the session continues!
GM Elle: Everyone who's been sleeping in the tent for second shift wakes up to the sound of little Roric complaining that he's hungry.
MSG: I guess that's me and Filvius, and maybe Fidu if he's not too deeply asleep.
Claire: Didn't we make camp at like, three in the afternoon yesterday? I think even Fidu has gotten enough rest by now, considering he didn't take a turn on watch duty.
Ariel: Yeah, but I had those nightmares. Also, even if I wake up at him complaining, that doesn't mean I'm ready to get out of my sleeping pelt yet.
Claire: Well I'm pretty much going to get that new grimoire out and read in it some more as soon as I wake up, so if anybody's going to feed the kid, it'll have to be Dolora.
MSG: I'll give him a ration, dourly.
GM Elle: Everyone else can mark of a ration too, then, and then it's time for someone to make a Bushcraft roll for pathfinding.
Claire: Can I walk and read at the same time? I'll let Dolora do the pathfinding if I can manage it.
GM Elle: Sure, but if there's a mishap, the book might get lost or damaged if you've got it out. Also, he'll just be reading, not studying enough for it to count as an attempt to learn a spell.
Claire: Filvy is pretty reckless, on top of being desperate to acquire more knowledge, so he's reading for sure, even though he already succeeded on the spell learning roll last night.
MSG: Um ... bad move having me lead the way, apparently, because I roll a Demon.
Claire: Seriously?
GM Elle: Let's see what it is ... table says, "Mosquito swarm." So the book is safe, but everybody not wearing a cloak becomes Angry from the incessant buzzing and biting of bloodsucking insects. You also make no progress for the first shift.
MSG: Great. Well, I make my roll for the second shift, at least.
Ariel: Time to camp, then!
MSG: Since Filvius learned the Sleep spell last night, can I assume we get right to him teaching me the Animism school?
Claire: I guess he'll grudgingly get started.
Akane: Again, Zedeja is watchful while a dwarf and elf preoccupy themselves in studies of magickry.
GM Elle: Nothing occurs on first watch. And rolling again for second watch ... nothing then either. A new day dawns to the sound of Roric whinging about his rumbly tummy.
MSG: I've been marking Glinssa's rations off of mine, and I'm out, so someone else will need to feed him today.
Claire: I guess I'll do it.
GM Elle: Pathfinding roll?
MSG: Made it for the first shift's travel.
GM Elle: I roll nothing for encounters.
MSG: Then I make it for the second shift too.
GM Elle: You come across another set of cultists' bodies hacked to death and strung up.
Akane: Zedeja will cover the eyes of a noisome child.
Harriet: That seems uncharacteristically charitable of her.
Akane: No. It is insurance against childly nightmares of corpses in trees that could cause wake-age of everyone from child screamings.
Harriet: Ah, now I see.
GM Elle: No encounters overnight, either. So that's a second day of magical training for Dolora.
MSG: Nice. I feel like I'm catching up to Filvius quickly. But I don't tell him that because if I do, he may deliberately slow things down.
Claire: That does sound like him.
GM Elle: Last two pathfinding checks to make it to the farms outside of Outskirt, which is where Roric's family lives on a farm.
MSG: I make both rolls.
GM Elle: Mmm .. the encounter table says you come across a merchant named Theobald. He's got most of the common items in the equipment list for sale, and a few uncommon ones. He also asks if you've any good stories to trade, since you have the look of adventurers about you.
MSG: I'll shell out for some rations and give him the story of killing the giant spider in the Oracle Cave.
GM Elle: He's very impressed -- he's heard from others along the road that the cave can be deadly. In return, he tells you the tale of the Troll's Spire, a silvery tower in the western mountains not far to the north of Oracle Cave. It's supposed to be magical, and home to an alchemist who long ago concocted an elixir of eternal life but had to hide from the Dragon Emperor Eledain by holing up in her tower. "They say no one has e'er found the way in since," Theobald tells you. Here's the adventure card for that rumor to put with your others.
Ariel: Um, we just got back from over that direction so I hope nobody's thinking we should turn around and make that whole trip again anytime soon!
Akane: Zedeja says it is preferred to use four statue pieces to retrieve a magical sword from a crypt instead of journeying to a tower with no way in.
Harriet: Dilfriida grits her teeth silently when she realizes she agrees with Zedeja.
Heddy: Poor thing.
Akane: Wait! This tooth-gritting might be perceivable! Can I roll Awareness to determine Zedeja's detection of it?
MSG: Do you need to? I mean, doesn't Zedeja already think deep down that Dilfriida knows the mage is right about everything and only disagrees because she's naturally insubordinate?
Akane: Hmm. Truth detected, I admit.
MSG: If that's the whole encounter with Theobald, then, should we proceed to the outskirts of Outskirt and find Roric's family to return him?
Sasha: Yeah, because he's annoying enough that Sir Q's in danger of deciding he's a little monster.
GM Elle: You continue along the rough trail until it turns into a rough farm road under the waning light of the sun in the west. As dusk approaches, Roric recognizes a local landmark and starts urging you to go faster because you're now very near his family's farm.
Akane: Zedeja deals immediate chastisement to him! Such urgings are a mage's authority, not a child's!
GM Elle: Roll Persuasion -- if you fail he'll start yelling it instead of just saying it.
Akane: Failure, but clearly Zedeja has Anger at the possible disobedience of this urchin. I push the roll ... aha! The new roll: Dragon!
GM Elle: The boy is startled into a fearful silence for the rest of the trip, then, only pointing the right direction toward his home whenever you reach a crossroads or turn.
Akane: Zedeja suggests that a halfling could take lessons from this infant.
Harriet: Dilfriida says something rude back, but doesn't put a lot of effort into it because it's the end of a long day and she just wants to get to the inn and get some rest.
GM Elle: At the farm, when you arrive, Roric's family rushes out for a tearful reunion. He immediately says he wants to go inside and eat some supper and get away from the "scary old witch lady," and his older brother hurries him in. The mother and father say they haven't much money, but they can give you a handful of silvers and 40 rations worth of preserves and uncooked root vegetables.
Ariel: How much farther is it to town? Because if it's far, I'm asking them if there's someplace they could put us up for the night. I'm beat.
GM Elle: It's a few miles to town, so probably over an hour with your donkeys. The farmhouse doesn't have any open guest beds, but they can put you up in the barn.
Claire: Filvius is fine with that.
Ariel: It sounds great to Fidu.
Akane: Zedeja omits objection for now.
GM Elle: They take you to the barn and show you where you can best make your beds among the hay bales and ask if there's anything else they can get you before you turn in.
MSG: Maybe some lamp oil so Filvius and I can do our next Animism lesson?
Sasha: I'll ask if they have any ale. Quackers is supposed to be Brandy's drinking buddy every night, and I'm assuming it's been pretty light drinking on this trip so far, since all we have is the jug of troll hooch.
Heddy: Yes, I would very much appreciate something with a bit less of a troll-toothed bite to it.
GM Elle: They'll bring out a small keg of mead and some mugs, then. How many of the group plan to partake?
MSG: Dolora needs to be sharp for her lessons.
Claire: Filvius will have a mug, since he's not as worried about being sharp for the lessons.
Ariel: I'm already asleep.
Akane: No mead for a mage -- at least, not a senior one.
Harriet: Dilfriida is certainly in.
GM Elle: After a bit, the farmers return, one with the keg and the other carrying five mugs. Actually, six, because Glinssa would have cautiously spoken up to request a mug after it became clear almost everyone else was getting one.
Akane: Zedeja is watchful that an ex-cultist does not over-drink and become too drunkardly to properly mind donkeys!
GM Elle: Once the ale and mugs are delivered, Roric's folks let you know they'll have a full farm breakfast cooked for you in the morning, then bid you goodnight and return to the house to celebrate Roric's safe homecoming. MSG, make note of Dolora's third lesson.
MSG: Already done.
GM Elle: No need for watches or encounter rolls overnight -- in the morning there's as much as you care to eat of eggs, porridge, bacon, and root tea.
MSG: If any of that seems original to Dolora, she'll ask for the recipe to add to her knowledge.
Claire: Filvius will ask who cooked the meal and what process they used to make enough for so many people.
GM Elle: Unfortunately, you're both disappointed by mundane and unenlightening answers.
Sasha: As soon as Sir Q duck-gulps his breakfast down, he's pushing for us to get on the road before Dolora and Filvy decide to waste all day learning about planting and plowing.
Akane: Zedeja also urges haste in departing. We must retrieve statue pieces from bankers and go to the temple ruins!
GM Elle: If no one objects to that plan, you can get to Outskirt and be done at the bank by mid-morning.
MSG: Do we want to just head straight for the temple ruins and see what we can figure out with the statue pieces?
Claire: First we need to see if they actually all fit together, don't we?
Akane: Zedeja insists statue pieces must remain hidden in bags unless in a secretive place.
Harriet: Is there any reason we can't use the temple itself as a secret place? It didn't seem heavily trafficked anytime we visited, did it?
GM Elle: No, not that you've noticed. By the way, Glinssa still isn't keen on returning to town where she might run into Leanara or Quasimund and his cult goons.
Akane: Zedeja orders her to cease fearfulness. Donkeys need tending even in a town! No more slackery just because she is an ex-cultist.
MSG: I'll also point out to her that we beat those cultists in a fistfight before, so if they come at her while we're around, we should be able to take them.
GM Elle: Both of you can roll persuade, Zedeja first.
Akane: Again a Dragon! The Persuasion of a mage is mighty today.
GM Elle: Glinssa looks very unhappy at Zedeja's command, but is much too intimidated to say no.
MSG: I roll a 5, which is good because my Persuasion is only a 7.
GM Elle: She appears at least somewhat comforted by Dolora's offer of protection. If the next thing you're up to is a trip to the ruins, I think this is a good spot to end the session. Very eventful all around, so I think everyone safely gets 5 experience marks.
Ariel: Woohoo!
GM Elle: And as of next session, Filvius will be able to cast his Sleep spell.
Claire: He's more excited than I am. I still think that spell kind of sucks.
Akane: Zedeja is prepared to give criticism if this becomes true.
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