Quest #32 "Visiting With The Neighbors"

[Urson]

Daisy
Daisy stands quietly, letting the diplomat do her thing. She forces herself to smile pleasantly, despite the belligerence from the Stoneguts' guards.

[Bluehorse]

Liam

Seeing the dwarves move back to them he can't help but chuckle a bit to himself and then turns to the Princess and bows, gesturing to the dwarves as if to say, Well, here's your queue... His rapier remains sheathed and he does not put on his buckler, rather leaving it tied to his hip as to not appear hostile. He stands there watching with an amused expression. He has been looking forward to this exchange.

[OGRE MAGE]

Stonegut Meet And Greet
Godsday, 23rd of Goodmonth
Morning, Rainy, Warm, Humid

The dwarves approach a bit closer, edging their huge mounts forward by kicking them hard, very hard, in a targeted area behind their jawline, all while keeping extremely heavy pressure on their reigns. These lizards appear to be responding far more to their own pain sensors then the actual commands of their riders. They show several signs of abuse and neglect as well.

Sizing up the group as the Princess begins, the expressions on the two dwarven faces go through a range of confusion, anger, apprehension, and agreement, ending in utter shock and surprise.

“What is this? We’ve heard nothing of any oncoming delegations! How are ye affiliated with our Sergeant?” The second dwarf pipes up next in broken common. “An ow ye ever erd a Trebor’s ale?”

Actions?

Can I get a Hard Int check from anyone near the dwarves with your next actions, please?

Dexter 23/23
120 feet in between
Daisy 16/16 3/3 first 2/2 second
Jaxsen 19/19
Narramore 12/12 LOH
Princess 5/5 CL, DM, RM 1/1 first
Liam 9/9
overall map:
viewtopic.php?p=366477#p366477

[Paladin]

Sir William Narramore

Hard INT Check vs INT 10: [4d6] = 10

Narramore has a knight's keen appreciation for a sturdy mount, but as he absorbs the sight of the abused lizards, he stifles the urge to growl. It occurs to him that someone with a bit of animal handling knowledge might tame the beasts in a gentler fashion and use them against the dwarves at a later date. Or even raise them as herd animals for meat. He wonders briefly how similar it might be to training a warhorse.

The knight pushes his thoughts aside and focuses on the princess and her silver tongue.

[Urson]

Daisy

[4d6] = 18 IN 13

Daisy holds her tongue, but her jaw clenches and the knuckles of her right hand are white on the handle of her mace.

[Bluehorse]

Liam

INT: 10 Hard [4d6] = 12

Continues to stand and listen, trying to absorb as much of the happenings as he can.

[SirOwen]

Jaxsen Reiter

Jaxsen resists the urge to speak up and ask the Dwarves what happened to their mounts, as the abuse of a service animal is a foreign idea to him. "If it is an important matter, the Mayor will bring it up," he thinks.

Hard INT check vs 10 INT [4d6] = 20

[Monsieur Rose]

The Princess

Hard Check: [4d6] = 10

Her eyes graze across the scene and she merely raises a brow. "Heard nothing? Well, that's a pity." She starts to look put out, and then smiles warmly and transitions to dwarven.

"A minor mixup, I'm sure. Your Sergeant and I did some business on the beach a few days ago. I bought some slaves off him for a decent sum in gems. I was of the impression that he was happy with the arrangement. As was the guard who introduced us." She nods sagely at the dwarves.

"As for Master Trebor, I have only heard tales of the man's ale. From your Sergeant and a few guards. Tell me, is it as strong and rich as they say?"

She switches back to common. "But all that will have to wait until we are seen. I'm sure that the two of you could escort us through, or at least until the gates. If you aren't too busy with important patrols out here." She widens her eyes and appears quite excited. "Oh! These mounts! Yes, before I forget. How very clever of you to tame and ride them. Are they docile?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Stonegut Meet And Greet
Godsday, 23rd of Goodmonth
Morning, Rainy, Warm, Humid

As the Princess speaks to the dwarves, impressing them with the use of their own proud tongue, she and Narramore both notice that each of these dwarves is equipped with a small horn that hangs by a strip of leather around their necks. The paladin wonders if the huge yet docile animals might be easier to train with a lighter hand, but quickly dismisses the thought during the parlay.

The speaker listens intently to the attractive elf from his battered mount before eventually responding.

"Faber never said a thing bout this to us, but he's a scatterbrained old dwarf, ain't he?" He winks at his partner while looking over each member of the group.

"Trebor's ale is as good as ye heard, miss. Maybe better. Now...... I cant tell if yer lying er not, but after the week we've had at the mine, I think a visit from an emissary of the town might be a welcome diversion for the king. So, I will let you pass without delay. There will be no escort, as we are needed here on the trail, but feel free to continue along your way if ye like. We wont stop ye."

The second dwarf kicks his lizard several times again once asked about their mounts, causing it to shuffle around in pain until it completes a full circle. He sneers down at the Princess from his elevated perch. "Docile enough, I spose. Now get, afore we change a mind."

Actions?

Dexter 23/23
120 feet in between
Daisy 16/16 3/3 first 2/2 second
Jaxsen 19/19
Narramore 12/12 LOH
Princess 5/5 CL, DM, RM 1/1 first
Liam 9/9
overall map:
viewtopic.php?p=366477#p366477

[Monsieur Rose]

The Princess

"Excellent!" She bows slightly and smiles.

She addresses the group. "These fine gentlemen are allowing us to pass. Let's get a move on, it's still a long trek."

Back to the guards, in dwarven "Thank you. Could I have your names to pass along? I'm sure people would want to hear how professional you both were."

"Nice to meet you both. Ale is on me if I manage to get to Trebor."

[Urson]

Daisy
Nice work, Princess. Ah knew you were the top choice for this job.

She scowls again at the scars on the riding lizards. She mutters If it was me, Ah'd turn these boys inside out for how they treat their beasts.

[SirOwen]

Jaxsen Reiter

Softly, Jaxsen responds to Daisy's low-volume comment. "So they do that to their animals deliberately? Wouldn't that indicate that they would be inclined to treat their allies with the same disrespect? We need to be like the spider that pretends to be an ant. Let them not know us as well as they think they do."

It's really a spider....

th.jpg (8.18 KiB) Viewed 494 times

[SirOwen]

Just checking, but the company has to pass Dexter's position off the trail to reach the cut-off to the Dwarves' domain, correct? If so, Dexter will just wait for them. He has heard no sound of battle, so he'll get the news update when they arrive.

[Paladin]

Sir William Narramore

The broad-chested knight restrains the urge to growl at the pushy little man only by reminding himself that the mission is foremost. Personal scores can be settled later. He remains stone-faced and follows the lead of Daisy and the princess, ever alert to treachery from the grubby dwarves.

[OGRE MAGE]

Stonegut Meet And Greet
Godsday, 23rd of Goodmonth
Morning, Rainy, Warm, Humid

Jaxsen and Liam both share an intense sense of familiarity as the Princess schmoozes with the dwarves, using her full compliment of charm and guile to get her answers.

While the others refrain from calling out the abuse to the dwarves animals, the Princess takes the hint to move along. Though she does chance a final question as the party starts off again. "I don't think ye'll need to worry about that too much, yer highness. Juss tell em the squad sent ya." The second patrolling dwarf snickers at the comment arrogantly, still shooing the group along aggressively.

Narramore watches them closely as the party leaves to catch up with Dexter, certain that these dwarves shouldn't be trusted. Jaxsen verbalizes a similar sentiment, concerned about how they will be treated once they arrive at this dwarven settlement.

120 feet up the trail, hidden at the edge of the jungle, Dexter finds his friends returning to their journey. The mounted dwarves don't seem to be following.

Actions?

Dexter 23/23
120 feet in between
Daisy 16/16 3/3 first 2/2 second
Jaxsen 19/19
Narramore 12/12 LOH
Princess 5/5 CL, DM, RM 1/1 first
Liam 9/9
overall map:
viewtopic.php?p=366477#p366477

[SirOwen]

Dexter Broadleaf

As the company draws even with him, Dexter slips out of the foliage and rejoins them, eager to hear how things went. "I didn't hear no fighting, so I figured there was no one as needed my stealthy attentions. So, I guess somebody here sweet-talked 'em?" This last includes his staring back and forth between the Princess and The Mayor.

[Urson]

Daisy
Our diplomat handled those rockeaters.

[Monsieur Rose]

The Princess

"Nice job everyone." She nods and thanks people once they are past earshot.

"Those lizards are intriguing, aren't they? Maybe if handled properly, they could be quite an asset." The Princess looks like she's thinking through a possibility.

As some of the others express concerns about the Stoneguts, she pipes up. "Cultural differences. We're not at my court or the town, or anywhere we are used to. Different rules apply, don't ever forget that. Don't insult, don't fight, and don't assume intent. The only thing that can be expected is that they will act in their own best interest. All we need to do is make that align with our best interest."

When Dexter slips back into the group, she extends her thanks to him. "Nice call on staying hidden, surprises would not have been welcome, I think."

"Shall we? I think the turn off is just ahead. Where I'm sure dropping the name of the squad will do very little to help us through." She says this last bit with a happy smile.

[SirOwen]

Jaxsen Reiter

Listening to the Princess attempt to validate the Stoneguts' actions by merely saying that they are different, makes the Monk look to Daisy. "You are my leader. I can hold my tongue. I can hold my hand from violence. But if you agree that I have to accept this because they are different, I should leave. We are not so far from town that I cannot return safely." He then turns to the Princess. "You wish to open diplomatic channels with them, in order to persuade them to change their ways? I can support that. But saying that what they do has to be accepted because they are different is another matter. I do NOT have to accept that difference. I would much rather kill them all."

[Paladin]

Sir William Narramore

The knight listens to the Princess and Jaxsen in turn, weighing carefully the words of each. Finally, he nods.

"I will not fling myself into a battle I cannot win, as they hold a stronger position than ours. But my eventual intent is to turn these dwarves away from their wickedness or eradicate them. Today I am a diplomat's bodyguard and will hold my peace." He shrugs. "Tomorrow or the next day, or perhaps a month from now, things will be different."

He moves decisively forward. "I will train one of those lizards properly before it's all over with," he adds over his shoulder.