[Story] Settling In - The Trading Post : Act II

[Storm]

Conclusion of Act I   It seemed your aura was some sort of witchery to them. The bandits as they stand their confused, somewhat indifferent at first but your radiating aura pleased them but frightened to caste vengeance upon them if they continued their ways. They stand there wide eyed and expressionless from your intimidating speech. Dropping their weapons and long bows, they began to fall to their knees, those that crouched already brought their knees up and placed their hands behind their heads. Indeed a proud and victorious battle won. Each of you fighting valiantly and efficiently and the question arose from the murmurs of the men was that Kressle will be most un pleased of their surrender, but what was more questionable was that the men who surrendered regarded Kressle as a woman. A woman leader in these times didn't garner question but the thought that she commanded men of little repute and respect was thought of without question. As Eradath reads them the law of Brevoy and Restov, they are bound and shackled with iron shackles and one of the villagers spits in their faces and rips a necklace from around their neck. The necklace drops and it is a leather bound form of a stags skull, the shape of the silver one around Happs Bydon. They fall out and are wisked away for sentencing. The villagers surround Eradrath and ask you if you will run some semblance of court here to determine their fate. It seems law has been served if only temporarily but the general feeling is to carry out the Charter and deem them guilty with the charge of death. Konstantin and Darian have their horses lead away back towards the stables. Mathias comes down from his perch and Corinth joins the rest as each of you enter the Trading Post looking for Oleg. Lina has Darian carry Svetna to her bedroom and dutifully watches over her. Svetna is having the cold sweats and hot flashes. A nightmare in sleep, she is very close to dying. While still alive, she is knocking on deaths doors and her husband doesn't seem to be found. Does he know, does he even care?

[SolarDragon]

[Totentanzen]

The search is on! Corinth, filled with pity, immediately leaves in search of Oleg. He proceeds to go through the trading post to search any possible spot he could be or for any sign of him. As he starts he has an uneasy feeling about the situation. "What man would hide and leave his wife behind?" With that gut feeling he moves as quickly but silently as he can. Still with his sword in hands moving from room to room.   Perception: Dice Roll: 1d20+13 (15)+13 Total = 28 (28) Stealth: Dice Roll: 1d20+12 (10)+12 Total = 22 (22)

[Geldar]

A fine day indeed. The fortress called Oleg’s Trading Post was fast-becoming a safe haven amidst the chaos of The Greenbelt, and our intrepid party could now rest – if but for a short time. Darian looked stoically onto the field of battle after besting Happs and the boys, contemplating the situation. All this excitement, and yet, where is Oleg? He resolves that perhaps the man is yet still hiding in a stable stall, perhaps underneath a desk in his makeshift office; truly, bravery is a virtue not seen in every man. As the day wears on and night sets in, our noble paladin sees to the Oracle of Brevoy before heading off to guard Svetna during her time of sleep. Lina, I will be down the hall if you need me, but his words quickly trail off; he instantly recalls the events of the day, and how Lina has shown just who can protect whom. Um, so…right. He lowers his head and chuckles to her lightheartedly. You were brilliant with healing Svetna and keeping her this side of death. I know she continues to linger; I’ve Lay On Hands, which I can do up to six times in a daysome healing of my own, which I will use during the night to help keep her strength up. In the morning, I shall see if a cleric of Erastil is nearby so that I may offer fealty and alms; then I intend to get about any repairs and enhancements to the fort and its walls. He hangs about and makes whatever small-talk and other discussion Lina cares to entertain, and then he bids her goodnight. Sleep well, Oracle of Brevoy. He bows, gives yet another light-hearted, big-brotherly sort of look and smile to her, and then he retires to the room of Svetna. Just walking the distance from Lina’s room down the hall to his own quarters, he thinks on the issue of pending bandit trials, and his place in deciding justice. I will not vote to execute them. They should be chained together and made to work; they can help with rebuilding and construction efforts, for there will be many such efforts to come. There is enough killing before and ahead, without adding needlessly to the count. I just hope I can convince the others if necessary. Oh, the plights ahead! Will I be able to handle it all in the end? Upon entering the room of Svetna, he puts the lady to bed and tucks her in. He then Detect Evil within 60'lowers his head and concentrates, just to make sure there is nothing immediately around to warrant his concern. Our paladin knows Corinth and perhaps others are currently searching for a man who is either incapacitated, a coward, or something much worse; but our paladin protector's place is here for now, dutifully watching over Oleg's forgotten wife. He lays his hands upon the wounded woman; and he will do a few more times during the evening if necessary. For his own manner of rest, Darian settles himself into a guest bed if there is one, and otherwise he neatly places his bedroll on the floor near the hostess’ bed. In any case, he lies awake and watches the door for some time before going to sleep.

 

Talks to Lina, gets all mushy.
Once in Svetna's room, he will Detect Evil within 60' of him. Just because he can.
Uses his Lay On Hands ability to give additional healing to Svetna. Total healing to Svetna this evening: 1d6 HP, 6 times or up to her maximum HP whichever comes first. I'll post all six Lay On Hands rolls here, but I'll stop when she's fully healed.

Dice Lay On Hands:

6d6

4, 3, 3, 4, 6, 3

Total = 23

He's guarding a post tonight as assigned, but if something fishy happens during the evening (I assume Corinth et. al knows where to find him, or he'd awaken to hear a commotion), he'll grab his longsword and get busy as needed.
In the morning, seeks out an onsite holy man or holy woman of Erastil and offers tribute (confession for shedding blood in battle, offers fealty if he can be of service). Inspects the fort and tries using his Craft, Carpentry (+10) to repair and enhance its defensive properties. Between a high Craft skill and a 14 INT, I presume Darian can figure some things out in that regard.
And…I guess that’s it for now (jumps out of the sandbox lol).

[Shadow0136]

Talking with Darian Thankfully for Lina, the battle ends with her threat. One which she doubted her own ability to follow through with as she sheathed her blade. As the bandits were led away in chains she closed her eyes and tried her best to calm herself, however she was unable to do so and instead she remained shaken mentally while her mind began to wrap around just what she had done. That she had slain a man and watched as his blood flowed onto her hands. While the others went about getting the trading post secure Lina continues to tend to Svetna while keeping herself distracted. Later that night after the excitement has died down Lina is in her room after removing her armor and cleaning herself of the signs of battle. She makes small talk with Darian for a while, complimenting him upon his bravery, "You were amazing as well Darian! I don't think that I might have had the courage to attempt what I did at the end if you hadn't rode to the middle and brought all of the attention on you... It was part of my inspiration..." she then continues to chat about other mundane things until Darian heads off to guard Svetna. Lina then lays down to sleep, having used her powers of healing upon Dice CLWx3: 3d8+9 (3, 2, 8)+9 Total = 22 Svetna earlier to keep the woman safe. There was one thing that Lina did not let him see though, and that was the shaking of her hands as she clutched the bedsheets, with her previous anxiety and fears hitting her mind again. "Was it the right choice to come here? I know that I had told Fr. Tamer that I wanted to do something to help the people, but I had meant as a healer... I don't want to be a warrior anymore if today is a sign of what is to come. But... I promised that I would follow through with this. .. argh.." Lina then buried her face in the pillow, utterly exhausted as she passed into a deep sleep. Her dreams however offered less solace than she had hoped for, and they soon turned to nightmares where she was again in battle. Only in these it was her companions who were cut down by the bandits and the fort was destroyed. Or where she was stabbed and left lying on the ground to die... the rest of the group in their own rooms might manage to hear her sudden cries of fear throughout the night if they were listening, but her nightmares would continue until morning, where she would find herself unable to get out of bed as she curled up in the fetal position and cried. The Nightmare Lina's blade once again found itself thrusting toward the belly of the first bandit, but this time the effects were different from reality. The bandit easily deflected her blade with his own, causing her to drop the well crafted blade as his horse reared up and knocked her down onto her back in pain. She scrambled to retrieve the weapon until the man swung off of his horse and stepped upon her hand, crushing it into the dirt as she cried out in pain. This was not how the trap was supposed to work, what had gone wrong...? In the background the bandits again released a loud echoing call from the horn, and the remainder clambered up the wall. Those already inside the walls quickly cut down her companions, leaving them bleeding to death upon the dirt as she struggled to free herself from under the bandit's boot. Now it was only her left among these men, a thought that terrified her as they gathered around and ripped the armor off of her. Lina's eyes burned with unshed tears as they tied her up and she was set upon Darian's horse with one of the men sitting behind her. Olaf was also brought out, and was forced to tell them that he did not have the money they demanded. And so she heard the words that filled her with terror and made her blood run cold... "If you don't have the money, then i'm sure that we can get our price out of your wife, and this lass..." Lina's eyes widened as she heard those words, and she began to plead "Please no... I won't fight back, just don't hurt me.. I just.." until one of the men cut her off, "Ohh, we wouldn't hurt a pretty lass like you. We just want to have some fun..." the man reached over and held her chin as he looked her over, "And i'm sure that we will have a lot of fun..." Pulling herself from the man's grip Lina fell off of the horse to the ground, and as the world went dark from her impact with the dirt she screamed.... To any that would find Lina, the usually cheerful and confident woman would look vastly different with teary, bloodshot eyes from her crying. Her skin had become pale as her blood ran cold in terror from her nightmares. Her hair had lost it's shine and now fell limply onto the bedsheets surrounding her while she tried to curl up as small as she could to feel safe.

[SolarDragon]

Erdrath Lina, and indeed many of those in nearby rooms, if they were not sound sleepers, were woken by the sharp rapping of hard wood on the wooden door to Lina's room. The magister, in full robes, stood there, his quarterstaff not looking like the simple walking stick of earlier, but carried with gravitas not unsuitable to a possesion of a king, his brow furrowed as he repeated the sharp tapping.

[Shadow0136]

The Silence As Erdrath tapped upon the door he was greeted with silence, as Lina was not in the correct state to offer any response at the moment. Her screaming had stopped, but now all that came was a very worrying silence, almost like that of death. If he had Perception DC: 20 good ears, then he would manage to hear her quiet sobbing as she slipped back and forth between her dream and reality. Her flailing had also left some visible signs on her too, such as bloody scratches along both arms, staining her nails and the white nightshirt that she wore with her crimson blood. Together with everything else it would be a terrifying sight for one to walk into.

[Geldar]

Battling Nightmares It is with some trouble that our paladin finds sleep this night. He hears what sounds like fearful crying. And it was coming from the room of Lina Hykule! No! What am I to do?! Charged to protect the Oracle, assigned to watch Svetna…feeling overwhelmed…I’m not equipped for this…! Darian battles briefly with his lack of self-confidence, fighting back feelings of inadequacy that so often plague him. Rubbing his eyes, he rustles himself from his bedroll. No time for armor…where’s my sword?...There… Hurriedly, our paladin grabs his longsword and makes his way out the door of Svetna’s room into the hallway. Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap. Darian does not traverse the hallway very far before he sees Erdrath, fully robed and holding his quarterstaff, tapping on Lina’s door several feet away. Walking cautiously towards him, Darian mouths to him, You heard it too? He gets to the door, opposite-side from Erdrath, silently waits a moment, and nods to his companion. Then he bursts open the door. Running in, our paladin is greeted by a gruesome sight. The first thing he sees is the Oracle of Brevoy curled into a fetal position upon the bed, obviously frightened; that sight is followed quickly by the sight of blood, her arms scratched and her white nightshirt crimson-stained. Lina! Shree-eenk. Dropping his sword to the ground, Darian runs to Lina’s bedside and checks the extent of her injuries. He talks softly to her, trying to make her comfortable while Dice Lay On Hands: 1d6 2 laying hands upon her. He wants to believe she simply had a bad dream; but physical injuries would indicate more than a simple “bad dream,” and our paladin is well-aware of the magical realm in which we live; so much that cannot be simply explained. What happened, Lina? What’s going on? Darian looks back towards the open doorway at Erdrath, just to make sure the magister is witnessing Lina’s current state too. The look he gives to Erdrath is one of confusion coupled with the most worry and fear imaginable.

 

Shadow, I deferred on the Perception check DC that you posted above, I hope that's ok; he was half-awake and tending to Svetna during the night and surely would've heard something.
Runs into Lina's room. Administers Lay On Hands (I know I'd posted before that he's willing to use all those during the night with Svetna; this happens first though, plus I think Lina had healed Svetna pretty substantially in terms of HP already anyway so I wouldn't need to use all (if any) of them.
Asks Lina how she is, what's going on with her. Gives Erdrath a look of terror and concern. In a Call Of Cthulu game I guess this'd probably incur a Sanity roll, wouldn't it? lol

[Shadow0136]

Lina's response Lina is trapped within a mixture of consciousness and her nightmarish visions as Darian bursts into the room. She does not realize who it is with her at first and so when he attempts to calm her and hold her closely, Lina begins to struggle in an attempt to free herself from his grasp for in her mind she still sees the bandit. She even shouts "Let me go! Please stop..." as she twists her body. Finally though Darian's voice gets through to Lina, and her resistance gradually fades. Finally, she opens her eyes and meets his gaze. Her eyes are bloodshot and show that she had been crying in her sleep. She suddenly throws her arms around him and holds onto him like a lifeline as she mumbles incoherently, unable to convey what is wrong through words. Burying her face in his collarbone as she holds him, Lina continues to cry as she slowly manages to pull some words together and form actual sentences. "Darian... I saw...*mumbles incoherently*... the bandit that I.... killed..but...*More mumbling*... everything was so different.." She began to see flashes of the nightmare again, and she became quiet as she squeezed tightly while her hands gripped the back of his shirt.

[diabloblanco18]

Cleaning Up After Others Konstantin, eyes lidded from boredom and lack of sleep, glances up from his book at the sound of someone yelling. Any other time, he would go and look, but tonight it would mean deserting his post. Never mind that it was self-assigned. Never mind that certain others wanted to let these murderers - he glares at the bandits chained up near him at the thought - go free. One of them would serve to scare his fellows out in the Greenbelt; a dozen would just end up stacking the odds against them in future battles. Setting the book aside, he poses a question to the bandits in rough Sylvan. "How would you like to die? By the sword, or the rope?" It's rhetorical, of course; they already rejected the sword yesterday morning. But reading only goes so far in learning a second language. Even a one-sided conversation is good practice. These men will get the chance to say something in their own defense, for what little good it will do them. Konstantin has spent the day making sure that the more squeamish members of this expedition will understand that hanging is the just and necessary course of action. A trial-in-miniature, with the men who frequent this trading post as witnesses, will see to that. Hopefully the local magistrate he sent for will arrive without delay.   Konstantin spent the day organizing the denizens of the trading post for a short, perfunctory trial to be held tomorrow. He also sent a rider to one of the towns to the north in Brevoy proper to request a local magistrate or someone else with legal authority, making use of his own noble surname and the expedition's charter to give the request a bit more impetus. He is spending a good chunk of the night on watch, though he'll probably ask Mathias to take over for him eventually.

[Renen]

Silver's debut What bloodthirsty hero we have. A young girl walks up to Konstantin. She seems to be clearly under dressed for the weather, but shows no sign of feeling cold. She looks over the bandits briefly, seeming to completely disregard their existence as being anything worth while. My name is Silver, its nice to meet you. I am here to observe your team and to record your actions. She says as she pats the book at her side. Quite a display you put on earlier, turning one of those bandits into a shish-kabob. She smiles at Konstantin as she examines the man, as if trying to understand his motivations. For her age, the girl does not seem to be bothered by all the violence that has happened, or afraid of the bandits who though shackled, are sitting only a few feet away from where she is standing. It's clear that she finds the bandits to be completely irrelevant, and is only interested in Konstantin and perhaps the rest of his group.

[diabloblanco18]

Kids Are Creepy Konstantin looks up as the girl enters the room, thankful for any sort of break in the monotony of his watch. Strangely unnerved by her presence, he finds himself at a loss for words. "Uh, that's...thank you," he stammers. "He had it coming, I guess." Highborn manners kick in shortly thereafter. "I'm Konstantin, of the House Orlovsky. It's a pleasure to meet you...ah...lady. Can I fetch you a blanket?" That last he asks automatically, while thinking that she doesn't need one. He stands up, fidgeting in front of her for all the wrong reasons.

[Renen]

Silver's actual age: Above 20 I appreciate the gesture, but enviroments where my present attire is insufficient are exceedingly rare. Silver twirls in place, showcasing her flowing dress. Her hair traces a circle behind her as she spins. Oh do sit down. No need to stand in my presence. This is all about you and your new friends. Taking hold of the chain, she pulls the Grimoire into her hands, opening it she takes out a quill from a hidden compartment in the book. Judjing by the movement of the quill and her eyes that periodicall dart up to look at Konstantin, it is clear that she is sketching him in the book. Looking up for a second, she poses a question to fill the aquard silence So do tel, what would you do with these bandits if the decision was left to you? Execution? Hard labour? Jail?

[SolarDragon]

Erdrath Back in last night The magister comes to the paladins side, already chanting the words to heal her marred arms, before turning to the paldin. "I have had my fill of sleep tonight. Go, young protector, and take rest. You have earned it, and must be weary from swinging your sword this day. Keep that strength for future victories-I can better afford such liberties tonight." In the morning, with the bandits. "Greeting, young lady. I have not, as yet, had the pleasure of your acquaintance. Erdrath Elderson, at your service," He bows to Silver, before turning to Konstantin. "Thank you for taking guard, your honour is deserved." The man in robes then turns to the bandits. "By your own actions, every one of you has commited banditry. By the laws of the land this is punishable by death, but I hope that your surrender may earn you leniency from the formal magistrate." He then walks up to each one in turn, offering to pray both for their forgiveness and the fate of their soul.

[Kadaver]

A Shout, A Cheer, A Cry, A Scream Digits, cold in the winter chill, relaxed. Slowly both of the rangers arms lowered. Truly he was happy that it had ended so quickly! More lives saved, less lives taken and all that. Green orbs cast upwards, searching for solace in the twisting grey blue oblivion. A frown, as rigid as stone, sat within its chestnut border. As the hunter rose from his kneeling position, he bid thanks to the sky. ' I am grateful. ' Though it brought him no peace, Mathias still enjoyed the color. Tossing his unused projectile back into the hard quiver on his back, and reattaching the bow as well, the man made to rejoin his companions. A little less orthodox than the other, he would simply walk off the side of the wall. Immediately hurdling towards the ground before the dark green form righted itself and landed upon his boots with a soft plomp. Quickly continuing his walk to join the others. They spoke of little and disbanded! He hardly had the time to speak! " Good work everyone. We are victorious, but I would advise we speak to the new prisoners soon. It's likely that they aren't the only troop of buffoons trouncing around the Belt. " After they had all parted ways. Mathias would take his time to scour the battlefield for arrows, hoping to reclaim as many as possible. While his reserves were still high, he would like to go for as long as possible without having to create new projectiles. Though, any that failed to appear to be in working order would be discarded without though. Their business was killing, and if they were ineffective than it could cost the ranger his life. Night came quickly. After supper and a few drinks the ranger found his bed in the guest house and quickly slipped into the shadows of sleep. There images of many things circled and bulged in his mind. Faces once seen, throats once slit, gold once held and love long past. It was a muddled whirlpool of his life, and it drained quietly away and passed with his rousing. Grunting slightly, he rose and nodded thanks to the villager. He had asked that there be a more frequent guard, if only by one person. ' Just as well ' The young ranger thought as he climbed up the wooden wall. Deft hands pulling his lithe form up the face and onto the walkway. Sighing lightly as he stretched muscles that had grown sore on the straw mattress in the guesthouse. ' Dreams like that have no meaning. Left over thoughts... ' His thoughts disappeared into the frosty night as he joined the horse troop Konstantin. " A cold night eh? " Leaning against the towers wall as he fished out the pipe and tobacco from within his belt pouch. Filling the first with the second as he began to make his rounds. Stepping away from the other with a short farewell, the ranger puffed lightly on the pipe and circled the fort. Not long into his round the scream would echo out. Though Mathias would investigate, he would find two of his companions already comforting the girl. Nodding to either should they realize his intrusion, Red would back out of the room. In the morning the Ranger would be waking yet again. Leaving the confines of his small room quickly, and finding a new comer in the outpost. Looking her over, the ranger tugged the dark green hood of his cloak higher, before walking over to join the group. Arriving in mid conversation, the ranger would remain silent. Once again finding his wood pipe and tapping out long dead ash.

 

I wanna see if I can recover any arrows, I'll ignore bolts. I fired four, but don't expect to get ehm all so. Ya know. Mathias will also see if theres a wood working area that could assist him in making arrows, or at least find out where they keep wood that he could filch for some arrows. Also, should a local resident grow tobacco, Mathias will switch to that to support local businesses.