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Post by Daos on Oct 20, 2017 12:57:59 GMT -8
The following morning is as lovely as yesterday. The sun is shining clear and bright, there's barely a cloud in the sky, and a cool summer breeze passes through the village. Despite this, though, the mood of Buho is dark and fearful. It is Sardonx 28th, Seaday at 7 AM in the year 312.
Our six heroes wake up from their respective homes, save for Katya and Jherek who slept on the inn common room floor. Each of them washes up, gets dressed, gathers their gear, has a light breakfast and then heads to the barracks to volunteer for what many are calling a 'suicide mission.'
Ryan and Jherek, both of whom had a little too much to drink last night, cringe at the bright sun and any loud noises, but are otherwise clear-headed enough that they shouldn't have any real problems.
As they head to the barracks, they notice watchmen and militia with blood-shot eyes hurrying to and fro. The tension in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife. It is very reminiscent of how things felt after the Kurtz farm was burned down. After that fright, everyone had felt so relieved to know there would not be a second Battle of Buho. And now here they were, with the very same fear. It may well still happen. Unless something can be done.
Stepping inside the barracks, they are asked to wait a bit by the entrance. The reeve will see them soon. As they wait, three more people join them. The first is young Ingot. He steps inside wearing chain mail that has clearly been custom-made to fit his strange body. A morning star is slung over his back. His face is completely lacking in expression and he says nothing to the group. He simply stands and waits with them.
The next person to walk in is Finbul. He has replaced his usual brown robes with a suit of leather armor. A sickle hangs on his belt. He defiantly looks at the others, his arms crossed, as if daring them to suggest he has no right to be on this expedition.
The third person that walks in is quite a surprise. The unassuming, mousy cleric, Garnet, steps in meekly. She is wearing studded leather and has a warhammer strapped to her back. She appears quite anxious, and keeps looking back over her shoulder at the entrance, as if there was nothing more she wanted in the world than to bolt out of there.
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(OOC: Since they only got tipsy, I decided there will be no mechanical penalties for Ryan and Jherek's hangovers. They just feel bad.
Spellcasters may choose new spells for the day. Everyone should check your equipment and decide what you are bringing and what you are leaving behind. Also take note of your clothing. It's summertime, and you'll be traveling, so you might want to dress lightly.)
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Post by Jherek Everfull on Oct 20, 2017 13:25:36 GMT -8
Jherek wakes before the dawn with his fingers intwined in Katya's hair. He watches her for a few minutes before, leaning over to kiss her forehead, his hands itching just a bit. He yawns then leaves the common room heading to gather his pack and go through his morning routine.
He heads to the stables and strips to his trousers. He stretches his muscles, whispering a barely audible mantra. He shadow boxes for several minutes before putting on the leather pieces of his armor over a clean tunic and a fresh pair of pants.
Jherek then heads back inside to find his Ma and Da. They are easy enough to find. The banter back and forth a reminder of his youth, and mornings back on the farm. Back when there weren't any worries of goblins or hooded men with dead soldiers and crazy prophets. He stood, hidden by the gloom and listened to his parents growing slightly jealous of the easy way they expressed their love for each other. Reflexively he looks back towards the sleeping Katya. He finally rounded a corner to see the activity he had listened to so intently.
They were warming a small breakfast...left over pork and hard bread. He smiles at the normalcy of it all. Channeling abit of the little boy inside of him he sneaks up behind his Ma and hugs her around the middle, lifting her off the ground in a proper bear hug.
"How did you two sleep?" He moves to eat his breakfast and turns to his Da. The family engages in friendly morning conversation about the previous day and Jherek and Katya's time together. Conversation slows to a lull as everyone tries desperately to not discuss the elephant in the room...Jherek came to breakfast in his road leathers. Both parents know that the boy intends to follow Katya into the woods...no one wants to talk about it.
Swallowing down some emotion, Jhereks face becomes serious. Very serious. "I am going to volunteer to find this Hooded Goblin King. I think I might be able to help the other fools brave enough to try and stop this war from coming. I know the woods better than most here. you can't stop me from going...I just thought you should know..." He looks away from his Da and gives his Ma a long look. Then heads to strap on the rest of his armor. Thessila and Drundor watch in silence. Tears steam down Thessila's face.
Drundor clears his throat. "Make sure the buckles are tight on that metal arm boy and grab your good axe...the one with the double knick in the haft." Jherek nods, then fully armored he turns and clasps his fathers arm. The older man stares hard at his son, the nods toward Thessila.
Jherek moves to his mother and hugs her tight and hard. The woman nearly sobs, but catches herself. "Bring yourself home boy, there will be plenty of chores to do when this little diversion is done." Jherek nods, kisses her forehead and walks out to the common room. Strapping his bandolier and socketing weapons as he goes.
He waits outside of the inn intent on arriving at the meeting with Kat. He's dressed in a mish-mash of armor. His body and legs covered by a brigandine jerkin over a studded leather skirt. One arm suited in a splinted mail, the other covered in a bit of boiled leather. A bandolier of four hand axes crosses his chest, his belted waist holds two more. He fingers the knicked haft of his favorite axe. The young man was loaded for bear...
He braids his hair while he waits. Then heads to the meeting.
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Post by notARobot on Oct 20, 2017 13:37:30 GMT -8
Theronymous stretches and yawns as he rises from his bed, early Seaday morning. He finds his upper body is sore; his scrawny arms were unaccustomed to the kind of exertion he'd put them through the night before in helping his Aunt Gilly board up the windows. The smell of Aunt Gilly frying bacon and toasting bread lifts his spirits, though, and helps him shake off his grogginess. He spends some time studying his spellbook before joining her at the table for breakfast.
(OOC: Theron memorizes Audible Glamour and Change Self.)
"I've decided to accompany the team that Ser Walls is sending out to the Wildwolfe Hills, to deal with this 'Hooded One'," Theron tells Aunt Gilly. She protests at first, exclaiming that it's too dangerous, and doesn't he know that he's all she has left? But he remains insistent, and she finally relents after Theron declares that "it's what Hornwell and Boffir* would have done."
(*OOC: Hornwell (aka Uncle Rascal) is the gnome who brought Theron to Buho from Deteris. Boffir is Gilly's late husband. Both of them were casualties during the Battle of Buho.)
Before leaving home and heading to the barracks, Theron sorts through the various things he's accumulated in his backpack to see if he can't shed some weight before the upcoming expedition. Eventually he decides to leave behind his tent. Then he packs everything back up, double-checks that all of the straps and buckles are secure, and leaves for the barracks.
He arrives around the same time as Ladonna, Ryan, Katya, Jherek, and Lillian. Theron looks the group over as they all enter, and something about his expression seems to convey that he isn't particularly surprised to see that these are the others who are joining him in volunteering for this mission.
He does seem rather surprised when Katya directs a baleful glare in his direction, as though he'd done something that had terribly offended her. He merely gives her a puzzled look in return, unable to recall anything that might have earned him such treatment.
Shortly afterwards, Ingot, Finbul, and Garnet join them at waiting by the entrance, and Theron looks disappointed by what he sees. He refrains from commenting on the reason for his disappointment, though, instead waiting for the reeve to approach them and give them their briefing. He takes particular care not to make eye contact with Finbul.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Oct 20, 2017 13:59:43 GMT -8
"Hello, Garnet," Lillian says. "I did not expect to see you here."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Oct 20, 2017 14:18:42 GMT -8
Much like every morning, Ladonna wakes up earlier than her family so that she can study her spells. Much to her surprise and delight on this beautiful morning that she finds she can study another spell. That only indicates to her that she is getting stronger in her magic. While exciting, she knows that she'll have to work harder to hide her spell casting from other people. Part of her can't wait for the day when she can reveal herself as a magic user without people freaking out over the fact.
Ladonna, thankfully, was done studying her spells just in time to see her father get up. She watches as he quickly gets ready so he can help with the preparations for the upcoming possible battle with a legion of goblins. "Be careful!" she calls out after her father as he rushes out the door.
Amanda and Felicia wake up shortly afterwards, and Ladonna has breakfast with her sister and mother, though Ladonna wolfs it down quickly. She explains, as she is gathering her stuff (quarterstaff and hidden spellbook) that she is going to join the group heading into the hills to hopefully stop the goblins before they attack. After some back and forth bickering, she finally manages to leave after giving her sister a hug.
Remembering her last trip out, Ladonna takes note that after the meeting with the Reeve, she is going to need to buy some supplies before they go on their trip. She is not going to go hungry this time around.
She arrives around the same time as Ryan, Theron, Jherek, Lillian and Katya. "Good morning," she says to the group. Though, she purposely avoids looking at Ryan as she remembers very clearly what happened the night before. She turns upon hearing footsteps. Ignot and Finbul are not much of a surprise when it comes to them joining this mission, but she is surprised upon seeing Garnet. She walks up to Garnet, and gently places her hand upon her shoulder. "Hey," she says gently. "Are you going to be okay?" she asks, taking note of how anxious the cleric is.
OOC: Spells: Sleep, Sleep, Detect Magic
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Post by Nuke on Oct 20, 2017 18:40:44 GMT -8
Ryan wakes in the morning and sits to have some breakfast. As he sits and consumes the eggs, pork and taters, he asks his parent for advice. "Do you thing cutting of the head of the snake will bring peace? Or do you think war with the goblins is inevitable?"
He finishes up the morning food before scrounging for trail rations in the kitchen. (OOC: not sure what he can get at home.)
He then takes the time to pray, requesting a different selection of Gonto's blessings (Command, Light, CLWx2) He decides against studying the arcane arts, happy with his current selection.
He moves on to re-adjusting his pack. He leaves the bedroll, beetle glands and bear hide at home, but does add his meager supply of herbs. He also leaves 50 GP with his Mom, but does stop by to buy a cloak and 3 days of rations. He stops by the well and fills is skins with water, just cause.
He finally heads to the Inn to join the rest of the group.
He walks in a little uncomfortably, bearing a bit of weight based or the thoughts of others on his perceived responsibility for this whole adventure.
"Good Morning." he says.
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Post by Ezeze on Oct 20, 2017 19:11:54 GMT -8
Yesterday had been, hands down, the worst day of Katya's life. She'd been disappointed, disillusioned and embarrassed by her mother, Kohen Hedra and Ryan respectively. Any of those encounters alone would have been bearable, but together they left her feeling jaded, defensive and overextended. She'd needed to board up her horses, many whom she had raised from foals, knowing that if a goblin army did march through the ranch they would be butchered – but knowing equally that there was simply no room for a herd inside the village walls. The Bloodworth animals had, similarly, needed to be left behind. So had the animals of so many other families. Katya understood that people must take priority, but that hadn't made it any less difficult. Those events had taken their toll even before her encounter with Jherek in the stables, ending her night in tears. She'd had her first kiss, though it hadn't occurred to her to think of it that way in the moment. Then she had gone to sleep, exhausted. Now she woke up exhausted too, on the floor of the common room, aware of the noise from all the people around her before she opens her eyes. When she does open them the sun is already up and Jherek is already gone. Katya feels miserable and worn. If she were at home she would have rolled over and gone back to bed. She is not at home. Here she is in the way, taking up more space than she needs, cloistered inside the inn with all of the families who live outside of the protective wall. Duty calls. With heroic force of will she rises to her feet and sets about getting ready for the day. Finding a private place to change her clothes is a challenge in itself with so many people confined so close, and she ultimately resorts to using the outhouse for that purpose. Thankfully someone else (she has no idea who, but sincerely hopes their life is blessed and charmed henceforth) has taken it upon themselves to marshal the available resources and provide breakfast to those people inside the inn. Her mother's title and disability had, Katya learns shortly, garnered her one of the few beds for the evening – though not even Dame Mereida had a room to herself. She was sharing it with Jherek's parents, which is good. It means she has friends near by. Katya's mother leaves the ranch so infrequently that she has few of them, the Bloodworths and the Padners making up the majority of her acquaintances between the two of them. Her mood is too sour, though, to express her gratitude to Drundor and Thessila for keeping her mother company. Besides, by the time she's gotten dressed they are breaking their fast with Jherek. Jherek is wearing armor. Katya's feelings about that are strong and conflicted, so she sets them aside for now. He hadn't insulted her by asking her not to go, it was only right that she return the favor. Instead she sits to eat with her mother. Katya hadn't mentioned to Mereida that she won the bout yesterday. It had been less important than news about the impending invasion. This morning telling her about it takes the form of returning her sword – "Thank you for letting me borrow it, but I won one of Caerlon's blades yesterday. Keep that one on you." Katya doesn't offer any further details and Mereida does not ask. Mereida is not a sentimental woman. She still has need of her mother's old chain mail and shield, though. The mail had been coated with rust by the time Katya had been old enough to wear it, neglected for better than a decade. She'd cleaned it and taken care of it well since then, but was not under the impression that taking care of it made it hers. She stuffs her spare cloak into her backpack, then takes one final thing from the saddle packs the women had brought with them the previous night; her sling. This was not on loan from her mother. It had been a gift from the Padners, for joining the halfling children in their games of stones. Katya had been nearly as good at those games as they were. When she was little she thought it was a toy. In truth, it's a weapon – and one that halflings train even their youngest to use, and which can make stones taken off the ground deadly. The significance of learning from Mr Padner along with his children had been lost on her as a child, but she was coming to appreciate it now. She also has a little pack of smoothed bullets as well, but they were for emergencies; she does not foresee the forest having any lack of ammunition. She looks like a warrior in her chainmail and weaponry. The sword she won sits safe in its scabbard at her left hip. Her dagger is strapped to her right thigh, its handle at fingertip-height when she stands straight. Her shield is slung across her back, and that sling is tucked into her belt next to the pouch with the stones in it. By the time she has finished packing Jherek is waiting for her. Her first thought is that he's very handsome in his armor. Her second thought is how dare you think that, when he's going to need that armor because of you? The two thoughts combined make her blush and avoid Jherek's eyes for the walk to the barracks. Katya isn't surprised to see Ladonna or Ryan there. They had both been involved with the most recent confrontation with the goblins, and they would be useful. She nods to each of them in turn. She also isn't surprised to see Lillian. She knows next to nothing about the elf, but she announced her intention to volunteer last night. Katya takes a moment to look her over, taking stock of the weaponry she had chosen to bring in hope that it will tell her something about what to expect from her. She is a little taken aback by Theron's presence. She hadn't realized the gnome was a fighter. Right now anyone connected with Jherek's double life is suspect – and that manifests itself with a glare in Theron's direction, Katya's expression and demeanor entirely at odds with the girl he met yesterday who laughed at his jokes and agreed that Jherek was rakish. While they wait she stands beside Jherek, quiet, almost sullen. She makes eye contact with Ingot when he walks in. Then the same for Finbul, though when he returns her glance she looks meaningfully at Jherek. Why would have been unclear to anyone else even if they noticed the seconds-long movements of Katya's eyes, but she hoped Finbul understood; you weren't entirely right. He's here. There is something else he cares about.Then Garnet walks in, and Katya is no less surprised than Lillian or Ladonna but does more to hide it. "What they mean to say" she interjects, hoping that the gnome won't take offense or lose courage and back out "is welcome to the team. You are being very brave." "... Are you looking to confirm your vision for yourself? The Hooded One seems to match it perfectly, but that's not all you said." Detect Evil on each of Katya's compatriots as she looks them over.
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Post by Daos on Oct 21, 2017 11:55:43 GMT -8
Garnet flinches at Ladonna's touch, and seems to shrink in on herself at all of the attention everyone is paying her. "M...my vision," she stammers out. "I saw...I saw myself in th-the hills. Miss Lillian was here, t-too. When I heard the group was going to the Wildwolfe Hills and I heard Miss Lillian was going, too, then I-I knew. I-I have to go. Gonto wills it. I have no choice; it is d-destiny." Ingot nods slowly at this. "Then this...is promising," he says slowly, as if deliberating over each word carefully. "Gonto blesses...our mission. She wants...this to happen." Katya concentrates on each person present, looking into their soul. She starts with Ladonna. The most obvious thing about Ladonna's soul is it is filled with envy. Green tendrils of envy perforate her, along with some patches of hubris. A surprising amount of hubris, in fact, for someone who waits tables for a living.
Next is Ryan. There's hubris in him, too. But, there's something more. Buried deep within the core, almost hidden entirely, there is a black orb of cruelty. Not passionate wrath, but a sort of cold, calculated enjoyment of inflicting pain. It is only a small amount for now, but if left unchecked, this core of sadism could one day consume him entirely.
Next is Lillian. Her soul is mostly clean, but there are some pockets of apathy within her. All the more surprising she decided to take up this quest then.
Then she looks at Theron. His soul is a jumbled mess of sin. There's envy, there's wrath, and there's sloth. But there's also quite a bit of hubris and his levels of greed are equal to Jherek's--maybe even greater.
By contrast, Ingot's soul is almost entirely clean. His may well be the cleanest soul she has ever looked into. Katya might suspect that Ingot wouldn't even tear the 'do not remove' tags from pillows, if she knew what that meant.
Garnet's soul is pretty clean, as well.
Finbul's soul burns with a red wrath. He's angry at the world and nearly everyone in it. ============= Ryan buys a cloak for 8 silver pieces and 3 days worth of rations for 46 silver pieces.
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Post by HorizonsDream on Oct 21, 2017 12:05:40 GMT -8
Ladonna lifts her hand away from Garnet's shoulder as she recoils away from her. She purses her lips together for a moment as the thought of this mission being destiny dances around in her head. "Well," she finally says. "If this is Gonto's plan, and this is our destiny, I guess we should get on it with. Though, after our meeting with Ser Wells, I will need to buy a few supplies before we leave. I learned my lesson from last time."
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Post by Ezeze on Oct 21, 2017 13:37:53 GMT -8
Katya makes vague noises of agreement, keeping her expression neutral and biting down hard on her discomfort with Garnet being forced into this mission, even if the one forcing her to go was Gonto herself. Jherek and Finbul both likely know Katya well enough to recognize her 'deliberately neutral' face. It means she's upset, but doesn't want to say anything about it. It's the same expression she wore last night during her 'dance' with Ryan. Saying something would have been rude at best and blasphemy at worst. Instead she picked up on Ingot's train of thought, remarking "If this mission is preordained perhaps the church could see its way to providing some blessed water. It would be handy to have, given what you saw." "We should be prepared to go underground I think, though I'm not sure how best to do that."
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Post by GravityEmblem on Oct 21, 2017 13:47:24 GMT -8
"We'll definitely need torches, at least one for each person. We may also need rope, and a pick or two."
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Post by notARobot on Oct 21, 2017 14:35:56 GMT -8
Theron successfully manages to hold back the sardonic remarks that form, unbidden, on the tip of his tongue in response to all of this talk about Gonto. He does, however, roll his eyes upon hearing Garnet refer to this journey as representative of Gonto's will.
"If the spawn of Gressek is to be believed, it's just possible we might wrap this up quickly and neatly, without recourse to magic water and mining equipment," Theron chimes in upon hearing the suggestions of several others for preparations they intend to make. "All we have to do is kill their hooded sorcerer, right? If we stay hidden, scout ahead carefully, and simply wait for this mysterious leader to pop up, we could take him out and scatter these Bloody Spears to the four winds with minimal fuss. Venturing into their underground lair, where there's probably scores of the filthy creatures lurking about, seems like an unnecessary risk to me."
"Where is the reeve, anyways?" he asks after a while, betraying a hint of impatience. "She calls for volunteers to meet her here this morning, then decides she's got bigger priorities to deal with? What could be more important than preventing an army of goblins from marching on Buho?"
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Post by Jherek Everfull on Oct 21, 2017 16:08:49 GMT -8
Jherek watches his friends as they gather around young Garnet and Ingot...a wry smile crosses his face and he finds himself having drifted next to Finbul. "Do you think the Gods really care this much about our little village?" He doesn't directly address the Druid...but being as close as the two are the question asked in a hush tone to the air could really only have one recipient.
His eyes cross over the group again. This group is the chosen of Gonto?!? The gods certainly have a sense of humor...even if their servants do not. At the thought of servants, Jherek's eyes settle heavily on Kat. Was she chosen by Gonto as well? She had been doing a lot more of this church bit lately.
Jherek allows his mind to drift out to his knowledge of the Hills and woods around Buho. Where could this underground lair be? Had he and the boys happened upon it before...
Local History |x0ybxyb1-20 vs 12 1-20
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Post by Daos on Oct 22, 2017 10:30:50 GMT -8
As they are speaking, the door to the reeve's office opens and she and Damon both step out. Both are equipped for war. Damon is wearing old chain mail and has a great sword strapped to his back. Both likely belonged to his father. Derica is also wearing chain mail, but it's clearly high-quality. Her sheathe is on her belt, but it contains no sword. She places a hand on Damon's shoulder. "It's alright. We all understand. You should go to her. I'll take care of the rest." Damon nods, and turns to leave. He stops short upon seeing the group assembled there. His face flashes with surprise, then embarrassment, then anger. He says nothing, just hurries out past them, through the front door. The reeve, noticing them as well, looks them over. "The volunteers? More than I expected. Alright, everyone squeeze inside then. I'm afraid I don't have chairs for all nine of you." Inside Derica's office, she has arranged a couple of benches that can each sit three people. She moves back behind her desk, but does not sit down. Her desk is something of a mess right now. Maps and scrolls are scattered upon it, and her long sword, glowing slightly bluish in color, is thrust point down into the desk. The reeve's eyes are bloodshot and she regularly rubs at them. It does not appear she has slept at all last night. Once everyone is settled, the reeve looks them over more closely. "Miss Marche...Acolyte McIntyre...I see you have volunteered again. I suppose you both have more of your fathers in you than I realized. This is good, though. You at least have experience in dealing with goblins now." Then she looks to Katya, and she looks a bit surprised for a moment. "Oh...Mereida's daughter." Her eyes dart down to the masterwork blade on Katya's hip. "I see you intend to put your new prize to work." She looks surprised to see Jherek and Theron, as well. She certainly didn't expect the butcher and the village layabout to show up for this. She says nothing to them, though. She seems surprised to see Lillian, as well. The elf had spent the past 20 years keeping to herself, and coming in to save the village in its time of need is not something the reeve would have expected from her. "Mister Tenhammer...and...Acolyte Glun?" Again, she seems surprised to see Garnet here. Garnet, for her part, looks almost ready to faint in terror. "Well, I...it's good to know this quest is so blessed by Gonto then. And the elements," she adds, nodding to Finbul. "Let's get started then. There was no detected goblin activity overnight. The militia is now fully equipped and ready, and I've dispatched riders to Castle Hart for reinforcements and supplies, sent a courier to alert the baron, and I have some villagers digging a defensive dry moat on the outside of the hedge. Your job, of course, will be to investigate Ubisek's statements with regard to the Bloody Spear. I wish I could brush this off as more goblin lies, but even if half of it is true, it's worth investigating. You will enter the Wildwolfe Hills and if possible, locate and neutralize the goblin leader...if he even exists. More importantly, it is imperative that you enter and leave their territory quickly and undetected, if possible. I doubt any of you would be allowed to live if you are caught." She searches around on her desk and finds a map, then flattens it out to show them. "This shows the Wildwolfe Hills, where we believe the Bloody Spear are currently living. This line," she says, tracing a finger over it, "is their known border. If what Ubisek is true, then it would be wiser to follow the river and come in from the north, where they won't be expecting any trouble." (OOC: Ignore the mountains on the map; there are no mountains in Tardiff, but this was the closest map I could find to what I needed.)
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Post by notARobot on Oct 22, 2017 11:13:06 GMT -8
Theron focuses his gaze upon the map as he listens intently to the reeve, then continues to study it for a while longer before finally raising his head to question her. "So this sorcerer leading them, if he or she exists...presumably, we'll find them somewhere south of this line? But we haven't enough information to narrow it down any further?" He traces the dotted line with a finger as he asks this.
"What can you tell us about this settlement over here, just north of the goblins' territory?" he proceeds to ask, after his first inquiry has been answered. "And the large hill next to it, marked with a black dot?" (OOC: Here he's indicating point B5 on the map.)
When the reeve is finished answering, he asks his final question. "This large clearing, south of the delta where the distributary ends," he begins (OOC: Pointing at B3). "Is anyone known to reside there? Do you know why the goblins would have stopped expanding at this particular border, neglecting to capture the more fertile lands to their northwest?"
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