Deciding that perhaps a full bath could wait, Aila went to her room to thoroughly wash her face and hands, change clothes and fix her hair properly, as well as clean the hair dagger with the tree of life motif.

Once these tasks were complete, she returned to get some food and drink.

After he had scrubbed himself clean, Angus cleaned and sharpened his dagger. He dressed in clean clothes and headed down for food and drink. He asked the bartender about laundry service to get his other clothes cleaned of blood and gore.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:51, Sun 14 June 2020.

After a few minutes in the tavern, Petar warms up a little as the stress of the day lessens and he can focus on other things.  He really wants to read that book, though.

"Besides, everyone knows dragons don't exist." He laughed at his own comment, and sent an encouraging elbow to his partner sitting next to him, who joined him in the mirth, although a bit awkwardly.

"They have a whole language and culture, strange for things that don't exist," Petar says with a half-smile, which becomes a full smile as he goes on: "But not existing around here is a good thing, if you've heard only a half the stories of dragons that are told."

Petar could even brag and say he'd studied Dragontongue and may even know a few words, but that wasn't his way.  Instead he turns the conversation around and asks the two about their origins and what kind of business they were in.

Purposefully leaving out battle details, which were not for pleasant company, Petar instead frowns a little at how eager they looked.  These two wandering into the forest would be orc food.

Then, leaning forward conspiratorially, he lowers his voice, looks around him to see no one else is watching, and asks, "Can you show us where we can find some, too? A bounty or two like that and I could move my shop to the Haven. Maybe find me a nice wife."

"You want to find some?  You have a good suit of metal armour?  A sword?  Can you fire a bow twenty times in a few minutes and hit something a hundred feet away more times than miss?  What magic spells do you know?"

His tone is serious, his eyes a warning to these men that they had better not think it was so easy.  Petar had been training with weapons and magic for a long time, his choices were made with at least some idea that he could survive them.

Phelan eats in silence while she waits for her turn at the bath. She hopes the bath and the rest will finish healing her wounds from the stirges as she is ready to venture out again preferring the wild spaces to the human stench of town.

Marille re-entered the tavern, she made her way to the others table. Where she took a seat silently.

Phelan, not one for much company, finishes her meal and makes her excuse. She heads to her room. She stows her gear except for her axe which she places by her bed and her dagger which she balances on the door handle after she locks it; a makeshift alarm in case someone tries to break in in the night.

"You want to find some?  You have a good suit of metal armour?  A sword?  Can you fire a bow twenty times in a few minutes and hit something a hundred feet away more times than miss?  What magic spells do you know?," demands Petar.

Sowen glares back.

"I was in the guard years ago. I may not have a nice metal suit like you, fancy elf, but I have my leathers, and a spear, and a good shield. I can hold my ground in line, and seen battle twice."

Olagh puts a hand on Sowen's shoulder.

"Sowen... let it go. We can try it on our own tomorrow."

He pushes the hand away.

"No...!"

His eyes scan over the assembled group. They don't seem interested. He relents.

"Aye... Let us do that."

Turning to Petar again, he adds, "We'll see you tomorrow in the field. Come, Olagh, let's find better company."

Sowen and Olagh return to their table.

A few hours later and everyone's had a bath, a good scrubbing, and is now clean and feeling better. It is amazing how a good clean tub of water and a some food can bring your spirits up.


OOC: So... what do you want to do about the heads until next morning?

Camille listens to the men talk, and smiles to her herself. It's been a long day, everyone was feeling a bit cranky.

She leans over to Petar.

"Hey. I know these two. They are not the brightest pair, but they mean well. This is not like them."

She takes a sip from her cup.

Larissa tells Angus that laundry can be done for him, but it won't be ready until the day after tomorrow, when the cleaners finish and the clothes have a chance to dry. It would be 5 cp a load.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 279):

Angus hands him a silver piece for a good job.

Aila likewise made arrangements for her laundry, paying the necessary coins, and ordering her food and drink.

"What do you suppose might be bothering them, then?" she asked Camille. "If such behavior is unlike them--unless it's just a matter of being in their cups."

Marille looked after the two worried. She rose to follow them to their table. Once there she motioned to a seat.

OOC: If allowed to sit Marille will test each in a simple test of strength ie armwrestling to gauge there strength; if not she will simply ask them where she might find an armorer or blacksmith?

In reply to Marille Ughari (msg # 282):

Angus stowed the heads under his bed when he went to bed. He balanced a dagger on the doorknob and locked the door. He laid down and went to sleep.

Good thing he slept light.

OOC - how many beds in a room, he will share the room with Petar if he wishes
This message was last edited by the player at 15:59, Thu 18 June 2020.

Turning to Petar again, he adds, "We'll see you tomorrow in the field. Come, Olagh, let's find better company."

While Petar knew his responses were for their own good, their rebuke stung the elf who seemed to want to be everyone's friend.  He did look worried about their determination to seek out bounties.  Joining the conversation with Aila and Camille, he adds:

"You can work a whole day in a simple job and earn a simple silver piece, so the gold paid for these heads is ..." he says, looking around at the other adventurers as if realising something for the first time.  "A lot."

At first Petar figured the best place for the heads was behind a locked door in the inn, but then he wondered if the stables were a better choice.  He really didn't know.  He nods at Angus.  "Alright, we can guard them, but we need sleep too."

The night was young but the elf was feeling the effects of the day, so he heads upstairs before more locals came wandering over.  Petar is still determined to read the book, though .. hopefully that won't take too long.

Actions
Getting out of the common room :P  Reading journal/book.
Share a room with Angus sounds good.  Locking the door!

OOC: I am assuming you mean Larissa? It's a "her".

Larissa takes the coin.

"'ll see if th'y can h'rry it up. But th'y c'nt start t'll t'morrow."

Camille looks at the pair, who by now are sitting at their table looking like nothing happened. They are back at their drinks and talking and smiling.

There is a long pause.

"I don't know. They came to Emberdell maybe three years go. They set up shop, and have made a quiet living. They like to spend time out of town. And sometimes travel."

Her eyes linger on them for a while.

"They never wanted to be adventurers. There have been other bands, but I have never seen them want to join a group like this. Maybe the reward was never this good."

"Huh? What's this? Are you here to challenge us to arm wrestling?"

Sowen takes one look at the muscle-bound woman before him, then looks at his own arms. He shakes his head.

"Oh no. I suppose you'll want to put a friendly wager on that, too? No, not I. You look stronger than an ox, and as big as a horse. I would wager you can pull a cart all by yourself. Join us for a drink, if you want, but you don't need to prove you are stronger than us. I can plainly see you are."

Olagh, though, didn't wait to be invited. He sat himself before Marille with a drunken grin, slammed his elbow on the table, and offered his grip to her.

"Don't listen to him. Between the two of us, I am the stronger one. Let's do this. If I win, I get a kiss."

Sowen laughed hearthily at the suggestion.

"So that's how it's going to be? What do you get if you lose?"

OOC: You can have your own room, if you like. Most of the rooms are small and narrow, for one person. But you can have larger rooms, with larger beds, or two separate beds.

Petar joined Angus in his room, which was now setup for two, and fished out the small log book from his pocket. It was dirty, covered in dust and grime. There were some blood stains on it as well.

Paging through the pages he realizes that many of them were torn out the beginning  of the book, leaving only the latest entries, and a few remaining blank pages towards the end.

The pages begin with an entry marked without a year.

"Vondall 4 -

Yolandi came to visit me again today. She is such a sweet girl, she reminds me of her mother. Rest her soul in peace. I've been spending too much time in the field again, but my discoveries seem to want to take me deeper into the hills.


Vondall 11 -

The trip was uneventfull. I have set up camp and have began an initial perimeter of observation. My two guards are adequate, but they look like they would rather not be here. I pay them well enough, I hope they don't abscond overnight.


Vondall 18 -

The first signs are finally open. The small wayshrine was very old, and it bears the signs marking the beginnings of the Exidamarall cult many years ago. These stones are a living historical record. It is a tragedy I can't just pick them up and take them with me. They would make a wonderful exhibit.


Vondall 25 -

I've broken camp and continued upwards into the hills. We are staying hidden as best as we can. We had a brush with death after stumbling into a goblin camp. Barely got out with our lives. It is good they are so small they don't run very fast.


Vondall 26 -

We lost our donkey today to a flock of wild stirges. They found us at night, we didn't have much time to prepare. With her gone we have to carry our supplies on our backs. This makes things much more difficult.


Vondall 27 -

We found a cave for shelter. It was hidden behind a large growth of brush and scrub. We got lucky in finding it. If it hadn't been for the flight of sparrows coming up from behind them, we'd never known.


Vondall 28 -

Rickard went exploring and found the entrance. I can't believe we stumbled into it so easily. Here it is. The secret entrance to the lost Exidamarall expedition. I will begin my observations tomorrow, after we have made sure everything is in good order. Rickard suggest we head home first, get more supplies, a new donkey, and perhaps more workers, diggers, should we need them. Dohlen feels uneasy. I reassure him that this site is ancient, and there is nothing to worry about.


Vondall 29 -

How did it all go so wrong? Let this be a warning to anyone who comes close. The site is still alive, and the guardians walk about. Rickard and Dohlen are dead. They tried to buy me an escape, but they were set on fire by the chamber's guardians. I hope these notes are found by someone who can appreciate the historical significance of this find. These may be my last words. I can hear them walking about. I hope they don't "

And they end without any further words, simply stopping mid-sentence. The writer didn't appear to finish it.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 287):

"Huh? What's this? Are you here to challenge us to arm wrestling?"

Sowen takes one look at the muscle-bound woman before him, then looks at his own arms. He shakes his head.

"Oh no. I suppose you'll want to put a friendly wager on that, too? No, not I. You look stronger than an ox, and as big as a horse. I would wager you can pull a cart all by yourself. Join us for a drink, if you want, but you don't need to prove you are stronger than us. I can plainly see you are."

Olagh, though, didn't wait to be invited. He sat himself before Marille with a drunken grin, slammed his elbow on the table, and offered his grip to her.

"Don't listen to him. Between the two of us, I am the stronger one. Let's do this. If I win, I get a kiss."

Sowen laughed hearthily at the suggestion.

"So that's how it's going to be? What do you get if you lose?"

"Ye buu me uh runth. Purdun me speech. Frum de furm."

With that the muscular woman flexed her wrist and grasped the mans hand tightly.

"So tull me... if'n ethur one uf ye can shoot an arruw or gud wid healun?"

"Interesting," said Aila, watching the by-play with these two men and Marille.  She continued to eat her food, content that the heads were going to be adequately cared for in the overnight.   She was content to observe until time to retire.

Once retiring to her solo room, she settled in to conduct her meditations, allowing the events of the day to flow through her memory for things that were worth remembering and lessons to be learned.  Once her meditations were complete, she would be ready to retire to sleep for the night.

Marille and Olagh gripped their hands tightly.

"Oh! You are really doing this?"

Sowen slaps Olagh on the shoulder.

"You asked for it. She's going to break your arm. On three. One... two... three!"

It wasn't even a contest. Marille instantly slammed Olagh's arm into the table hard enough to make it jump. Everyone in the tavern watching the contest laughed at how quickly it was over.

Olagh winced in pain, and began to rub his elbow.

"Ow! You are an ox, woman. Where did you get so strong?"

Other men stopped by to congratulate Marille, and bought her several drinks for being a fun sport. They also very politely declined on the idea of having an arm wrestling round of their own.

"Told you she would win easy."

"I know, I know... but I had to try." Olagh looks up at Marille and answers her question. "Sowen is better at bows than me, I never could handle a string well. I am good with a spear, he's better with a sword. We'll never win a tournament, but we make good soldiers. Neither one of us is trained for healing."

The pages begin with an entry marked without a year.

By the light of a candle, Petar sits on the edge of the serviceable bed and reads the journal entries.  He reads it again, and again, and by the third time was memorising some things such as the dates.  Then, he took out a large tome from his rucksack and prepared to copy the text over to a blank page.

The book was massive, maybe fifteen pounds or more and half a foot thick.  As he writes, noting how the Sleeping Owl ink wasn't as bad as it might be, and blows each word dry, he falls into an old rhythm and starts humming softly to himself.  Petar was never really happier than when he was doing this sort of thing; well maybe shooting arrows came close.  By the end, he's got a permanent record, both on vellum and in his mind.

Later, he shows Angus the old archaologist's field journal and lets the older mage read it too for his own insights.  "I think it explains some things, but not why the researcher's journal was on those dead goblins in that forest.  He definitely found that skull, though .. I don't think he made it, if you know what I mean.  We should show all this to Doromas tomorrow, find out more about these people, Rickard, Dohlen and the author too."

Was it related to the missing Priestess?  Petar conjures an image of Camille's face, one in which she's happy and smiling in the light of a sunny morning and awash in the good news that they'd rescued her sister Alinda.  He smiles, pushing away the counter-point image, one in which the cleric's visage was torn by grief.  No!  That won't happen, he tells himself determinedly.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:55, Fri 19 June 2020.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 292):



Marille smiled then tapped the defeated man on the shoulder. "If'n ye thinkin uf takun un urks an gubluns, ye wull wun ah buw. If'n ye knu a huntur practuce de buw. Maybe ye cun du wha we dud in me ol humlat. Build ye sum trups. An shoot em gubluns from de trees."

Marille downed a mug of ale in front of her and wiped her chin with her forearm. "Me gruw up un a furm. No bouys jus we gurls. Me sis wus strunger dan meself. Can pluck a cow te hur shulders.

Angus watched amusedly as Marille toyed with the locals. In the morning, all would be deadly serious again.