Expedition: Halfpint/Into The Woods - 05 Sep 2021

[Starbeard]

Individually is fine with me.

I believe the three halflings would get rations from their mom, who is an excellent cook. Also, the three halflings are under Earc, as far as Charisma checks go. He was the one who convinced their mom and signed them on.

Also... it's "Lord Earc".

Noted. Yeah, I had originally just typed (Lord) Earc next to the halflings, since they were hired under his charisma checks, but then I considered how the roleplaying of it was established that they would have gone with Halfpint, but Mummy Frogmorton wouldn't allow it. So really, the charisma checks were against the mother, not the children. I'm going to keep them under Lord Earc anyway, with Halfpint as the understudy; if for whatever reason Earc's unable to lead them, they will defer to Halfpint's leadership values ("just don't tell Mum").

[Jernau35]

I'll keep track of Piers stuff and his hirelings. He bought rations for them just before leaving town. I'm assuming it's all on the mule for now and I'll work out Piers' encumbrance today.

[Alethan]

Individually is fine with me.

I believe the three halflings would get rations from their mom, who is an excellent cook. Also, the three halflings are under Earc, as far as Charisma checks go. He was the one who convinced their mom and signed them on.

Also... it's "Lord Earc".

Noted. Yeah, I had originally just typed (Lord) Earc next to the halflings, since they were hired under his charisma checks, but then I considered how the roleplaying of it was established that they would have gone with Halfpint, but Mummy Frogmorton wouldn't allow it. So really, the charisma checks were against the mother, not the children. I'm going to keep them under Lord Earc anyway, with Halfpint as the understudy; if for whatever reason Earc's unable to lead them, they will defer to Halfpint's leadership values ("just don't tell Mum").

OOC: Also, I was joking about the "lord" bit.

[onlyme]

(halfpint was thinking about the faeries and other folks she meets, not otherPCs who can find their own trinkets... )

anyway, she has finished her town work (assuming she was handed her official letters) is ready to proceed.

[Alethan]

(halfpint was thinking about the faeries and other folks she meets, not otherPCs who can find their own trinkets... )

anyway, she has finished her town work (assuming she was handed her official letters) is ready to proceed.

Ooohhhhhh... ok.

How about some inexpensive gems? Earc has a round opal (10gp) he would donate to the cause...

[Karaunios]

(halfpint was thinking about the faeries and other folks she meets, not otherPCs who can find their own trinkets... )

anyway, she has finished her town work (assuming she was handed her official letters) is ready to proceed.

OK. I get it now then. Didn't harm to ask anyway

[Alethan]

(halfpint was thinking about the faeries and other folks she meets, not otherPCs who can find their own trinkets... )

anyway, she has finished her town work (assuming she was handed her official letters) is ready to proceed.

OK. I get it now then. Didn't harm to ask anyway

Apologies, Baldorar. I was totally messing with onlyme when I made the post with the wishlist of items...

[Zhym]

Apologies, Baldorar. I was totally messing with onlyme when I made the post with the wishlist of items...

Everything you listed was too reasonable. There wasn't an Eye of Vecna or +5 Vorpal Holy Hammer of Thunderbolts and Wishes in the bunch. If you're going to dream, dream big!

[Karaunios]

(halfpint was thinking about the faeries and other folks she meets, not otherPCs who can find their own trinkets... )

anyway, she has finished her town work (assuming she was handed her official letters) is ready to proceed.

OK. I get it now then. Didn't harm to ask anyway

Apologies, Baldorar. I was totally messing with onlyme when I made the post with the wishlist of items...

Nothing to apologise for at all!

So... When are we moving?

[Marullus]

Player Characters
Lady Halfpint (leader)
Lord Earc the wizard.
Piers Garrett, Cleric of Baudh.
Lug, Probably part-giant. Ranger of Beith.
Anforthas, Khalorrim warrior.

NPCs (and whose Charisma they are tied to)
Berylla, halfling (Earc/Halfpint)
Isengar, halfling (Earc/Halfpint)
Fastred, halfling (Earc/Halfpint)
Guaire, human mercenary (Piers)
Sylvi, human mercenary (Piers)

Animals
Bushel, the pony (Halfpint)
Gwegwin, the riding horse (Earc)
Fynbar, the Tundra Cat (Earc)
Norp, the mule (Piers)
Nyorolim, Warhorse (Lug)

List above is finalized and I'll update the initial post.

You're departing Gaul on 07 September for Amistad via Frogmorton Ford, which advances the clock three days to 10 September. I'll update the game clock for you (you can normally do that yourselves).

From the Palisade of Amistad:

The frontier village of Amistad's Pinewood Vale is surrounded by an impressive wooden palisade, designed to require travelers to enter through one of three passageways: the main southern "Road" gatehouse, the small northwestern "Wilderness" gatehouse, or directly from the river dock at the east end of the settlement.

The palisade walls and gatehouses are guarded by both ogres and humans.


OOC: Anyone who comes to this settlement without a Town Seal of Entry will be stopped by the guards and questioned. If you do not have an entry seal to display, you will have to post here before entering Amistad. MARK YOUR POST WITH A TIMESTAMP.

...begin roleplay there and Starbeard will DM you.

[Starbeard]

OOC: Please state your final encumbrance & movement rates before we set out into the wilderness.

Alright, let's get to it!


10 September 2021
Village of Amistad

It has been raining in sporadic showers all day, so that by the end of your journey the dampness has soaked through your cloaks and begun to chill your outer layers.

You arrive before the Road Gatehouse at the south end of Amistad's Pinewood Vale, with about an hour of sunlight to spare. An ogre peers over the timber rampart at you and snatches the attention of another ogre. "It is people!"

They hang their massive arms over the wall, undisturbed by the rain shower that has just unleashed upon your heads, and call out to you. "Which people are you? You best have no trouble. We are peaceful now, that way Amistad gives us the good mutton. How much mutton you have?"

Date: 10 September 2021, 5:44pm
Distance travelled: ~15 miles
Temperature & Precipitation: 57º-66º, light rain showers all day
Winds: moderate breeze S
Daylight: Sunrise 5:34am, Sunset 6:44pm, waning crescent moon
Effects: None
Injuries: None

[onlyme]

10 September

Halfpint answers,
it is I, lady halfpint along with my trusted friends with papers from the duke.


not sure exact encumbrance, but she would have minimal weight not in her cloth.

[Karaunios]

10 September

Anforthas

Encumbrance: 94,2

Except if the Duke's papers are enough to grant pass, Anforthas don't have any Town Seal of Entry.

[Jernau35]

10 September

Piers throws back the hood of his cloak and wipes the rainwater from his face. "I am Sir Piers, Knight of Gaul, servant of Baudh", he announces smugly, using his new title for the first time.

Pier's encumbrance: 80lbs; Norp the Mule: 92.5lbs

[Zhym]

Lug grins at the tame Ogres. That's something new for him.

"Name's Lug," he declares. "Just 'Lug.' No feckin' Sir, no feckin' Lord."

Lug's movement is 60' on or off his horse, unless he can get his armor enchanted before this expedition starts.

[Starbeard]

Just getting a quick clarification behind the scenes about a few things from our DM of DMs, before moving on.

[Starbeard]

The pair of ogres confer with each other while the party waits in the rain.

"Say, we taking papers now?"
"Don't know."
"What the boss say?"
"Don't know that either."
"Better check."
"You go. I go too many times."
"…Okay."

The one ogre disappears from view while the other stands there apathetically and chewing on a reed, watching you like his heart isn't in it and utterly ignoring any attempts at questioning or conversation.

The shower begins to pick up strength, soaking you through completely even when hiding beneath the trees. A quarter of an hour passes and you begin to wonder if you will ever be let in, until you hear the sound of a great wood and metal latch being lifted and the log gate swings open with the ogre in tow. He brusquely waves you in.

The gatehouse to Amistad is a sturdy affair, with two watchtowers overlooking a small courtyard that is closed in by heavy log gates at either end. The back gate is shut, and once you are inside the tiny yard the ogre begins to swing the front gate shut again.

A trenchant human female comes swaggering of the left watchtower's entryway, barely giving you the time of day. Her snug cowl and rain coat don't quite conceal her flaxen locks and worn leather armor, and some of you recognize her as the mercenary Achaedany. You had heard that Amistad hired her to manage security along the road in and out of town.

Achaedany silently takes up the papers from Halfpint and looks them over, not really bothering to keep them out of the rain. She frequently interrupts her reading to eye you with incredulous, sidelong glances.

Finally, after taking several minutes longer than necessary, she hands the papers back and speaks. "I don't know what the Duke says, but Amistad pays the bills here. And the menu says one copper a head, a silver per animal, and a tax on any trade. After that, you can rule the whole world if it makes you happy." She looks over the party and counts up ten heads and five animals.

The ogre leaning against the gate speaks up. "Hey boss, we don't take the mule for food? Livestock running low here, we got to eat. Ogres got big bellies." The other ogre voices his agreement from the rampart above. Achaedany seems to consider the request seriously, then shakes her head. "No, they can keep it. But any rations they have are trade goods around here. Tax that if you want." Without another word, the security captain turns to leave back into the watchtower.

The two ogres smile at you broadly, pointing to a wooden sign that one of them has just fetched from inside the guardhouse and hung up on the wall. It reads: TRADE TAX 5%.

[Zhym]

Lug laughs loudly. "You expect us to pay to enter this crappy little pile of kindling? Screw that!"

"Come on, guys," he says to the rest of the party. "We still got an hour of light. Let's use it somewhere else."

[Jernau35]

Piers snorts derisively. "You threaten us, then you want us to pay for the privilege?"

He taps the breastplate of his dragonscale armor and addresses the ogres. "I'm wearing the last thing that threatened me. If you touch my mule, I'll be wearing you".

Without taking his eyes from the ogres Piers says "I'm with you Lug"

[Starbeard]

Achaedany stops and turns back, Her face flushed red. She gets in Piers' face and sneers at him, "And who's threatening who, 'Sir' Piers? Maybe you weren't paying attention, but I saved your mangy ass. Or do you want me to tell these ogres they can do what they like, is that it? Then we'll see how Amistad and your duke take it when they find out you started cutting up the place over a mule."

She turns to the others, with whom she has a better rapport from previous expeditions. "Your friend just hiked the entry up to 1 silver a head. I don't like being pushed around, not on my road."

Two more ogres poke their heads out from the watchtower and ask, "These guys bothering you, hey boss?" With a tired sigh Achaedany shakes her head and tells them to get back to their posts. It's clear that she's had her share of threats and abuses in the past few days, and has grown testy and tired of taking demands from cocky adventurers at sword point.

"Listen, right now I don't care who you are or why you're here. I've got two jobs. Two jobs. Protect the road, and make sure nobody comes in here bringing threats and trouble with them. Now my ogres made sure you had a nice breezy picnic all the way up here; if you don't think that deserves a couple of coin for the trouble, I don't know what to tell you. As for the food, I'm honestly sorry. We're just a little short of supply up here at the moment, and I can't have hungry ogres on my hands. That would be bad for everyone, obviously.

"Amistad's in town right now, you can take it up with him if you like once you're inside. Show him your papers and have a party. I'll kiss your feet and beg forgiveness. But right now, I have a job to do."