same selection a proper trading town would have, but they also might have some exotic items one could only get here.

He grabbed a quick meal and planned to head out and see what was here.

By the time Booth got himself out and about from his room after his late night, he'd find Zoccola already awake in the common area, idly absorbed in her book as usual.  As much an early riser as she ever was.  The Goblin was sat in the sill of an open window to read by morning light and enjoy quiet draws of a long, gilded ivory pipe that left a pale cloud of sweet-smelling smoke wreathed overhead.

"Mornin'." she greeted Booth on his arrival but otherwise remained at her reading.  When he brought up shopping, her ears perked.  "Mn?  Sounds like a plan to me.  Nalisha mentioned this town has some pretty interesting wares available, so I'm curious to see what we can scrounge up."

Elodie, meanwhile, gave Booth a frosty glance, but didn't comment on him otherwise.

"I am curious to see what is available, yes. Certainly, I should pick up some little trinkets for my brothers and sisters for when I eventually return home. I'm sure mother would like something as well."

Tauroak joined the others as they all began to wake and gather. He nodded his agreement to Booth's question, "We might as well resupply while we're here, and do what we can to prepare for the things we know are coming."

"I could work on mixing some potions to help our cause, but we should talk about what things we might expect to encounter, and what we hope to do about it, so I know what kinds of things to look for."

The hair on the back of his neck went up.  A glance at Elodie indicated a disapproving look.  He looked around just to make sure it wasn’t directed at someone or something behind him.  He frowned, not sure what that was about.  He had a wonderful night out and made several new friends.  There wasn’t possibly anything he did that could have pissed her off.  Coming up empty as he racked his brain, he figured he would here about it at some point.  He offered her a smile and was ready for the outing.

“Oh yeah?”  Booth commented on Tauroak’s potion statement.  “If I’m dealing with the ass-end of a giant worm, it would be great to have some protection from that poison if I get tagged.”

Booth's glance around the room found Zoccola's gaze as she bore a leading look on her face and, as subtly as she could, canted her head just so in Elodie's direction.  It was all too clear that the ladies had some shared insight and obviously expected something of him.  But, when he just shrugged it off blithely, the Goblin could only sigh and give a pitying shrug to Elodie.  Men... he'd catch on sooner or later.

"The poison's bad, but I'd personally be more concerned about the delivery system.  Getting hit by a stinger the size of a ballista bolt being swung by a living avalanche isn't ideal." Zoccola observed as she drew a long pull from her pipe and, with gentle puffs, issued out floating rings of smoke overhead.  "The more precautions we can take to avoid fighting these things head-on, the better.  I've got some ideas in mind, but it depends a lot on what resources we can pull together."

Tauroak's mention of potion brewing piqued Zoccola's interest and she reached back into her satchel to shuffle around for a moment.  Out came a broad plank of what looked like some kind of rotten wood as big as a book, which she offered out to him.  "Ever brewed a strength-enhancing potion?  You can use these Hill Giant toenails for the process.  I don't think brute force would be especially useful against Purple Worms, but you never know."

Zoccola offers 1 Hill Giant Toenail (Potion of Hill Giant Strength crafting component) to Tauroak

Jurassic shrugged, "Bartering is not my strong suite, though I shall accompany as I find this all fascinating."

In reply to Zoccola (msg # 86):

"It seems clear that we have to stay out of their reach somehow. Perhaps we could...I don't know, lure them into an area of loamy earth, but with some kind of projection of rock we could stand upon? I don't know how well they can reach up, but that might allow us to lure them out."

She held up a finger.

"Of course, that doesn't keep them from just running away."

Jurassic spoke quietly so as not to humiliate Elodie, "They can tunnel through solid rock."

"Oh." She said, then huffed a sigh. "Well, neverrmind, then."