4. Besieging Sassazuga

[tibbius]

You stand atop a low tree-covered hill, at the edge of the trees where the ground falls away before you to a plain of tummocks and grazing sheep. About two miles across the plain, at the side of a river, rise the walls of Sassazuga. Somewhere behind you, not yet mustered, is the army of T'slieth. Your task is to enter the city and spend a week inside it, observe its defenses, determine how they can be compromised, and report back to your employer.

About a mile to your left the merchant caravan that you had traveled with continues out of the pass along the main road toward the city gates.

One of you has an easel and is painting a water-color of the city. It is one of the deliverables to your employer, as well as your excuse for departing the caravan. Who is doing the work?

[ybn1197]

Elzarune can give it a shot

[GreyWolfVT]

Grax eyes the easel and painting supplies like it is a foreign object. "Eh? Do yah want me ta paint it wit tha blood of my enemies? Cause that I can do."

[ybn1197]

Grax eyes the easel and painting supplies like it is a foreign object. "Eh? Do yah want me ta paint it wit tha blood of my enemies? Cause that I can do."

"While I am sure that would make a pretty picture, I doubt our benefactors had that in mind." Elzarune chuckles.

[Rex]

Sealgair

"My paws are bit awkward for that, now catching fish, thats something they are really good at."

[tibbius]

ybn1197, roll a Test to see whether Elzarune paints an adequate picture. He's perfectly satisfied with his work.

[tibbius]

moving on

Hastening your steps, you rejoin the tail end of the caravan with its half-dozen creaking carts and two dozen grunting mules. About a dozen other people walk alongside the carts, all as stained by travel as yourselves. It will be refreshing to have a bath inside the ancient city Sassazuga.

The caravan plods up to the city gate. A grumpy group of watchmen inspect you all. They are particularly interested by Elzarune's armor. "All weapons to stay sheathed within the walls," the leader of the watchmen says in a flat bored tone. "Curfew one hour after sunset. All commerce to be done in Market Place and the streets directly from it. This is Main View, it leads to Market Place. You can do business in the shops along here."

What do you do?

[Rex]

Sealgair

Sealgair leads the way through.

[GreyWolfVT]

Grax follows Sealgair looking at the smithy work if he happens to see it on the way.

[ybn1197]

Paint Test: [1d6]=6 [1d6]=6

Elzarune meanders through the streets, keeping up with the others. "Should we procure lodgings first?"

[Rex]

Sealgair

"Good idea, a place to nap is important."

[tibbius]

The Dragging Dragon is the first you see. It looks reasonably well-maintained and smells delicious. Over the door is the eponymous sign, a fat green scaly lizard dragging a sheep by the shoulders.

The landlady is cheerful and plump as the namesake. She offers you room and board for one coin each. She also is quite gossipy. She mentions that there's talk of an edged weapons license to be paid in the near future, in order to fund improvements to the city's defenses. She also somehow lets slip that there's a professor of necromancy rumored to be teaching in the Scraps neighborhood.

[ybn1197]

Elzarune whispers back to the landlady, "I'm sure those in charge are none too happy about that. It seems they may be at odds with one another."

[GreyWolfVT]

Grax remains silent but the look upon his face shows his "concern". Then again it's hard sometimes to get a read on him...

[Rex]

Sealgair

"The most important question is, is the cost of honey included in the room cost?"

[tibbius]

"Now dearie, that depends how many jars you have ... would you say you have a honey habit, or a honey problem, or are you just a social licker? I see a nice group of Karhu over in the corner who already are a few jars in, would you and your friends like to join them?"

[Rex]

Sealgair

"No problem, see honey, eat honey. See no problem. Thanks but we are just settling in for now, not sure we have time to chat over honey."

[tibbius]

"Well, if you have more than six jars I'll charge an extra coin for the next six. The jars aren't that big, but it's good raw peach blossom honey with chunks of comb."

What do you all do to settle in?

[Rex]

Sealgair

"Just 1 jar of honey for now please, where is our room I would like to see it. Thanks."

She will inspect the room, any windows any of them could use to enter/exit, what floor etc.

[tibbius]

Second floor, one big window with shutters that latch from the inside, floor overhangs the first story a bit so that there would be a drop from the windowsill about eight or ten feet down to the street, probably not a good way to get out and no way at all to get in.