April 29th
The corner table around which Tanaka, Fuji and Glorm sat was littered with empty flagons and tankards. Glorm had to admit that for humans the two Kanday fighters could hold their liqueur. Glorm had tried to teach Tanaka how to smoke a pipe, but unfortunately his common was even worse than that of Tanaka's and he some how had forgotten to tell the fighter not to inhale the smoke into his lungs. Tanaka ended up on the floor in a coughing fit. His half brother joined him on the floor in a fit of laughter at the sight Tanaka tried a swift kick to Fuji's groin, but this time Fuji was too quick and he avoided the booted foot. Of course, three pints of brandy generally had this kind of affect on humans. After Tanaka had regained his seat and downed a pint of ale to ease his throat, Glorm asked him a favor. "Well now that we are to be brothers you must teach me your language, so that when we visit your home I will not sound like a boorish Kethemer." This last line put Fuji back on the floor laughing uncontrollably. "Also " he said "you must tell me what our mission is in Pranan? and where we must begin..."
El Sid, trailed by the Dom, appeared at the door to the common room where the party was breaking their fast and Fuji was loudly breaking wind (to the disgust of the other guests in the Mongoose, who wisely held their tongues) before Tanaka can answer. The Dom curtly waved away the serving lad who approached them with a platter filled with oatmeal, eggs, fruit and meat pies. Tanaka drew breath to assail the Sid, planning to take up the subject of Sa Kajok again. One glance at the Sid's face and his diatribe became stillborn. El Sid's eyes burned with an oddly inward fire. A cold fire of controlled, calculating hatred.
El Sid walked the length of the table and stopped before Krin. "Lady," he quietly said with a small, curteous bow, "Would you do me the honor of escorting me to Prenanala?" Krin stiffened and prepared a retort, still annoyed from the previous day, but bit her lip as the Sid's eyes bore into hers; whatever the cause of his disposition, she sensed it was not her or the Elves. Delrin started to join her as she rose. He was refrained by a hand of the Dom on his shoulder. Glorm and Tristan exchanged glances. Aron inclined his head in wariness. The three left the inn without another word.
-------------------------------BREAK, PERSONAL FOR BARRY
The two men and the half-elf approached the Elven embassy. Again, a wave of her hand stilled the human on guard. Krin exchanged words with a functionary, nodding her head towards the humans. In the hour it took Prenanala to arrive, El Sid slowly walked the room in a metered pace that was disturbing in its precision. The Dom remained motionless, standing off to one side. Neither spoke. Krin definitely felt spooked. The Elf came through the door, a puzzled look on his face.
"Goodelf," El Sid began, "The Lady has named you not ... inimical... to my race."
Prenanala smiled gracefully, but glanced at Krin out of the corner of his eye. "The elves wish nothing but peace and prosperity for all races" he replied cautiously.
El Sid strode up to the Elf until only inches separated them. He removed a scroll from his pouch. "I travel a long and dangerous road. I bear the Elves no love, but also no ill will. You can do what I cannot. Keep THIS safe." his voice measured and neutral, thrusting the scroll forward, "It bears the future of my House."
The elf looked down at the scroll, then up into the Sid's eyes. A minute passed. Two. Prenanala turned his head slightly, all the while eyes locked with El Sid's, "Krin, could I prevail upon you to leave us for a moment?"
The half-elf silently departed the room. "Anything else you wish to ask of us?" Prenanala continued without inflection, the easy grin and disarming manner he normally displayed vanishing as if it had never been. His eyes were drawn to a small stone disc slowly produced by the Sid. An eyebrow arched. "Indeed," mused the ambassador eyeing first the scroll, then the stone, "Indeed... the moonstone. A most unusual request, my lord. Would it be appropriate to ask why you need to leave an irreplacable object like that here?"
"There are... problems for my hold in Salta."
"Yes, your Uncle’s mysterious demise. I have heard."
El Sid looked at him, frowning slightly. "News travels fast."
Prenanala smiled mirthlessly. "Krin will tell you that we... try to stay up with current events. My lord, I will be happy to hold these items for you, but you must understand that the Elves are studiously nuetral in internal politics. As long as this remains a personal matter, you have my word that these will be kept as safe as I can make them. If it becomes a pawn in a larger game... well, I will do what I can."
El Sid nodded. "I cannot ask for more. With any luck, no one will even suspect I would leave such a thing here. Hold Borgia owes you a debt."
Prenanala nodded in turn. "I wish you luck in your endevours, whatever they may be. It would more than likely be best for both of us if I did not know much about them."
Ed Sid recognized the sense in that, and turned to leave. Behind him, Prenanala spoke softly. "And, as a final question, my lord, if you do not return?"
El Sid stopped, but did not look back. He said quietly "If more than a year goes by, or you hear of my death, burn the scroll. The moonstone you may do with as you will, for it will be the only payment I can make for your help."
Outside, he waited patiently in the sun until Krin joined him, and they began the long walk back to the Inn without speaking.
---------------------------------- BREAK, CONTINUE STORY
Back at the Dancing Mongoose, Aleath was busy scribbling on scraps of paper and muttering to himself, and had been since their arrival. Glorm had heard him mutter something about "using a third order nonlinear fit to optimize..." Glorm reflected that he had a lot further to go in learning this odd language than he thought. Shortly after lunch, he gathered the group around him to show them the fruits of his labor. "Here it is!" he exclaimed.
"Here is what?" grumbled the dwarf.
"Why the optimized gaurd shifts and marching orders. What do you think I have been doing for the last 48 hours without rest?" With this he spread a parchment on the table
Glorm looked over Aleath’s shoulder at the proposed marching order. Road:
Tanaka El Sid Morgan Dom
Tristan Aleath Fuji
Glorm Krin Delrin Aron
Tristan 1.5 turns forward Fuji 1 turn back.
Wilderness:
Aron Glorm Tristan El Sid
Delrin Morgan Dom
Tanaka Krin Aleath
Fuji Delrin 2 turns out Fuji and Aron 1.5 turns out and Dom 1 turns out. GUARD SHIFTS
At Inn (five two hour watches):
Tanaka, Dom
El Sid, Krin
Fuji, Aron, Morgan
Glorm, Aleath
Tristan, Delrin
On Road (three 4 hour watches):
Delrin, Tanaka, Aron, Dom
Glorm, Tristan, Aleath
El Sid, Krin, Fuji, Morgan
Glorm grumble something resembling approval although he thought to himself how could someone be so smart, yet fail to realize over half the party couldn't read common.
Tristan leaned back with an easy smile. "Point. No problem. I think a round and a half should be far enough out." He took a sip of his beer. "By the way, I know El Sid got the flash sword but what happened to the fire pro ring? If it is available, I would not mind wearing it while riding point."
The normally meek Delrin overheard Tristan's comment and interjected, "It was suggested that I wear the ring to protect my lightning bolt capability, but I think it more than fair that whomever is out on point have the ring."
Some time later, El Sid and Krin returned, the Dom nowhere in sight. The halfelf's face was studiously blank. Tristan had headed to the harbor to find out about possible passage out, but the Kandayans were still in the common room had been steadily drinking since the early morning. Fuji saw the Sid, snidely sneared and began to raucously chant "Sawnom! Sawnom! Ee saramduri Sawnom!" collapsing into laughter at his own wit. Tanaka, however, not as far gone in his cups sat appraising the Saltan. El Sid, the faintest curl of disdain on his lips, moved past the rowdy Kandayan. He stopped before a suddenly sober Tanaka. He demandingly thrust out the back of his right fist to the barbarian. "Your Sa Kajok, Stangri," his words as of ice, "Be aware that you bond more than you can know..."
Tanaka grunted approval, but said "I think you make a wise choice, but we mark at end of week, if we find combat then. Preparations, you understand, this is a ceremony thing that needs done right."
El Sid nodded and almost collapsed into a seat. Glorm sensed that El Sid was not his normal arrogant self. So he somewhat unsteadily excused himself from the two half brothers, which whom he had been drinking steadily all day. He sat down in front of the darkly handsome man and offered him a mug of a rare Trollish brandy. El Sid took the mug gratefully, drank deeply and sighed. After a moment he spoke up. "Well my squat friend, I am in a bit of a pickle."
"Oh" said the dwarf "and what be this pickle?."
"Simply put, if I am seen any time soon in Salta, and perhaps anywhere else in Kethem, I am chopped liver."
"Ahh" said the dwarf seeming to sober up by the minute. "On the lamb are you. Well I have been there and done that. Here is what we should do. We were already planning a trip to Pranan. We will simply move up the time table. Tristan and I will go to the docks and book passage on the first ship out of Kethem for all eleven of us. The rest of the party will board the ship normally, and you can use your little blend spell to slip aboard unnoticed. Once at sea if the captain notices you, we will simply say he must have missed you boarding the ship. Your passage will be paid after all. When we reach port we will lay low and catch the first ship to Pranan. By changing ships we will further muddy our final destination, if anyone comes looking for you."
El Sid thought for a moment. "Well it seems you are not the lush you sometimes appear, my dwarven friend. The plan is a good one. Let us make haste." Glorm nodded. This was a good sign, El Sid's arrogance was back.
April 30th
Aron cursed loudly and colorfully until he noticed Krin was blushing. "Sorry, lady, these damn... I mean, stupid horses are not excited about getting on this damn... I mean, stupid boat."
Krin looked up at the Heavy Merchant Golden Sunset, the large ship low in the water with cargo and bustling with men making final preparations for departure to Ostenar, and from there to Cherifyr in Pranan. Nearby was the Kethem Light Warship Fith's Hammer, doing escort service by making a counter-clockwise circle around the Lanotalis Sea from its home port in Bythe.
Most of the others were already on board the Sunset, including El Sid, who had snuck on the night before. Fortunately, with a party of eleven, they had an entire bunk room to themselves.
Tristan had bargained with the ship master and booked passage for eleven at a cost of fifty five gold, most of which was for the horses. Tristan had also embellished Glorm and El Sid's plan a bit. He pointed out that it would be much easier to cover their tracks when switching boats by using local Pranan shipping, which was much less stringent about records than Kethem. Their final destination was Negreta, more of a fishing village than a real city. Even Tristan was not familiar with it.
"Aron" spoke Krin hesitantly, "Do you really think these guys know where they are going?"
Aron looked around at her. "Tanaka and Fuji? What, you mean because they rolled dice for a destination when we asked them where their brothers were? Hell... I mean, heck, those guys are comedy central. They were just pulling our legs." Aron stopped and looked at her more closely. "Are you OK?"
Krin bit her lower lip. "I'm just not very use to travelling, I guess. I've spent my entire life at my mothers... estate, I guess you would call it, and later at my father's temple."
Aron laughed and whacked her on the back, almost flooring her. "A secret, lady. I've never been more than a night's ride from Salta myself. But I look at this as an adventure, not a thing to be frightened of."
Krin looked at him in surprise. "But you and Tristan..."
"Are close friends, yes. But I know Tristan because of my connections in Salta, not abroad. I have a knack for finding things at the right price, and things that are sensitive, shall we say."
"Sensitive?" repeat Krin, puzzled.
Aron rolled his eyes. "The less informed would call them illegal, lady."
Krin's mouth opened in a small circle and her eyes grew wide. "Really?" she squeaked.
Aron laughed, "Really. And believe me...". He stopped suddenly, slipping on something slick. Then he looked down and saw what it was he had slipped in. Krin was positively beet red by the time he was finished cursing the horse and its ancestors for the last seven generations.
----------------------------------------------------------- NOTES:
Two things: If you want to drop the horses, cost is down to 1.5 gold per person. If you want to do something in Ostenar, or Cherafyr, tell me. Otherwise, unless you have a town encounter, we will pick up the story in Negreta.
6 May 451
"No Inn? What the hell do you mean, no Inn?" asked an angry Aron.
Tristan laughed. "Aron, Aron, Aron... we’re in the outback now. Better get use to it."
Aron was about to reply furiously when he noticed that Tanaka and Fuji were having a hard time keeping a straight face. He settled for quiet fuming instead. The trip had been long. Four days on the Golden Sunset, with one stop over in Ostenar where they had been too paranoid to get off the boat, followed by a two day trip backtracking in the Pranan Merchant Grog’s Hole. Hell Hole would have been more appropriate. He should have known when the price tag was only 20 gold, less than half what they had paid for the Golden Sunset. The food had been moldy bread, the sleeping accommodations had been any pile of cargo high enough to avoid constant drenching from sea water in the bilge’s, and recreation had been spending twelve hour shifts on the bailing team, running buckets of water out of the holds to keep the ship afloat. He was tired, cold, hungry, and really, really wanted a hot bath.
An hour later, he was much happier. Inn, no, family willing to sleep in a chicken coop for a couple of gold while the party used the house, yes. It was a small building, but dry and warm, with a huge fire roaring in a large stone fireplace that most of them were sitting in front of. A boy... one of the owner’s sons... was dishing out a simple but hot and plentiful stew, along with some coarse black bread. Glorm was smoking his pipe, and had passed around a bottle of something that went down smooth and sent waves of warmth coursing through tired bodies.
"More here, boy" said El Sid, not taking his gaze from the fire. Fortunately, common was used in Pranan, something Aron had found surprising since it was on the other side of Kanday. El Sid had pointed out that Kanday was settled by Stangri raiders, and that the entire area had before that time been one unified people. "Even Tawhiem is a derivative of common" he explained, "but geographic features like the Kom mountains and Evael forest isolated them more from the mainstream, allowing their language to diverge from the standard."
Tristan, who had been over in a corner with the man who’s house they were "borrowing," walked over and slumped down. "OK, I think we are set for the morrow. I’ve got a reasonable description of the path to Micaforo, and we can replenish our supplies there. It should take us four, maybe five days to get there. I’ve purchased a couple of weeks of field rations per person at 2 silver per ration... everyone needs to fork up 28 silver... and got oats for the horses thrown in for free. We’re kind of loaded down, but not unbearably so, and it means better deals at any way points... if they see we can wait to replenish provisions, they won’t try to bleed us. I suggest everyone get some rest. Sleeping on the road is tough, and this isn’t Kethem, with an Inn every mile."
Everyone nodded and tossed bedrolls where ever there was room.
The next day, they made their way out of Negreta, which took all of about five minutes. "A small town" said Krin, looking back.
Tristan nodded. "Most are, in Pranan. The City States are large, and have no compunction against using force to grab what they can. To grow too large is to invite being sacked by a neighbor."
"Do the City States fight each other, then?"
"When they think there is profit in it, yes, except in the northernmost cities. There, the Urakai are the threat, and the southern cities are just as happy having strong northern neighbors to ward off the larger attacks."
Tristan turned his attention to Tanaka. "So, what are your brothers doing in Micaforo?"
"In Micaforo? Brothers not in Micaforo."
Tristan looked at the Kandayan, startled. "What? You said we needed to go to Micaforo to find your brothers!"
Tanaka nodded. "True. Kandayan always stop in Micaforo. Beer made very special, be that place. We go to Micaforo and ask if any person see brothers, know where brothers went."
"And if we can’t find anyone who has seen them?" ask Tristan, beginning to fume.
Tanaka smiled. "Well, beer very, very good."
--------------------------- BREAK FOR NOTES
No training on the Pranan Merchant, so you are at seven days on the eighth... which you will reach before your first encounter, according to my dice. Pick your skills, keeping the rules in mind. I think Jeff Goldsmith has dropped out, so we will assume Aleath and Morgan stayed behind. Draw up a new marching order. I’ll send out your current gold totals soon (I distributed the 55 gold for the Kethem Merchant and 20 gold for the Pranan Merchant from people somewhat arbitrarily, with those having a lot of gold paying the lion’s share.) For the sake of simplicity, I will assume you have all your gold with you, even if you want some "safestored" back home.
------------------------------------ BREAK, MECHANICS
CURRENT
GOLD
El 47.22
Don 27.22
Glorm 32.82
Del 3.42
Ale 195.82
Mor 3.22
Tan 13.32
Fuji 13.32
Krinn 9.22
Aron 1.42
Trist 3.22
SKILLS
Who Roll Note
----- ---- --------
El 42 Misses
HIS
Don 48 Misses
basic med
Glorm 2 Learns
Stangri
Del 48 Learns
Stangri
Tan 90 Teachs
Stangri
Fuji 56 No
training
Krinn 97 Learns
Bow
Aron 77 No
training
Trist 57 Healing
New Marching Order, without Jeff's characters:
Road:
Tanaka El Sid Dom
Tristan Delrin Fuji
Glorm Krin
Aron
Tristan
1.5 turns forward Fuji 1 turn back.
Wilderness:
Aron Glorm El Sid
Tristan Delrin Dom
Tanaka Krin Fuji
Tristan
1.5 turns out
Fuji
and Aron 1.5 turns out and Dom 1 turns out.
GUARD
SHIFTS At Inn (four three hour watches):
Tanaka,
Delrin
El
Sid, Tristan
Fuji,
Krin, Aron
Glorm,
Dom
On
Road (three 4 hour watches):
Delrin,
Tanaka, Aron
Glorm,
Tristan, Dom
El
Sid, Krin, Fuji
-------------------------- BREAK, MAP OF PRANAN AND KANDAY
| /~/ ^ ^
| /~| |URAKAI TERRITORY| __
| /~~| /~~\
| |~~| /~~~~\
|10|~~| /~~~~~~\
| /~~~|18 _/~~~~~~~~|/~~~~| c 37 |~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~|19 ...../~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| PRANAN ............ 29\~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~| ........... 31 30 \~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~\ 20.... 32 \~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~\.. 33 ~~~ __/~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~\ 36~~~~~ 28/~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~|21 m34m ~~~ __/~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~| mmmMm ~27_____/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~| 35mMm ____~/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~| 26/~~~~~~#~##~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~/ \_____~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~/ 25\~##~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ KANDAY _____/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~/11 24|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------.. \_____~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~9 12. \~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16 . 22__ |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
KETHEM 17. ___/~~\_______23|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
14 15|-----------/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~______|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~##~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
KEY
~ Water 1 Salta
m Foothill 2 Elvish
Trading Island
v Swamp 3 Bythe
M mountain 4 Preda
# Small Islands 5 Hediro
6 Penden 7 Noru Castle
8 Orbaal, Isle of death 9 Fobin
10
Tendut 11 Shiran
12
Ostenar 13 Telen
14
Menekai 15 Kolki
16
Kuseme 17 Ramu
18
Cherifyr 19 Negrata
20
Helseki 21 Bragbro
22
Hemet 23 Gelmak
24
Gorum 25 Hekamite
26
Polick 27 Gansikanu
28
Pyantac 28 Osaka
29
Esoul 30 Nakasan
31
Golchi 32 Paranasantu
33
Gelkomici 34 Pokaku
35
Elseletisan 36 Beltan
37
Micaforo
c
Crystal Forest