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

[Shadow0136]

In the Morning Lina slowly walks up beside Erdrath, still exhausted from the previous night. Blinking a few times she notices the new girl and she quietly says "Good Morning Konstantin, Mathias, Miss... How are you three this morning...?" She then takes out her waterskin and sips some of the water, using the cool liquid to make herself more aware. A few moments later she asks "I'm sorry Miss, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Lina Hykule, may I know yours?" But then she noticed the woman's state of dress and blushed brightly.

[diabloblanco18]

Titles "Tired, Lina, dead tired," Konstantin replies, blinking. He stands up. "If one of you will take over here, I need to find a bed. I'll see everyone in the afternoon." With that, he staggers off to catch up on missed sleep.

[Renen]

Silver's dress. Its unforgettable My name is Silver. I am here observing your group of heroes. Its nice to meet you Lina. A very battle ready oracle you are. Silver smiles approvingly. Having nothing to do with her hands, she tears a page from her Grimoire, folds a paper crane and launches it to Keeping it up with prestidigitation as neededfly in circles across the room. The whole time, ske keeps an eye on Lina, likely trying to remember any important features for her art.

[Kadaver]

Word Dog. Mathias smiled, amused at the girl. Curved lips parted for a moment to let an exhale of smoke out into the air before he nodded to Kon. " Sleep well friend. I'd like to try and wring something out of the prisoners. You and our other heavy metal friend would be quite useful once you are rested! " Taking the departed soldiers old seat, the ranger settled into it comfortably before gazing back up at his two companions and the new comer. Pulling the wooden stem of his pipe from his mouth, Red blew a smoke ring before finding a moment to speak. " Observing our group of heroes? " His hood pulled back, the ranger looked up slightly at the tiny girl. Her slim and short figure unimpressive. Her armor seemed missing in some of the most important parts, and for a moment the man paused to wonder if she knew the sting of a blade. Bright green orbs gazed upwards at the girl, his mustache curved like his smile, his lips producing another ring of slowly floating smoke.

[SolarDragon]

Erdrath The man in robes glances round his companions, grinning wryly, which Silver cannot fail to miss, as he notices his companions reactions to the less traditional figure before them, his eyes shining with merriment at the awkwardness as he relaxes at Lina's apparent comfort for now.

[Geldar]

It’s Off To Work We Go! BAM OOOWWW! GERRR! It always happens. Always; whenever he gets too carried away, driving a rogue nail into a given piece of wood. Indeed, our paladin of Erastil has quite the prowess for fighting bandits, helping coerce the enemy to surrender, and smiting evil wherever it stands. And yet still, his thumb cannot completely avoid getting hit by the hammer whenever he tries his hand at a carpentry task. This present endeavor, repair and enhancement of the fort’s defenses, is only the latest in a long line of his poor thumb’s historical abuse and sacrifice. Anyone sleeping in past the mid-morning hour might be awakened by our paladin’s crafting efforts, and those strolling into the Trading Post’s open courtyard for a brisk morning walk might catch a glimpse of our hero grimacing and wringing his wounded right hand up and down, trying to ease the pain somehow. I’ll finish this section of the wall here, and then I’ll go check on Lina and Svetna. Good to let them sleep-in a bit this morning, and good for me to get an early start on the day. Indeed, his intentions are good; and it’s perhaps only his lower-than-average wisdom that precludes him from realizing that he’s pounding nails hard enough and cursing loud enough to wake at least some of the living dead. Darian continues his current task; more menial of a task perhaps than charging Hardbiter straight-on into combat, but a necessary task nonetheless. As he pounds nail after nail into the wood, he thinks on his charges: protect the land, and protect the Oracle. In battle yesterday, she sure didn’t need much ‘protection,’ at least not from me. But then last night…such a fragile creature! Lina…oh how enigmatic you are becoming! Perhaps if Father Tamer and the church of Erastil back in Rostland knew of their recent events, things would develop a bit differently. Indeed, if she is well enough, the Oracle of Brevoy could have much to offer the faith. Lina as a priest of Old Deadeye! Yes, it could be thus! Why, perhaps it is Erastil himself who is allowing such events to unfold before us! Divine intervention would be rare of course…but perhaps the god of the hunt is awarding his servants this day! What if...what if Lina's nightmares are in fact divinely-inspired visions? Perhaps I should share my copy of the Parables of Erastil with Lina forthwith?! If the church is not 'for her', then…well…I tried. Attempts on my part to spread the church of Old Deadeye into The Greenbelt would not be a bad thing, in any case. And so, our paladin thinks about the Oracle of Brevoy, what he can do to help support and represent the good word of Erastil throughout The Greenbelt, and what his place is in the entire scheme of things. And, he pounds another nail. BAM OOUUCH!

 

At the expense of his thumb, Darian uses his Carpentry skills in “downtime” to repair the fort’s walls.

Dice Craft, Carpentry:

1d20+10

(1)+10

Total = 11

Thinks about how he might help Lina with becoming familiar with Erastil, stuff like that. When he gets to a stopping point in his woodworking efforts, he'll seek-out his party unless they come find him first.

[stobco]

Enter Berg Erlister! Berg's journey to Oleg's Trading Post was uneventful, just how he preferred it. He took his time getting to the trading post, as there was no reason not to. He wasn't one to measure time as there was no need for someone like himself that lived in the wild. He knew the basics such as what month it is, are the time of the day, but that had more to do with reading the sky than anything else. The years have gone by and he's fairly certain he's lived for 32 years, but he could be wrong, maybe a year or two older or younger, he's not completely certain. What's does his age mean in the end? Nothing really. The portion of his travel off the main road was a solitary one. Just him and his usual companion, Ari. The Hawk would sometimes ride on Berg's arm or shoulder, or flutter from tree to tree. But mostly Ari would stay in the air where he was in his element, with the occasional dive to the ground which indicated he was hunting or playing. They made a good team, Berg on the ground, and Ari the eyes in the air. It was a very effective union that started six years ago when Berg found Ari as an abandoned baby. Things were a little more interesting once Berg and Ari started travelling on the road. They came across the occasional other traveller. Most would just keep walking, some would nod or provide a polite greeting and nothing more. There were a couple that stopped and talked to Berg for a few minutes to discuss local information, the weather, basic mundane items. But it was always nice to talk to others as Berg was usually alone. It's not the he didn't like others, he just preferred to be surrounded by nature. He enjoyed the "talking" of the trees in the wind, the chatter of chipmunks as the played tag amongst themselves, even the sounds of thunder foretelling of a powerful storm. Nature is just where Berg felt at home. As they travelled closer to the trading post, Ari flew ahead to get an early look at their destination and upon returning to Berg he seemed to giving off a sense of concern. The Druid didn't have the ability to speak directly with Ari as he needed to study and grow his natural abilities, but he could sense something wasn't right. "I better get there quickly in case something is wrong with Oleg. Hopefully you are just being paranoid Ari." Berg quickly turns into the form of a hawk, one that matches closely to Ari, and they both fly quickly towards Oleg's home. --------------------------------------------- Flying overhead, circling the trading post, Berg sees thing aren't as they were when he had last visited. The activities are different int he small settlement, and once obvious difference is the lack of Oleg. He hasn't seen him once outside. Felling he has seen everything he can from above, and not one to spy on others, he decides it's best to approach one of the people below and see if he can direct him to Oleg and provide some information. During his view from the sky Berg spotted a human man attempting to fix the fort's wall. Unfortunately for this man, his thumb tended to get between the hammer and nail with a painful result. He seemed to be alone, away from anyone else, which was perfect for Berg as he didn't want to much attention. Berg descends to about ten feet to the side of Darian and returns to his natural human form "Ah, what I would give to remain a hawk for longer than the few hours I am capable of." He moves a bit closer to Darian and introduces himself. "Greetings sir. I apologize for my unconventional appearance. I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of Oleg. He is an old friend of mine and I sense something is not right here."

[Geldar]

Berg and Darian: A Mid-Morning Meeting A paladin devoted to his task is nary an easy individual to distract. So focused is our paladin on his nailing of boards that he almost doesn’t notice two hawks circling overhead. And then in short order, our noble carpenter is being addressed by a robed human with a rather impressive beard. The man’s demeanor is polite and pleasant, and so Darian gladly indulges him in-kind. Although in truth, Darian is very happy for the distraction. He isn’t having much luck with these boards, anyway. When the man asks for Oleg, Darian looks inquisitively and replies, And, you are…? Presumably the two men exchange introductions, and pleasantries naturally ensue. I am Darian, Darian Danster. Paladin of Erastil, and Protector of the Oracle of Brevoy. It is somewhere during the course of their meeting, once a rapport is established, that Darian gets around to explaining Oleg’s mysterious disappearance. I’m afraid your friend is…missing. My associates and I arrived here two days ago, and we quickly inherited the task, from your friend, to defend this fort against a company of notorious bandits. We killed a few, and we captured most; but when the battle ended…Oleg was nowhere to be found. His wife Svetna was wounded, and we just managed to keep her alive through the night. She’s resting in her room. Some of my associates tried finding Oleg after the fight but, as far as I know, he’s not turned up yet. So friend, I’d say your ‘senses’ were very much correct. By this time, our paladinic carpenter is packing-up his masterwork artisan tools. He looks at his “handiwork” in a manner of complete disguist. Um, I usually do a bit better than this…well, there’s always tomorrow for more work; right? Once his tools are packed, and after their personal conversation begins to drag, Darian says Well, come; now that you’re here, I’ll show you around and you can meet the others. I was just about to go check-in on the Oracle. And and uh, are you hungry? We've a good deal of rations in the storehouse.

 

Meets and greets Berg.
Expresses disdain at his inability to drive a nail straight.
Takes Berg around to meet everybody, Darian is off from here to join Lina.

[Renen]

Back wherever Silver is Silver nods. Yes. A group of heroes who will accomplish some quite Then, isnt that what HEROES do?extraordinary feats. I am not here to facilitate your rise (or fall), any contributions that I will make will be rather insignificant. I am here to record history. She holds up her Grimoire, the book swinging in small semi-circles like a pendulum. I do wonder just how far will you come, how high you will rise and what you will have to sacrifice? At any rate, I look forward to accompanying you.

 

in her free time, Silver will take up a hobby of fixing one of the catapults. She can "heal" it using her mending cantrip, and she will paint birds and flowers on it with prestidigitation. Any stones that may be lying near it will be painted to look like cabbages.

[Geldar]

Flashback to Lina’s Room, Last Night: Erdrath, Lina and Darian As Lina grasps his nightshirt, the paladin of Erastil gathers his wits and his composure. Thank you Erdrath; I will return to bed shortly, I will; just…just give us a moment. He turns from Erdrath back to Lina, and continues holding her silently. When the Oracle of Brevoy has somewhat regained her own composure, he offers her a handkerchief. And then, he calmly asks, How, Lina? How was it ‘different?’ The bandit you killed, I mean? Darian sits by her bedside, listening intently for the Oracle to answer.

[Shadow0136]

Lina's Exhaustion "It will be a pleasure to have you with us. Now I'll..." Lina suddenly yawns, and after a few seconds she notices Eldrath's eyes on her and she says "Alright I'll take your advice and return to bed Eldrath, good morn to all of you. And I hope to see you all later when I am feeling better." After excusing herself Lina sleepily heads back to her room and returns to bed. But she isn't able to fall asleep.

Flashback Taking a few moments to regain a semblance of composure, Lina quietly explains "It's the curse of being an Oracle Darian... I only see visions of terrible events, but I don't just see them, I am forced to live the vision. I've learned how to suppress them, but after earlier... after, killing, that man... I couldn't focus enough to stop them from coming... What I saw was the battle, had it gone against us. He blocked my sword and disarmed me before tossing me to the ground as a captive... The rest of them overwhelmed you and the others before they turned their attention to me as a prize... It ended as I threw myself off of a horse and screamed before I hit the ground... but, please don't ask for me to explain it in more detail. I, just don't want to think about it again..."

[Geldar]

Flashback: With Lina, and Darian’s Reflection Afterwards Very well Lina, very well. Oh, the path you’ve chosen must be a trying one indeed. He speaks in a light-hearted, soothing kind of way; he attempts to comfort the Oracle of Brevoy with his words, when he himself knows very well about a “trying” occupation. The hard life of a devoted oracle, the hard life of a devoted paladin…seems the two are never far apart. Darian stays up with Lina as long as she remains awake and wishes company. When she begins falling back towards the realm of sleep, he excuses himself from her immediate quarters. He smiles, and gives the sleeping Oracle a kiss on the forehead. Goodnight, Oracle of Brevoy. Picking up his longsword from the floor, our paladin makes his way back to the room of Svetna to finish-out his shift for the night. It is not long at all before he himself finally drifts off to sleep. In the morning I’ll begin work repairing the front section of the fort.

[Shadow0136]

In the Morning Lina was laying in her bed with the blankets drawn up to her chin, her eyes closed as she breathed slow, steady breaths. She was curled up again, but this time it seemed to be caused by the chilled breeze that blew into the room and made her shiver. Lina's appearance in general was much better than the previous night, and she was sleeping easier, or appeared to be until her eyes opened just as Darian opened the door.

[stobco]

Berg checks on Svetna "This Darian person seems decent enough and is a fellow follower of Erastil." Berg walks beside Darian to where ever he's bringing him, "Thank you for the information Darian. I'll pass on the offer of food. I've already eaten and I would like to meet the others you speak of and try to figure out what happened to Oleg. The news about Oleg and Svetna was indeed disturbing. Svetna is safe thanks be to Erastil. Oleg has disappeared without a trace and some of those within this group think it suspicious. Berg has never thought of Oleg as a devious person, but people do change for their own reasons. "I will need proof first before I can convict Oleg for anything. It might be too late, but I will send Ari out to see if he can find Ari or any signs of him." Berg met the others, all of whom seemed to be interesting in their own way. He would have to get to know them better latter as he decided the best thing to do is to see Svetna and ensure all is ok with her with his own eyes. Once at the door, he knocks and listens for an answer.   Berg sends Ari to see if he can spot Oleg or see anything unusual. Berg goes to Svetna's room to ensure she is well.

[Geldar]

Lina's Room: Lina & Darian Our paladin enters the room of the Oracle. He has gone from carpenter, back to protector. It's a role that suits him just fine. Did you...get some rest last night? Well, after you woke up and went back to sleep, I mean? Darian gets Lina a glass of water and sits at the foot of her bed, keeping her company while she wakes up. Well, we've a full day ahead I'm sure. Seems we've some new arrivals here.