The Delivery 6/20 [Tinu, Morvith, Ferd & Robin]

[Marullus]

"I expect your parents should have told you that," he replies, raising an eyebrow questioningly, "Unless Elves do things differently..."

[joertexas]

"I expect your parents should have told you that," he replies, raising an eyebrow questioningly, "Unless Elves do things differently..."

Tinu laughs softly. "While procreation is something carefully considered among my people, I meant that what starts as, shall we say, a temporary arrangement, often becomes something more entangling."

[Enoch]

Morvith shrugs. "Just don't let your lust get in the way of our mission, troubadour."

[Marullus]

Ferd feigns a wounded look, bringing his hand to his chest. "It isn't my doing... I am just a Wanted man."

[Enoch]

With a glance over to the two watchers, Morvith replies "as am I. So what now? Backtrack and find this Thistle?" Without waiting for a reply, he turns and begins striding down the street.

[joertexas]

With a glance over to the two watchers, Morvith replies "as am I. So what now? Backtrack and find this Thistle?" Without waiting for a reply, he turns and begins striding down the street.

"I think we should go back toward the guild hall, and then take the most direct street," Tinu says.

[Marullus]

Ferd repeats the directions from the thugs, which is the direction he has been leading them.
"Go back south to Temple Road and turn west up the hill. Thistle's is third right when you reach the Market Square..."

[joertexas]

Ferd repeats the directions from the thugs, which is the direction he has been leading them.
"Go back south to Temple Road and turn west up the hill. Thistle's is third right when you reach the Market Square..."

Tinu nods in agreement.

[Eris]

Ferd repeats the directions from the thugs, which is the direction he has been leading them.
"Go back south to Temple Road and turn west up the hill. Thistle's is third right when you reach the Market Square..."

The trio turns and walks back up Dock Street past the temple to Madeeva and gets to the Guild Hall behind the Trident & Shield. On their right a street goes west, a sign on a building says that is Temple Road. The party turns up that road, for up it goes, right up a hill.

You pass by a large Temple to Ord on your left with a smaller temple across the street with a symbol over it's smaller, less ornate door, showing that Saint Terraginis is worshiped there. There are quite a few homes along Temple Road and the streets that branch from it, but you note few shops here.

As you near the top of the hill Temple Road opens up into a very large Market Square. This is not a market day so the square is mostly empty, but along the eastern side of the square you see shops and businesses. Looking to the north and the south you see that as the square ends the eastern edge becomes a street...you think this must be Market Street.

Looking across the square to the western side you see what looks like a Castle Keep behind a high stone wall. The Town Guard Barracks are to the left of the Keep with what looks like a jail attached. To the right of the keep is another walled barracks and you can hear the sounds of steel striking steel coming from behind that wall.

Turning to the right you quickly see a sign that says, Apothecary, with prop. Thistle painted in smaller letters below it.

Before entering the Apothecary you glance around. There are signs for King's Cobbler, Peray's Cafe, Mary's Bakery, a Fine Grocery's, The Butcher Shop and other shops along the Square to your south. Looking north you see signs for Raiments and More, Guilium Notary & Scribery, the Apothecary, Tastes of Home Spirits, Ye Old Curio Shop, and further up to the north a blacksmith and stables and still more as the Square ends and turns into a road leading toward the North Gate in Slateholm's City Walls.

[Eris]

Ferd receives a Luck token for his banter with the ruffians. A Luck token can be used to reroll any one roll by anyone.

[joertexas]

Before entering the Apothecary you glance around. There are signs for King's Cobbler, Peray's Cafe, Mary's Bakery, a Fine Grocery's, The Butcher Shop and other shops along the Square to your south. Looking north you see signs for Raiments and More, Guilium Notary & Scribery, the Apothecary, Tastes of Home Spirits, Ye Old Curio Shop, and further up to the north a blacksmith and stables and still more as the Square ends and turns into a road leading toward the North Gate in Slateholm's City Walls.

Tinu opens the door and holds it for her companions to enter.

[Eris]

Before entering the Apothecary you glance around. There are signs for King's Cobbler, Peray's Cafe, Mary's Bakery, a Fine Grocery's, The Butcher Shop and other shops along the Square to your south. Looking north you see signs for Raiments and More, Guilium Notary & Scribery, the Apothecary, Tastes of Home Spirits, Ye Old Curio Shop, and further up to the north a blacksmith and stables and still more as the Square ends and turns into a road leading toward the North Gate in Slateholm's City Walls.

Tinu opens the door and holds it for her companions to enter.

As all of you step in through the door you hear a bell tinkle somewhere inside. You enter a small alcove with an opening into a larger room ahead and a small doorway with stairs leading up on your right side. A small sign next to the stairway reads, Hilgard Widwife.

You can smell wintergreen and cloves from the larger room ahead of you and walking into it you see a long counter with wooden shelves filled with cubby holes behind it. On each side walls are shelves with a multitude of small bags, boxes, glass bottles, and small vials and ampules. The sections of the shelves are labeled with writing in a language only a halfling could read.

Behind the counter is another open door leading deeper into the shop.

For a few seconds you see no one, but shortly the head of a woman, a halfling woman, appears above the counter as she steps up onto a platform you can see her from the waist up. She looks to be middle aged with streaks of gray running through her brown hair and fine smile wrinkles around her eyes and mouth.

She is smiling now as she says, "And how can I help you on this fine afternoon?"

[Enoch]

Morvith leans on the counter on his forearms. "We understand you're in need of company to Jasselton and back." He looks around the room. "A fine looking shop, by the way. Do you get much custom?"

[Eris]

Tinu, Morvith and Ferd present:

Morvith leans on the counter on his forearms. "We understand you're in need of company to Jasselton and back." He looks around the room. "A fine looking shop, by the way. Do you get much custom?"

"Thanks for saying so, and yes, we do a good custom here. I'm Mazzie Thistle, the owner." she reaches over the counter and shakes each of your hands, "Harry sent you, right? Guild Master Harold Sikes, I mean, right?"

When you nod or agree with her she also nods, "Escort to Jasselton and back, that's right! It's a day up there and a day back with another day in the village. Seven gold for each of you when we return."

"I don't expect trouble, but there are wild animals and such along the forest road, a tribe of Goblins are rumored to have moved in south of the area we'll be going through and last time I was in Jasselton Sam Merryweather told me he'd seen Barklings going in and out of the caves in the gorge. Individually, if you don't trouble them, they don't trouble you, but when you get a gang of them together they can get dangerous, you know?"

"So, not a really dangerous little trip, but I thought better safe than sorry." Mazie finishes, "If you're taking the job we'll leave tomorrow morning at Cock's First Crow, um, about 4 o' the clock she waves behind her toward the Temples, "Saint Terragnis has a fine clock that rings on the hour. It's a marvel...what will the tinker's come up with next? Show up armed and ready to travel and we'll be off by the time West Gate opens."

"So, any questions? Oh, and I guess first, do you take the job?" she grins and looks at each of you.

[joertexas]

Tinu, Morvith and Ferd present:

"So, any questions? Oh, and I guess first, do you take the job?" she grins and looks at each of you.

"I will go," Tinu says.

[Enoch]

Morvith nods. "I'm in as well. What are barklings? Dog-people? Tree-folk? We don't have them where I'm from, or at least we don't call them that. Anything we should know about them?"

[Marullus]

"A pleasure to help, Miss Thistle," Ferd smiles encouragingly. "I am Ferd, at your service. I will be glad for a day among other Folk, to tell the truth. The humans speak as if no one lived here before they came - how long has Jasselton been here? Are relations better or worse under this second Duke?"

[Eris]

Morvith nods. "I'm in as well. What are barklings? Dog-people? Tree-folk? We don't have them where I'm from, or at least we don't call them that. Anything we should know about them?"

"Dog people is a good way to describe them." Mazie nods, "They were among the monsters that descended upon us from beyond the mountains back in the Before Time. I guess they and the Goblins were the least objectionable of that horde, at least you can sometimes deal with them. You can trust Barklings to keep their word if you can get them to give it too you. Goblins are less reliable, but generally won't try to kill and eat you on first sight...generally."

[Eris]

"A pleasure to help, Miss Thistle," Ferd smiles encouragingly. "I am Ferd, at your service. I will be glad for a day among other Folk, to tell the truth. The humans speak as if no one lived here before they came - how long has Jasselton been here? Are relations better or worse under this second Duke?"

"Pleasure's mine" Mazie says offering Ferd her hand adding, "You're Folk, but you're not Us. I can tell by your accent you have come over from the New Lands. You'll be quite the novelty over in Jasselton, you will."

"There are plenty of humans, dwarves, elves, and us mixed in with all the others that came in from Over the Mountains and didn't go back." Thistle nods her head, "Probably as many as the monsters still here, but scattered, and barely hanging on and I can understand folks from New Lands thinking we're just empty wilderness because that's what we are, mostly."

"We get along with Duke John." Mazie says, "He seems the sort to say what he means and to mean what he says. It'll be many a year before he brushes up too hard against the Old Shire or any of the other old Kingdoms that still have any sort of existence. We'll see when that happens what sort of neighbor he is then."

"As for me personally, I like the man. He called upon me to help his son when he as down with a really bad case of catarrh. Afterwards he helped me set up this shop and his patronage means I do an excellent business here in Slateholm."

"Now how long has Jasselton been around...um...just about forever! From before the Before and in name continuously since. It was just a small town in the Old Shire. When the Horde came the Folk of Jasselton went down into the Gorge, destroyed the path down, and hid. They stayed down there for generations only coming back to the surface about 100 years ago when the down below got more dangerous than the up above. Old Jasselton was ruins, of course, but on its bones we built the Jasselton that is. It was sad to discover that what once was The Shire was now a dangerous wilderness but we've discovered there are a few clans that have survived. A few Stoor Clans on the Western Coast took mostly to the sea and rode it out, and other clans took other routes, but all in all only a tiny fraction survived."

"And that is probably more than you wanted to know." Mazie grins, "But you did ask."

[Enoch]

Morvith raises a brow. "What's this Gorge you mention? We're strangers to this land, and I don't recognize the name. It sounds, too, like there's naught but wilderness between here and this new Jasselton. Any threats to be prepared for beyond barklings and goblins?
Any supplies to bring? Otherwise, I think we can leave as soon as you are ready."