Delicacy and tact – 23 Jul. 2019 – Heret
Jul 28, 2019 20:27:34 GMT
Varis/G'Lorth/Sundilar, Sunday, and 2 more like this
Post by Heret Velnnarul on Jul 28, 2019 20:27:34 GMT
14 Flamerule, 1396 AR
in the southern reaches of the Feythorn Forest
Encamped for the night on journey back to DH. Baine, Ghesh, Igrainne, Mystigon also here. B v. angry with M, with reason.
Vorsthold. Interesting place but few obvious commercial opportunities – save one, perchance. Arrived by public tel. circle from DH, not into V itself but near by. Seems the Vorstborn keep the particulars of their circle secret, so AA placed us ~1hr from the group of mountains where one enters V.
V itself v. heavily defended, as the stories say. Entrance in the mountain is both hidden & guarded; inside is a heavily protected chamber where we were questioned under the effect of a magical compulsion. M began his nonsense here, answering presumptuously & using magics to interfere with the architecture, much to our hosts’ annoyance.
Nonetheless, shown to office of mayor Grimblefoot. She was nervous, secretive. Said through meetings with ‘surfacers’ she’d come to believe there’s something wrong in V but wanted outsiders to confirm her suspicions. Didn’t tell us what she believes, lest she prejudice our inquiries. Arranged for us to accompany & observe a transport: 2 wagons, taking a siege engine in parts to the fortified outpost called ‘Deepfast’.
Grimblefoot offered 100gp each with extra depending on results. G helped me negotiate an additional 100 in the event of danger (G seems to be getting the knack of bargaining since our first meeting at the factory opening!).
We travelled with the wagons and their guards. Many were distrustful but spoke a little to one soldier named Alberich Voldort. After some travel underground we were attacked by many ghouls & ghasts (unnoticed, it seems, by either Igrainne or the Vorstborn scout!) apparently led or animated by what I guessed to be one of the grey dwarves. The V soldiers quickly took up formation and fought efficiently & with great discipline & cooperation. With all our efforts we vanquished the attackers with no lives lost among our party, though many wounds. Pressed on a little way to a safe place to rest & tend the wounded.
On the way, spoke further to AV. Among other talk, noticed that he was nervous about a few of his companions.
During our rest, we were warned strictly against entering the tent erected by the priests for the wounded soldiers. They were concerned about surface diseases, they said. Nonetheless, M conjured a handful of rodents and sent them into the tent, saying he could see through their eyes. He described to us the two priests enacting a ritual in the tent with incense & prayers. I know not exactly what happened next but there was a commotion in the tent and the elder priest emerged, looking about in wrath. Seeing this, B turned to M and remonstrated with him, which theme the priest then took up, seizing him bodily and asking how he dare interrupt with his healing magics. Upon M replying that he could heal the soldiers better than the priest could, the latter dragged him into the tent! M would not speak later of what was said within.
B exceeding wroth at M’s behaviour and struck him hard in the face as soon as he emerged from the tent! B then walking away, M retaliated with a vicious stream of lightning, blistering the young man’s back. G intervened to make the peace, and then the dwarven commander rebuked all three for their noise. I was right to stay out of this foolishness!
Next day we proceeded to the Deepfast without much talk, though I did exchange some more idle words with AV. Some of the other dwarves warmed to us a little, having seen us fight with them. Ig. seemed v. taken with the surly scout of the group. She is a curious young woman, this daughter of the under-elves.
On our return to V, the mayor was not much pleased with our report. It did not seem to confirm whatever it was she suspected. This she did not discover to us, though it seemed to have to do with the healing abilities of her priests, which do not compare well with those of some she has seen from the sunshine realms (she mentioned in particular Rholor the Tethyrian). Well, it little matters to me whether our service satisfied her or no. She paid us the promised 200gp each (except to Ig., who preferred to be paid in information – I know not what).
If it be true that the Vorstborn priests have little healing magic – and, indeed, I saw none performed when I was among them, nor any elixirs of health such as are relatively easy to obtain on the surface – then there may be trade to be done. The haulage of potions, however, would be costly: 10 days there and back through the Feythorn. But if they could be induced to impart the secret of their tel. circle! TASK: on return to DH, calculate costs and likely revenue of such a line of trade.
Own conduct:
Gained:
TASK: map route back to DH as we travel.
in the southern reaches of the Feythorn Forest
Encamped for the night on journey back to DH. Baine, Ghesh, Igrainne, Mystigon also here. B v. angry with M, with reason.
Vorsthold. Interesting place but few obvious commercial opportunities – save one, perchance. Arrived by public tel. circle from DH, not into V itself but near by. Seems the Vorstborn keep the particulars of their circle secret, so AA placed us ~1hr from the group of mountains where one enters V.
V itself v. heavily defended, as the stories say. Entrance in the mountain is both hidden & guarded; inside is a heavily protected chamber where we were questioned under the effect of a magical compulsion. M began his nonsense here, answering presumptuously & using magics to interfere with the architecture, much to our hosts’ annoyance.
Nonetheless, shown to office of mayor Grimblefoot. She was nervous, secretive. Said through meetings with ‘surfacers’ she’d come to believe there’s something wrong in V but wanted outsiders to confirm her suspicions. Didn’t tell us what she believes, lest she prejudice our inquiries. Arranged for us to accompany & observe a transport: 2 wagons, taking a siege engine in parts to the fortified outpost called ‘Deepfast’.
Grimblefoot offered 100gp each with extra depending on results. G helped me negotiate an additional 100 in the event of danger (G seems to be getting the knack of bargaining since our first meeting at the factory opening!).
We travelled with the wagons and their guards. Many were distrustful but spoke a little to one soldier named Alberich Voldort. After some travel underground we were attacked by many ghouls & ghasts (unnoticed, it seems, by either Igrainne or the Vorstborn scout!) apparently led or animated by what I guessed to be one of the grey dwarves. The V soldiers quickly took up formation and fought efficiently & with great discipline & cooperation. With all our efforts we vanquished the attackers with no lives lost among our party, though many wounds. Pressed on a little way to a safe place to rest & tend the wounded.
On the way, spoke further to AV. Among other talk, noticed that he was nervous about a few of his companions.
- His glances betrayed something amiss about one of the drivers; later when we encamped I checked under her wagon and found bottles hidden, a little smuggling, unsurprising.
- The Vorstborn magician, Talka, he described as ambitious to excel in magic. Igrainne later found this Talka experimenting with a new spell secretly in the night. It seems such things are not permitted, at least not during a mission such as ours.
- As for the priests, AV seemed reluctant to say anything adverse about them, as if afraid to give offence or seem ungrateful. They seem to hold great sway.
During our rest, we were warned strictly against entering the tent erected by the priests for the wounded soldiers. They were concerned about surface diseases, they said. Nonetheless, M conjured a handful of rodents and sent them into the tent, saying he could see through their eyes. He described to us the two priests enacting a ritual in the tent with incense & prayers. I know not exactly what happened next but there was a commotion in the tent and the elder priest emerged, looking about in wrath. Seeing this, B turned to M and remonstrated with him, which theme the priest then took up, seizing him bodily and asking how he dare interrupt with his healing magics. Upon M replying that he could heal the soldiers better than the priest could, the latter dragged him into the tent! M would not speak later of what was said within.
B exceeding wroth at M’s behaviour and struck him hard in the face as soon as he emerged from the tent! B then walking away, M retaliated with a vicious stream of lightning, blistering the young man’s back. G intervened to make the peace, and then the dwarven commander rebuked all three for their noise. I was right to stay out of this foolishness!
Next day we proceeded to the Deepfast without much talk, though I did exchange some more idle words with AV. Some of the other dwarves warmed to us a little, having seen us fight with them. Ig. seemed v. taken with the surly scout of the group. She is a curious young woman, this daughter of the under-elves.
On our return to V, the mayor was not much pleased with our report. It did not seem to confirm whatever it was she suspected. This she did not discover to us, though it seemed to have to do with the healing abilities of her priests, which do not compare well with those of some she has seen from the sunshine realms (she mentioned in particular Rholor the Tethyrian). Well, it little matters to me whether our service satisfied her or no. She paid us the promised 200gp each (except to Ig., who preferred to be paid in information – I know not what).
If it be true that the Vorstborn priests have little healing magic – and, indeed, I saw none performed when I was among them, nor any elixirs of health such as are relatively easy to obtain on the surface – then there may be trade to be done. The haulage of potions, however, would be costly: 10 days there and back through the Feythorn. But if they could be induced to impart the secret of their tel. circle! TASK: on return to DH, calculate costs and likely revenue of such a line of trade.
Own conduct:
- mixed success in battle against the undead assault: felled one with a single blow, but too often my blade missed its mark. TASK: more training in fighting from horseback.
- my investigations apparently failed to find whatever CG wanted, but perhaps there was nothing to find in the first place?
Gained:
- 200gp
TASK: map route back to DH as we travel.
