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Arngeir claps the man on the shoulder.

"Good. See, Ivinians not so bad. Next time we meet you owe me beer, many beer."

I'll have to cast it some more on the other apples then, gradually over the next few days. Will a failed cast ruin the apple?

Pulpatoon wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:05 pm As long as we're tracking apple expenses, Idril makes sure to collect her pay from Sax.

Good call.

Sax pays her 10d (1 weeks pay for a cook) and 10d for her extra efforts to help during and after the Gargun attack. He then thanks her for everything.

shaidar wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:13 pm Arngeir claps the man on the shoulder.

"Good. See, Ivinians not so bad. Next time we meet you owe me beer, many beer."

I'll have to cast it some more on the other apples then, gradually over the next few days. Will a failed cast ruin the apple?

MF doesn't ruin an apple but CF does.

Rex wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:10 pm You don't need to roll for the skill as it is a basic function, no roll needed. But for every hour of prayer you get a roll for Piety Points. It is a %d roll vs 20, lower and you gain 1 PP. I plan to give out Piety to the Clerics when I do weekly Skill Maintenance Points. If you are going to play her as devote and prays every day, etc I can figure an amount for Turnip too. The same applies to Algrim if he he is considering himself devote. Most Khuzdul are devote and they self practice their faith normally. Thinking about it I will retcon some for the 10th of Kelen as it will be easier to track for me if we do it on the 10th, 20th and 30th of each month.

I do plan for her to pray daily, and maybe make donations to the church, depending on wealth found.

Pulpatoon wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 2:30 pm Idril Nagfly, over breakfast: "We know there is something that warrants attention. But we are like a blind seamstress, feeling the edges of a garment, not yet sure what it is or how to go about mending it. So let us gather what we know, and see if suggests a path forward.

"Arngeir, Algrim, and I were alerted to the presence of a bundle hidden in a ruin's wall when I smelled Sindarin magic." She holds the stone pendant out briefly before tucking it back into her clothes. "We also found a dagger and a key." She looks to Arngeir to continue.

Turnip raises an eyebrow and looks with some hard-to-hide interest at Arngeir.

Arngeir produces a plain steel dagger

"Algrim has key. I have a skill, sometimes things speak to me, tell me their past. This was hid by Baild of Elendsa, near 100 years ago. Was warrior-priest of Larani. Key is of khazdul, master key of outposts. We think one near here."

I haven't previously stated what Arngeir did with the key after his psychometry, but I think he would have given to Algrim, so they all have an item.

Algrim reveals the key and shares what they learned of it with Turnip.

Turnip flinches at Arngeir's comment about the key and his abilities.

"I... nervous side glance at Idril "think I can do that, as well. That's how I know about the other bag, in the outpost."

She continues, now a bit more self assured again.

"Sometimes I even know how I'm going to find it. Like meeting you, with the key. It's hard to explain. I guess the Empress speaks to me, in my dreams."

She kisses something around her neck, beneath her robe, probably a pendant or something.

"So. Any idea on where to find this outpost? I feel it's near Meldun."

Idril waves a hand in front of her face, as if trying to clear smoke from the air. "I have seen... something of it. I expect I will recognize it if we ever stumble upon it.

"If we can deduce a few hallmarks of this outpost, we could consult with such locals as would know the land well. We might need a ruse to explain out interest, however, lest we attract rivals."

Reflecting for a moment, she adds, "I saw a rocky face, like a cliff or escarpment. Grey-green rock. The rock looked like the corner of a building, shape..." she steeples her hands in a mountain-fold, "that had a corner chopped out of it." She reverse-steeples her hands in a valley-fold. "Does that make sense? Like the hollow corner produced if two boxes were set next to one another. Leaves, brown and dry, piled in the hollow corner. Tall skinny trees in the shadowed lee of the rockface, reaching up to the light. So that they had few branches or foliage for most of their height.

"That is what I saw. Is it enough for a local to recognize? Khuzdul, do you have anything to add, based on your knowledge of your people's outposts?"

Arngeir nods

"Perhaps is one who lives here who recognise place, or might be map of land we can see."

Turnip

"Might be a stupid question, but did you ask the key yet? Where it fits? I mean, the owner must have locked up at some point. If not, I can do it."

Arngeir shakes his head

"No, is master key. Open lots of locks. Might not been used at outpost we seek. Could try, might work."

Arngeir pauses for a moment, thinking, then continues.

"Other things we find might help with outpost too. Should find Inn, stay night. Find answers, private. Beer too."

Turnip

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Here is a map of the Meldun area. Sax explains what he knows of the area and Turnip has been spending the last week in the city of Burzyn and the villages between it and Meldun.

The circle with a dot in them are ruined manors (4 south of the trail and 1 north in this area). Note there are also some Pagaelin villages scattered around. They are the tribal people who occupy the land between Kaldor and Chybisa. They are best described in D&D terms as Chaotic Evil. I tried rotating and saving the image but it didn't work.

13 Kelen

The night passes with no incidents. Sax and company pack up and head out. Thanking everyone once more.

After thinking about it overnight:
Algrim knows the Khuzdul use/used markers, simple stone posts with runes on them to mark distances and locations of Khuzdul inns and outposts. Maybe some remain?
Arngeir knows he could ask 3 questions of the bag and knows the closest settlement is Meldrun. Maybe ask about a tribal village or ruined manor?
Idril thinks the bag is pretty strong magic, but it is likely to be hidden. Why didn't they take it with them when they abandoned the outpost?
Turnip has been searching and asking around in the local settlements for the past week. She learned that the Ulmerian Valley is full of weird statues and markers of all sorts left behind by the Khuzdul, they seemed to have a connection to this valley. Maybe Algrim can read any writing they left behind?



Arngeir Orlygsson: Inj (none), FL 0, BL 0, PP 85, Uni Pen (0/0), Phy Pen (4/-20), SMP 16, Move 3, Spc: Carrying backpack
Algrim Tirion: Inj (none), FL 0, BL 0, PP 19, Uni Pen (0), Phy Pen (3/-15), SMP 16, Move 10, Spc: Carrying backpack
Idril Nagfly: Inj (none), FL 0, BL 0, PP 80, Uni Pen (0/0), Phy Pen (3/-15), SMP 14, Move 6, Spc: Carrying backpack
Turnip: Inj (none), FL 0, BL 0, PP 21, Uni Pen (0), Phy Pen (0/0), SMP 17, Move 15, Spc: Carrying backpack

Turnip downs her last piece of breakfast, seemingly satisfied.

"So. I know, or my hunches are telling me, that Meldun is the nearest settlement to the outpost. I've been talking with quite a lot of people nearby, farmers, freemen, even a noble, and it seems the outposts are well hidden nowadays but that the Khuzdul left a few hints as to where they are. Milestones, or signposts, if you will. Statues, runic stones, that kind of stuff. So my best shot would be to just comb the valley and trying to find some clue. Whaddya think?"

Idril: Is this valley far? Do you think we could find someone—a hunter or poacher—who might know it and be able to tell us if the rockface is there? OR describe these runic stones to our khuzdul in greater detail?