[Game Thread] Prologue - A new journey

[Ryoga]

Harken nods after scanning the charter. He wasn't the most literate, and there seemed to be a lot of unnecessary words within that he could understand slightly, but all the same, it was relatively clear in it's meaning. He comments to no one in particular. 'Kill bandits and reclaim lands that were never truly stolen...' He shrugs and then speaks up to the group. 'I know these lands somewhat, some of the groups that would attack us on sight, the Greenbelt is full of those type...' Harken goes silent for a moment before sighing. 'So long as I am freed of my obligation once this is over.'

[VaerSheth]

Brune fingers the document in his thick hands. He nods and grunts under his breath in general agreement with the points the others have raised so far.

I think I will not worry so much about the name-book, if this is our charter. No one is like to join us at our village who is not ready for the wilds already. I suppose we will need a cart and donkey for supplies. I can get us one. I know a good ass when I see one.

His black eyes drift toward the ceiling as he says the last. With just a hint of a smile, Brune balls his charter up and stuffs it into a belt pouch. He rubs his palms together, muscles flexing.

Well, men, shall we set out?

[Finder of Paths]

The brute Harken said something that caught Satinder's attention. 'So long as I am freed of my obligation once this is over.' Definitely something to ask about, as the half-elf planned for the first chapter of the chronicles to be solely about the brave fellows undertaking this momentous task. Making a mental note to pry into the half-orc's past over the campfire, Satinder busies himself reading the charter, ensuring that there are no obvious loop holes to screw them over. His father didn't own a large trading business by skimming over reports and shipping manifests, all too often something was missing, or a tax hidden away deep within paperwork, and only a sharp eye and perseverance could see it.

Satisfied the charter was in order, but frowning at the lack of initials and other writing styles (something to be fixed when Satinder transcribed a copy), he tucked it away within his tunic and turned his attention to those around him. Smiling at Kostas, Satinder assures him they will be much more than bandits. "This is the work of heroes Knight Kostas, not money grubbing bandits who would rob their own grandmother for a copper. Never fear, history will see us as such, and our rewards will be great."

Raising his glass, Satinder calls for a toast in response to Brune's eagerness to leave. "To the freeing of the Greenbelt, may her hills once more be a safe place to live. And of course to our benefactors, the Swordlords."

[Ryoga]

Harken nods, showing some sign of respect to the one known as Satinder and nods in his direction. 'Easier said than done scribe. We have waves of men like myself to go through before we can even truly imagine such a sight in those lands.' He gives a nod to the room before making his way out with the parting words, 'I will be gathering what I have outside, we should make sure we the small men of this house still have our belongings.' Ever the anti-social butterfly, Harken exited the room and made way to the man that had taken his belongings, ready to throttle the man if his axe was damaged.

[LupusRegalis]

"While I too am eager to begin, kuruzsló Brune, krónikaíró Satinder" Kostas speaks, looking from one to the other and then to the Lord Mayor. "It would perhaps be wise to hear the Lord Mayor's words?!"

And to the exiting barbarian he calls out louder "Show respect, tudatlan barbár! The Lord Mayor has yet to dismiss us."

[Rohor]

"Wait! Hold on a moment!"

The mayor yells as he looks at the door that Harken just went through, an extremely surprised look on his face. He clasps his hands around his face and mutters incomprehensibly. Moments later, he rdrops his hands and sighs. His attention focuses back towards the group, the tone of his voice sounding a little tired.

"Before you can claim and settle any part of the land you need to know the lay of the land, otherwise it is dangerous. This is why we issued a charter for you to explore the Stolen Lands. Many attempted to map it before but details are sketchy at best. And yes..." The mayor turns his head to Kostas as he continues to explain the situation. "... any noble, bandit or monster might claim otherwise, but you are the only group issued with the charter for the Greenbelt Region. If they refuse to comply with the charter, you are to deal with them as you deem appropriate, noble or bandit."

The mayor pauses, looking aimlessly around his office briefly before continuing.

"It is known that bandits have infested the Greenbelt region, although they haven't been a problem until recently. The bandits around the Greenbelt region have become braver and more organized. We've received information that they have a new leader who dresses himself in animal's bones and calls himself the Stag Lord. You will need to deal with them if you want to explore and settle in the Greenbelt region. The second part of your charter is to deal with these bandits."

He nods towards his office door that Harken left through moments ago.

"The sooner you leave and head for Oleg's Trading Post, the better. The journey will take some time and we expect you to be there no later than the 30th day of Calistril to begin your expedition. The easiest way to reach the trading post will be to travel along the South Rostland Road. Do any of you have any additional questions that need answering? If not, I'll leave you to your preparations. It'll be a long journey ahead."

[Finder of Paths]

Toasting again to their good fortune, and that of Ioseph, Satinder drains his glass and places it down on the table. Righting his hat and smoothing a crinkle in his breeches, the half-elf offers his hand to the mayor once again. "Thankyou for your hospitality and wise words Ioseph, I shall carry both with me." Though likely a minor character in what is to come, Ioseph was the master of our destiny, the one who started this journey....no no, that won't do. I need a better opening than that....oh well, plenty of time on the road to think about it. Though waiting to see if the others were ready to leave, Satinder positioned himself close to the door to indicate his eagerness to start their trip to Oleg's Trading Post.

OOC: Ready when everyone else is.

[VaerSheth]

Ten days to get to Oleg's trading post, is it? I suppose I had best see about that donkey and cart now then. I bid you health and fortitude, lord Mayor. The rest of you I will see again at the road south. Do not leave without me.

Brune bows awkwardly to the mayor, imitating what he saw Alistair do on entry. He then turns and exits the room. His heavy boots leave traces of dirt behind him. Outside, the dwarf collects his belongings. This is easy enough, as they consist of a small collection of weapons (hammer, dagger, sling, and shield) and a large sack tied to a pole. The weapons are already hung together on a second thick belt. This, Brune straps back on across his other belt. The shield, with its own special carrying strap, he slings over his back so that it barely even shifts when he walks. The pole he simply lifts with his right hand, grunting once with effort. He heaves it up so that the center of the pole rests on his solid shoulder and the sack hangs down beside and behind his head. Brune turns his head experimentally, checking to make sure that the pole does not interfere with his beard. Satisfied, he stalks out into town in search of a donkey and cart.

OOC Also ready. I assume that Brune has little trouble procuring a donkey, cart, and the associated feed, and that he can do so at the standard price? (i.e. - The price in the book.)

[LupusRegalis]

"Not ten days, no kuruzsló Brune" Kostas answers the Dwarf "Today is the 24th day of Calistril. We have 6 days grace, and it is likely to take 5 to reach Oleg's."

Turning to address their Patron he says "I have no further questions at the moment, my Lord", bowing in respect to the Lord Mayor.

And to Satinder he replies as well, moving closer to lay a hand on the man's shoulder, referring to his earlier comment. "And the work of Heroes this may be, krónikaíró. But you know as well as I, how many Noblemen and Conquerors started as bandits and petty warlords!"

[arguilios]

"Some more petty than others," Rogan smirks something between derision and approval of Kostas' observation of the origins of new kingdoms. He nods to the noble scion in passing as he makes for the door and collects his personal effects from the bailiff.

Observing Brune's muttering about his plan to procure a nag and wagon, Rogan reintroduces himself and offers to join in the pursuit if the dwarf will accept his company. With their paths joined toward that end, the human ranger will assist in finding a suitable beast of burden and a fit wagon to hitch her to. He is conversant with the crop and cart and should have no difficulty showing this new companion a few timely pointers to improve his mastery of the beast - improving the experience for all between here and Oleg's trading post.

Rogan secures his own horse's tether line to the dwarf's cart to better keep his ride close at hand. His own mount, being fairly well trained to the rider, offers little resistance to its master's bidding.

[Rohor]

The mayor nods his head at the responses from Satinder and Kostas.

"I'll leave you to your preparations then. Safe journeys ahead, and may the gods smile upon you."

OOC At this time, it is assumed each of you are making preparations for the journey to Oleg's Trading Post. You can make any purchases you want to before you leave. The trading post is 100 miles away along the South Rostland Road. I'm assuming you'll travel as a group (unless anyone objects otherwise). If you travel as a group, we take the slowest character as the base speed of the entire party (I believe 30 feet is the slowest speed for the entire party - Brune is able to purchase a cart and donkey without difficulty so we aren't reduced to 20 feet and not everybody has a mount - correct me if I'm mistaken otherwise), meaning that it'll take just over four days for the group to reach Oleg's Trading Post (24 miles a day). Four days means you will arrive around the 28th day of Calistril if you leave immediately. There will soon be three separate roleplaying threads open. I'll allow this thread to be left open for any roleplaying in Restov before you begin your journey to the Trading Post. The second thread will be the journey to Oleg's Trading Post, an interlude of sorts. The journey along the road is relatively safe and you won't have any encounters on your way to the trading post. This is an opportunity for the group to get to know each other better. It is also a chance for the group to learn of any news, whether this news relates to the Stolen Lands, Brevoy or perhaps something more sinister. It is assumed you would've seen and met some travelers along the South Rostland Road. If you would like to talk with them and perhaps learn something, this will be the thread to use when discussing these matters with them. The third thread will be the groups arrival to Oleg's Trading Post, which will be the continuing thread, which I am working on at the moment. At this stage, I haven't put a date of arrival yet (although the plan is to do this soon.) Anything that occurs in the first two threads would have obviously occurred before you arrived at Oleg's Trading Post. I understand that this arrangement is slightly confusing. I couldn't think of a better way to arrange it though without the story coming to a complete halt. Rather then have another 'four days of travel' worth of events before we arrive at Oleg's Trading Post, it is easier to simply continue the story and open up a thread for the interlude. This allows for the roleplay to occur with minimal disruptions to the storyline as we progress. All I ask is that everyone be aware of what their character knows at each stage of the journey. It'll be a bit unusual if your character learnt something at Oleg's Trading Post yet you post the information up informing everyone of that particular piece of journey before you arrived at Oleg's Trading Post. People might think you're a little crazy if that happens... I'll also post up a thread about the mechanics of exploring the Greenbelt in the next day or so. In the Kingmaker Players Campaign Guide, there is a sheet of hexagonal paper which you can use to keep track of your progress. I recall somewhere in the Paizo Forums that the game was slightly botched when it came to creating the hexagonal paper, although this can be easily rectified. A lot to take in at once, and a lot for me to do at this stage, so please bear with me as I continue moving this along. Thanks for everyone's patience so far.