The Stable Master shrugged. He did not seem at all eager to play mediator between feuding rangers.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:57, Sat 11 Sept 2021.

"Plenty of stock. I can't lend anything out, I'm afraid, so you will have to purchase. Sleighs are twenty each, horses go for fifty golders, same for the Axe Beaks. Though they can be a bit more feisty."

Torgrim felt around in his pocket for his coin pouch, which was getting lighter by the minute. "I'll take my chances on going by foot with you, Farwalker. The trek is not particularly long, so we should be fine. I've even taken it once before, albeit in the opposite direction."

"Suit yourselves," the Stable Master replied.

---

Mallory's Insight check into the Stable Master's personality [16]: Going by his shabbiness and dull expression, this was either a person significantly downtrodden or someone who got by without niceties. Whatever gift Mallory would conjure to sweeten the deal would have to be more impactful than fleeting warmth or slightly shinier bits and stirrups.

A bit of hushed chatter among the group for their consensus was enough to reveal that it was only Mallory and Dannika alike who seemed adverse to legging it through the open landscape between towns.  Little surprise there, really; of the gathered lot they were the only two from warmer and far-more-paved regions.  Though it was a matter of future investment as far as she was concerned since she had every intention of traveling about the Ten Towns for the sake of business.  The trek to Bryn Shander wasn't that far but the other settlements were another matter entirely.

It was Rhydd's whisper, however, that gave her a moment's pause.  "Oh... I... yes, of course."  Surprising that such a small remark could take her off-balance.  But after confessing that it'd been her own dealings that caused tragedy prior, she was surprised at Rhydd's encouragement.  Grateful as well, she realized, while she hid a smile behind the curl of her scarf as she strode up to start negotiations.  It wasn't his money on the table yet she found herself bolstered by even a small vote of confidence.

---

Mallory Bonheur rolled 4 using 1d20+3 - Nat 1

---

A miscast vote, it seemed.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:38, Sun 12 Sept 2021.

"This here is Frida," the Stable Master said as he led an obedient Axe Beak along. "She's in her late thirties, which is a bit on the older side. They typically live until they're fifty or so. No eggs to speak of. But she's calm and mellow," he continued as he fastened the buckles on the saddle and saddle bags. The bird made no fuss. Once everything was in its proper place and secured, the Stable Master gave her pat on her white plumage. "And crafty. She busts right through the bolts on the padlocks, so I have to use a metal bar for her. Though she's not prone to go anywhere once she's got the gate open. Let the grooms in Bryn Shander know anyway."

Frida stared upon her new master with glassy eyes as Mallory was handed the reins.

As she'd demonstrated with Triglio before, it was the way of merchants to want to duel back and forth like a fencing match, each trying to counter and assert to gain the upper hand.  Usually.  Though bolstered by Rhydd's word of trust, each time Mallory even began to attempt to try and open a line of dialogue with the Stable Master, she was just ignored as he seemed to have no interest whatsoever.  Two or three efforts were given, each time decidedly less assured in tone and with a furtive, embarrassed glance shot back to her companions as she struggled to find any foothold in a figurative stone wall.

But in the end?  It just came down to the Stable Master outright telling her what she was buying, and at full price to boot.  By that point, what portion of the noblewoman's face that could be seen under her hood, scarf, and draped hair glowed as dark red as her coat out of sheer humiliation.  She didn't even have it in her to try and save face by commenting on how a more passive but crafty Axe Beak was a better fit than a younger and blindly aggressive bird; instead she just silently took the offered reins and passed over a stack of coins in return.

She wouldn't be able to look Rhydd in the eye for a bit after that...

But, for the moment, she had Frida to contend with and heaved a deep, shoulder-slumping sigh.  While the Stable Master set to preparing the straps of saddles and attached bags also in the purchase, Mallory shuffled into her pack and withdrew a portion of dried meat.  Axe Beaks were quite common further south in the rockier coastal areas and she'd ridden them before, as often as she had horses.  Old, basic handling lessons came readily to mind: the birds were omnivores but liked meat, and were highly food-incentivized.  Their beak shape yielded a considerable blind spot directly ahead, and their strikes always went forward or backward, so always approach them from the side where they can see you coming and can't kick at you.  Let the bird acclimate itself to your presence first and accept you before trying to handle it...

"Hello Frida, nice to be working with you." she sighed dejectedly.  A little surge of magic was given to heat the dried meat up, giving it an immediate shift toward being softer and more aromatic.  Trying to hand feed an Axe Beak was a fantastic way to lose one's fingers, so Mallory waited until Frida showed a sign of interest in the snack before giving it a little toss up into the air for the bird to snatch.

---

Animal Handling
Mallory Bonheur rolled 10 using 1d20-1

Mallory pays 71 GP for the whole kit and kaboodle.

Whilst Mallory was attempting to bargain with a man that didn't seem to understand the word, Farwalker had taken the time to set her pack down near the door and pull out her usual tools. Now that she thought about it, the local shopkeep likely had some precious stones floating around. A bit late to check now. The thought of precious stones did have her pause in her search for a decent piece of bone to reach into a separate pouch and pull out the troll's gift.

With a soft hum, she flicked it into the air and watched as it started an orbit around her head. Now that was impressive. She'd have to figure out how to make one. Eventually. For now, she let it orbit her head as she went about sorting the bits of bone she'd taken from the troll, sorting by size and what she could carve with them. The largest and nicest piece, she slipped into a pouch next to her carving knife. She'd work on that one first. "Rhydd." She called out suddenly, her voice rumbling as usual, "Did you take any of the troll's tusks? If so, I would ask for one."

Frida followed the dry stick of meat with her gaze, but made no effort to catch it in the air after Mallory had lobbed it. Instead, she let it fall to the ground amid the loose strands of hay before craning her neck and snatching it up in her beak. Then she tossed it up on her own volition and ate it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:00, Tue 14 Sept 2021.

As Mallory futilely attempted to open negotiations with the plainspoken stablemaster, Torgrim looked on in silent horror. Although it was good to see that even her silver tongue could meet its match, it had been with a most unexpected combatant.

Torgrim approached as the meat stick sadly plopped to the ground before the steed. "She's a.. fine mount. Headstrong." He put a gloved hand onto the witch's shoulder. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Even the magnificent rapier would struggle against the humble rock."

Torgrim's reassurances might've been more helpful had Mallory been witness to his own struggles with Triglio.  The two might sympathize over rough dealings with small-town merchants that somehow were trickier to talk down than a murderous lake monster.  But, lacking that, the noblewoman's humiliated blush just burned all the brighter as it came across to her that she was being pitied.  "Let's... just get going, please." she pleaded meekly as she wound the reins around her fist and patted the Axe Beak's shoulder to guide her into walking alongside out the stable housing.

"Did you take any of the troll's tusks? If so, I would ask for one."

"Of course you may, Miss Farwalker.  We gathered knuckle bones as w--" As they all came back together, Mallory ended up stopping short in both stride and statement alike when she looked up and noticed the tiny, gleaming gemstone orbiting Farwalker's head.  Her one visible eye widened with obvious recognition as she watched it spin lazily around in space.  "-w-wh-where did you get that from?"

Farwalker paused in the carving of a small bead and looked up, then rolled her eyes to where Mallory was looking. "Mmm." She noised, head dipping back down as she rolled the unfinished bead in her fingers. "It was a gift." She tucked the bead away for now, and then carefully put her tiny saw and knife away as well. Which involved a bit of sheathing and wrapping, which took about as much time to do as it had to put the bead away. It seemed she'd had a lot of practise. "It's a rather pretty, shiny rock don't you think? I had convinced the trolls to leave the town. They wanted to sit with me, likely to tell me what had happened to them." Her face was hidden as she bent down to pick up her pack, tucking her little carving kit away in a side pocket.

"It is best to think of trolls as large, unruly children that don't know any better. Because that is, in a way, what they are." She shouldered her pack and gave a sad smile. "Just, ones with an insatiable appetite and near complete lack of fear. Which make them dangerous."

"Well, that and their general disregard for life... everything smaller than themselves being a potential food source..." Mallory wasn't of a mind to argue with Farwalker in the slightest; she would have been far happier had events allowed the Goliath to peacefully send the Trolls off after a chat and no harm done.  Though to merely assign such behemoths as unruly children was a vast underestimation of their danger... still, a Goliath saw the world in a very different perspective, no doubt about it.

She remained decidedly distracted, however, by the orbiting stone as her gaze tracked it much the same way Astre's did on a scampering rat.  "You mean to tell me the Trolls gave you an Ioun Stone?  They just... had one?  Do you have any idea what--?  Where did they even--?  " She couldn't help but raise a hand as if to snatch the drifting gem when Farwalker knelt nearer, but restrained herself anxiously.  "Miss Farwalker, if you focus you should be able to make the stone rest at your brow or temple rather than freely float... please, for goodness' sake, show some discretion before you draw untoward attention on yourself!"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:40, Thu 16 Sept 2021.

“A rather interesting parallel to civilisation, if one considers it.” She took a moment to make sure her pack was settled properly and wouldn’t be pulling at her shoulders too much. There was nothing more annoying than an improperly balanced pack when going for a hike. Except for maybe knickers that didn’t sit quite right. “And yes, I am in fact fully away of what I have orbiting my head. This one in particular covers me in something of a minor arcane shield.” She smiled wide then, teeth as brilliant as ever, “And Mallory, you may not have realised this, but I am large for a goliath, am wearing bright clothing, and my eyes look like they’ve been replaced with massive, perfectly round pearls. Which isn’t normal, in case you were wondering. I believe we have already moved past ‘untoward attention.’”

She looked up at her new, floating rock and smirked. “Besides, it matches my outfit wonderfully. How could I not let it float about properly?” She was a Suneite after all, and appearance was ever important.

The flippancy shown over the nature of the Ioun Stone made Mallory groan out and palm her face, though the knee-jerk gesture put pressure on her bandaged eye to leave her wincing with a sharp hiss through her teeth.  "I'm not talking about your looks.  An Ioun Stone of that cut is worth at least five thousand gold and rapidly appreciating in value with each passing year.  We're in Ten-Towns, for Tymora's sake!  I don't dare wear my mother's ring where anyone might see it for fear of thieves, and it's worth nowhere near as much as that."

It was, perhaps, easy for a woman built like a mountain and strong as an avalanche to be less worried of such things compared to a waif like Mallory.  Half the time it looked like the young noblewoman would simply cave in on herself from a combination of sleepless nights and wincing away from the cold, let alone be able to contend with a mugger.  "Just... please, be cautious with it!  Anyone who recognizes what that is would be bound to try and acquire it from you.  The majority of Ioun Stones in existence went inert or were destroyed during the Spell Plague, and the methods for creating them are still largely lost to history.  They're vanishingly precious in this day and age." she practically whined amid her plea.  It was like watching someone idly tossing an antique vase from hand to hand and made her just squirm over imagined disasters.

Rhydd stood a little off to the side, leaning against his unstrung bow-stave. His bowstrings were all waxed and put away in his belt-pouch for ready access, each looped around its own small length of wood for easy storage and retrieval. In these damp conditions, it was best not to leave his bow strung when it seemed unlikely that it would be needed, for the moisture would cause the string to stretch over time.

To the archer's eye, Lady Mallory seemed a bit subdued after her efforts to haggle with the Stable Master failed to yield any discernable results. The man was a rock, and absolutely refused to budge in his prices.

"Ah, I wouldn't worry about it," he said to Mallory when the group was examining the Axe Beak that she had just purchased. "The Stable Master had something that we absolutely needed, and he knew it. Plus, it wasn't like you could just walk down the street and seek better prices. He also knew that he was the only game in town -- so to speak. He had you at a disadvantage from the get-go, and there wasn't much you could do about it. On the plus side, as near as I could tell, he gave you fair prices, and did not try to take advantage of the situation o'er-much."

When the discussion moved on to Farwalker's Ioun Stone, Rhydd gazed at the orbiting gemstone with interest. He had heard of such things, but had never before glimpsed one. He was quite surprised to hear Mallory tell how rare and valuable they were, apparently even in the more southerly climes.

"I understand your concerns," he said to the noblewoman after a bit. "But after all, 'tis Farwalker's valuable, to do with as she pleases. 'Tis not everyone who can gain such a treasure, freely given, from an Ice-Troll."

"And besides," he added with a hint of a smirk, "I would pay good coin to watch anyone try and take it away from Farwalker."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:37, Fri 17 Sept 2021.

The Stable Master stared shifty eyed upon both Farwalker and orbiting stone. Townsfolk were seldom amenable to Goliaths — many feared them for a reason, be it right or wrong. But it wasn't the Stable Master's place to voice judgement, particularly when there were sales to make. A sale was a sale, as a price was a price, contrary to what quibbling southerners would think. He contented himself with a distrusting glare at whatever magic she was playing at, so long as she kept it to herself.

---

Frida was compliant the short distance it took to get to the gates. Tracks from the caravan that had neglected waiting were visible in the shallow snow in the street and by the portcullis, and in the deeper snow immediately outside. A total of four guards were stationed down at the foot of the watchtower, and two more up top. After yesterdays disaster, Skath had seen to it that the gates were no longer raised without official approval, as one of the guards informed everyone intending to depart. The blurred visage of the Tiefling Captain himself could be seen through the foggy windows, leaning in a wooden chair next to a warm stove. When it came time to raise the gates, one of the guards entered to get verbal confirmation, after which Skath got up and peeked out the door to ensure the situation was as reported. "Raise the gates," he called out. He offered no further comment before retreating back to his quarters.

"I've lost things more valuable before." She replied with a shrug and not-quite a smile. "What happened with your eye, anyhow? Do you require assistance?" It was the simple, easy concern of someone both fully willing and fully capable of assisting. It wasn't often that both were found in the same person.

"Tell me as we walk. The more we stand about, the colder the walk." Not that the cold was going to be bothering her all that much. She still found it quite refreshing.

"And besides, I would pay good coin to watch anyone try and take it away from Farwalker."

Torgrim laughed at the though. "Oh, believe me, there'll be plenty of chances for that. Once we get there, I bet there'll be at least three different attempts to con you out of it before nightfall, and maybe even one poor sod dumb enough to attempt a quick yoink-and-go."

As the group ventured beyond the gates and into the deeper snowfall outside, Torgrim decided to keep pace with Rhydd. "So, Rhydd. From what I've gathered, you know your way around a bow. Does that extend to crossbows?" He fidgeted with his newly aquired vambrace, and removed the crossbow slotted within. "Triglio was able to talk me into spending what was probably far too much money on this. Any chance you can tell just how badly the little sneak got me?"

In reply to Torgrim Squallborn (msg # 68):

Rhydd was always happy to talk archery and bows, so he looked interested when Torgrim spoke to him about his new purchase.

"Crossbows?" he echoed. "I could use one if I had to, but I much prefer a longbow, myself. Longbows have better range, and because of the time needed to load and cock a crossbow, a skilled archer can shoot multiple arrows more quickly than a crossbowman can shoot his bolts.The main advantage of a crossbow is that it can be shot from a prone position, so they are very handy for lying in wait and setting up ambushes."

He took a long look at the small crossbow that Torgrim showed him, examining the way that the bow could be attached to the forearm guard of one's armor. "That's . . . very interesting. I've never seen one like that before -- it seems like the sort of thing that one would be more likely to find in a bigger city."

"I can see how it would be easy to give someone a nasty surprise with it, though -- if that sort of thing appeals to you. As far as the price is concerned, I have no idea what that sort of a bow should cost you."

"There probably isn't too much of a demand for that sort of a weapon up here in the Ten-Towns. I could see a merchant either saying that it would cost you plenty because it is so rare, or else being willing to cut his losses and sell it cheap in order to get it out of his inventory, rather than having it sit around on a shelf gathering dust. I don't know how this Triglio fellow would be inclined to see it -- most likely it would depend upon how good a haggler you are."

After a short pause, Rhydd asked "Do I remember your mentioning that you recently made this trek, coming from the direction of Bryn Shander?"

"If so, do you remember anything about the road conditions between here and there? And I take it that you did not have to tangle with anything or anyone that gave you too much trouble."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:53, Sun 19 Sept 2021.

"Probably not worth the 100 gold then, even with the magical mystery bolts. Anyone can meet their match, I suppose."

"Do I remember your mentioning that you recently made this trek, coming from the direction of Bryn Shander? If so, do you remember anything about the road conditions between here and there? And I take it that you did not have to tangle with anything or anyone that gave you too much trouble."

"Well, that would depend entirely on your definition of recently." Torgrim looked ahead in thought while counting on his gloved fingers. "What has in been now? A year, maybe three? Previous speaker hadn't started making sacrifices to the Frostmaiden yet, at least." Torgrim was just about to add some comment about how he'd never have moved to Targos if the hangings had been implemented back then, but stopped himself. Given the state of his head at the time, he might have considered it a feature.

"Back then I joined up with a merchant in exchange for a couple of ballads on the road. I can't recall us meeting anything too sinister, and the roads were decent. The afore mentioned Frostbitch probably haven't made it any easier to traverse over the years, though."

Though she'd often heard that trying to change a Goliath's mind was like trying to reason with a boulder, Mallory had never quite understood the full weight of such a saying until then.  Ultimately she could only sigh and silently hope that Farwalker didn't draw any of the wrong kind of attention on herself, nor that it would risk catching the rest of them in the crossfire.

Mention of her wounded eye, however, drew Mallory's thoughts away from unpleasant what-ifs to an unpleasant right-now.  She gave a gently exasperated sigh and shook her head.  "No, I'm quite alright.  Just... growing pains, I suppose is one way to put it."  A hand brushed aside her covering hair and lifted the wrappings over her eye to show beneath; no overt wound on the surface, but the whites of her right eye were splotched with red and black alongside her iris.  Broken blood vessels that made for a distracting discoloration, but didn't seem to cause her any overt amount of pain.  "It happens whenever my magic matures in some degree.  Terribly unpleasant to look at, but overall harmless.  It usually fades within a day or two, so it's best to just leave it be.  Thank you, though."

Though her eye didn't directly pain her unless she thoughtlessly touched it, the brisk air certainly was being a bother and she quickly replaced her bandage and hair to cover it up again.  Something did seem to remain on her mind, however, especially as her gaze continued to be drawn back to Farwalker's Ioun Stone... or rather, the space immediately behind it as it spun through the air around her.  "Ah... pardon an odd question, but do either of you two know how to perceive magical auras?" she asked of both Farwalker and Dannika as they walked along in stride.  Being able to detect magic was a fundamental skill of any spellcaster, though she was uncertain of the Goliath's knowledge or Dannika's actual capabilities.

“Mmm.” The noise she made was somewhere on the edge of disagreement. “It doesn’t look wonderful, but your bandaging doesn’t look much better. It clashes with your image too much. A pity my needles broke.” She tugged on one of her strings of beads thoughtfully, the stone and bone clicking slightly when she let it go. “I’ll see about putting together some bandages that work better with your clothes and hair. That way if this happens again we can make sure you don’t look like you stumbled out of a bar brawl.” She’d have to check again later in the evening as well, just to make sure it was healing well. And if it wasn’t, she could deal with that easily enough.

“And yes, I can.” With a careful tug on her straps, she adjusted the weight of her pack so that it settled more on her hips, shield clanking slightly as she did so. “I can also peer into the ethereal. In case we had any desire to play charades with ghosts.” She chuckled at her own little joke, the sound low and rumbling. Like a cheerful rockslide.

Between her dark hair coiffed over the side of her face and her furred hood drawn up close, Mallory assumed she'd done a well-enough job covering the bandages to suit.  Though Farwalker's offer was plenty thoughtful on its face, she wasn't certain whether or not she liked the idea of a more elaborate binding when she most certainly didn't desire such passing wounds in the first place.

"Yes, well..." the bar brawl comment made her decidedly self-conscious as she gathered her hood closer up about her face.  "Normally when I do so myself, it lasts for a few minutes with proper focus.  Have you... ah... have you ever experienced it lasting longer than that?  Hours longer?  Without needing to focus on it?"  The young noble was a bit reluctant to ask, though it certainly seemed to be a matter on her mind to the point of distraction as she continued to bounce her gaze about between the Ioun Stone, Dannika's various belongings, and the glimmering flame at the end of her own lantern rod.  "I find myself in a rather... disconcerting predicament, really."

In reply to Torgrim Squallborn (msg # 70):

Rhydd's eyebrows rose up in surprise when Torgrim named the price that he had paid for the crossbow that, to the archer's eye, looked like a child's toy version of the real thing. -- although undoubtedly it would be a handy thing to have, in the right circumstances.

"That sounds a trifle . . . high . . . to me. Hopefully those bolts are indeed something special. Did this Triglio happen to mention what magicked properties they are supposed to have?"

"A year or three since you made the trek from Bryn Shander?" Rhydd echoed the other man. "My mistake. I thought that it had been more recent. Too much would have changed over that period of time for your recollections about road conditions and threats to be of any use to us on this outing."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:00, Tue 21 Sept 2021.

Beads clicked softly as Farwalker thumbed her way through them, "I cannot say that I have. But I have gone through something similar. Either you will learn to deal with it, or it will go away." She pulled her hand away, letting the beads fall back into place with a shrug. "Or you will go blind. Which is not something I can currently assist with."