OCC: The lumber Consortium is another few hours away. If no one has objections I'll move the story along.

IC: After resting a bit after the fight that just took place. You start the journey back to the Lumber Consortium. The rest of the trip is rather uneventful and filled with nice scenery that gives you a dull sense that eyes are watching you from the Darkmoon vale forest. However, you never see anything short of the normal forest animals.

When you arrive at the Lumber Consortium you can't miss it. The Lumber Consortium Camp cuts an ugly scar of stumps into a dense stand of proud darkwoodtrees. Five sturdy-looking log buildings—seemingly a bunkhouse, meal hall, office, barn, and smithy—stand with numerous wide carts and sleds amid the sawdust-covered clearing.

The young elf sighs, "It's amazing what humans define as progress."

"It's not progress," agrees Sigrun. "It's profit. Too many humans worship money and will sacrifice everything to get it.

"Torag teaches us that a simple life lived in harmony with the natural world is the path to true spiritual progress. Just being around this level of destruction," she nods at the field of stumps, "is bound to warp the soul."

She looks around the camp for obvious signs of someone in charge. Barring that she will suggest they try the office building.

"Agreed, Little One. Yet they seem to be the ones growing stronger and stronger. Certainly more plentiful!

"Anyway, lets find this Milton and be done with this place."

Morton leaned over " please these people sadly are my people..... Humans have the capacity to create and destroy but I cannot apologize for the whole human race.... Just look at me I can create and destroy with but a click of my finger..... God I hate humans" he added with a sly smile playing on his lips

"Where do you all buy your horses?  I should like to ride a beast so tall.  This is civilization, this is food in otherwise empty bellies.  I do not live but that the flower and the fowl die for me.

"This is toil by bloody, calloused hands, driven by minds desperate for survival and innovation.  There is nothing more honest than this.  What you call profit I call the means by which children may be reared, and the leisure to find better ways may be found.  Spend a year as one of these people and then judge their labors."

Serafina harumphed.  "But no one cares about that.  Let us find this Milton indeed."

As you walk through you find a number of people in the lumber yard yacking about different things. Most of the people working in the lumber yard look like they work hard since their faces and hands are scared with all manner of old wounds.

The men take notice to the group but none really come to ask questions rather allowing you to move about the yard. As you make you way towards a building that closer to a towering structure, one man stops you.

"eh, You lot. Who are you? Are here to work?" says the gruff big man obviously bigger than most of the group with the exception of Jackdaw.

Serafina was quick to answer.  "Not in the way that is practiced here, but we are carrying out a job.  May we speak to Milton please?"

The man leans in towards Serafina. He gives her an eyeballing before he gets uncomfortably close.

"Who's asking for Milton? If ya could tip me a coin I could possibly tell you if he is here or not."

Camara cannot hide her indignation or contempt for this man that helps destroy the land and puts greed above things that will bring spiritual enlightenment.

She says, "You help rape the land and now ask for coin to tell us who Milton is all while there is a plague ravaging the town of Falcon's Hollow? You will never achieve enlightenment and are a pox upon existence!"

[OOC: Camara rolled 1,1 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1.  Persuasion.

So much for Persuasion.]

"here " stated Morton flipping a coin through the air at the man " we have very little time to play silly buggers so be a good man and tell us where we can find Milton or I might let Lady here eat you" He added as Lady came round from behind him and gave the man a look that said lunch time

The man snapped the coin from the air from Morton before turning to the lady.

"We got no business with you my dear. Unless you want a little fun with da boys." The man says to Camara as a small crowd gathers.

When the lizard comes from behind Morton. The man laughs. "Blood hell. Boys this man has some kind of lizard."

The man eyes the coin and points. Head that way, into the main office and you will find Morton. He is pointing to a completely different office than the direction you were currently going.

"No.  Don't you dare keep that coin.  You-"  She looked at Morton.  "-shouldn't pay him and you-"  She looked at the stranger.  "Shouldn't ask for it, especially not when you are asked politely.  Have you no shame.  I regret ever speaking up for your right to earn a living if this is how you conduct yourself!  Now if you have any self respect, pretend you didn't just embarrass yourself, return that coin and answer the question like a reasonable adult."

lol so I'd prefer to roll Persuasion because it's better, but Serafina's pissed off after that.

14:25, Today: Serafina rolled 5,11 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+5)11.  Intimidate.

The men in the lumber yard seem to back at Serafina's speech. The main man seems to puff his chest.

"You'll get no coin from me ya witch. You're the one who comes into our camp and proceed to lookin' for Morton. Might want to explain your business here ma' lady."

OOC: You can tell with your raise that this man is the one who is the "head" of the snake so to speak. The rest of the grunts behind him seem to feed off his emotions.

Serafina didn't blink or hesitate with her response.

"I want none of your undeserved graft.  We are here because there is a dire emergency, and there's no time to waste.  We need directions to sites to recover reagents for Laurel.  There is an epidemic, and it needs to be brought until control quickly."

morton could see this getting out of hand and felt his eldritch energy itching behind his eyes. He held it in check for the time being but if the man went for his companion he readied the vines that were still under the earth beneath their feet to spring up and snare the thug the moment he made a move

Menzar surveyed the scene with a detached calm. He wasn't overly connected to this ragtag group he found himself a part of-- but this loud logger was out too line.


"Pfff! Like your lot would know fun if it didn't have hooves!"

The man looks at the rag tag group and gives a snuff.

"I already told ya. He's over there." the man points towards the building.

"Come on ya lot, we have work. Back to work!" the man commands.

The men behind him appear to start picking up their gear and going back to work.

lol oh I was confused who we were talking to.  It's fine though it still works.

Serafina was past done with this lot and steered her trusty stead to the indicated location.  She hoped this Milton was more steady than his workers, who she was already beginning to forget about.

You walk past most of the lumber yard into a small cramped office that is obviously too small but a Dwarf finds himself at home behind a desk. He has glasses on and barely looks up when you enter. All around him is paperwork and tons of things thrown about.

It appears to be plans of the sorts which lead you to believe this man maybe the project manager.

"Yes, yes. I heard all that squabbling. Milton will be down shortly. You'll have to pardon the mess and the manners of these people, a lot of them are mercenaries of the sort out to make extra coin. Most of them will likely die." the dwarf gives no expression on his face for their loss.

As the group moves from the rowdy bunch of lumberjacks, Camara says, "I apologize. That was not very enlightened of me."

"I didn't realize that cutting down trees what that dangerous," says Sigrun. "Or maybe all the bugs are as big as the mosquitoes? I'd hate to run into a wolf spider at the same scale."

She also wonders where Milton is coming down from. The hut looks too small to have much of an upstairs section.

No matter. They are here and she is happy to be off the horse. Her backside is sore from riding for hours, and she walks around a bit to ease her discomfort.

The dwarf looks a Sigrun with a clever look, "Not from these parts I am guessing?"

The Dwarf shuffles some paper and then you hear a knocking as someone is coming down the stairs. The dwarf doesn't stop what he is doing but instead continues to work.

He points without looking up and start heading to another room, "Milton" he says as he leaves the room.

"I hear you are looking for me?" says Milton.

Finally. Serafina thought it odd mercenaries were here, either this place was very violent, or the world was so peaceful sellswords had to find other employment now.

"If you are the good master Milton, we indeed seek you.  I apologize for my atrocious manners, but we are in haste.  I am Serafina, and I shall let the rest introduce themselves in the interest of expediency.  We have come from Falcon's Hollow on a matter of importance, and are told you are familiar with this wood."

Camara takes out her journal and vial of ink which she holds in one hand and a quill in the other and adds, "We were informed you can provide the location of the witch Ulizmila."