Geh! Must this boy cling to her as such? Katherine was bothered a bit. By the boy's words and his current actions. Well, bothered about why a boy would be hunted down by the people on the upper side. She had doubts that it was based on looks alone. Aasimar like herself and what she assumed the boy to be were natural fair to look at and aside his wing, he was fairly human. Unless he did something really nasty, she couldn't imagine the people up there doing anything. If she assumed that the tavern's entrance was the closest, then it was likely that he was tossed down that direction... Otherwise, barring the idea that there was another entrance to this underground place, he would have entered through the town hall.
She didn't know the factions of this town yet, but she couldn't imagine any of them being that disgusting. She sighed internally and patted the boy's head. "Yes, yes. Bad people and all." Katherine added giving a small hug to the boy before trying to gently pry his fingers off her skirt. "If you refuse to go above ground, then I've nothing to offer. I'm not responsible for you all in all. I'm going to the Underhaven though, if you wish to accompany me." She offered, failing to get the boy off. She was letting the boy do what he wanted or thought was best, though she wished he'd let go.
"Tell me your name if you're just going to cry into my clothes, at least. You've not given me it yet."
Ethan slowly turned to face the recently woken ogre. Dread filling his entire being as it sat up as even while sitting down, it still towered over Ethan's full height by a foot and a half. Lying in his prone form only made the ogre seem even more gigantic than it actually was. It's lazy gaze fell upon him as their eyes met one another. Ethan felt it's uncaring gaze bore deep into hiss soul and as he was about to let out final cry of terror the ogre sneezed. The feeling of mucus upon his face was an unwelcome experience, but not as much as the sensation and taste of it in his mouth. Ethan began to gag and dry heave in desperation, his body doing it's best to expel the foreign and disgusting material in his mouth. Not wanting to sully the bridge, he quickly stands up and leans his head over to one side of the bridge before unleashing the flood of vomit and ogre snot. "Sorry" Ethan heard the ogre voice out an apology, a very strange thing to do for an ogre. But the young man was more focused on expelling the foreign substance from his mouth along with what was left of his lunch.
"Uh. Garg sorry. Umm...Clean face wif dis?" Ethan blindly reached out for whatever the ogre was handing out, taking two blind swipes before actually getting some of it. "Th-urp-thank you..." He thanks the ogre's surprising concern and generosity before using the tall water grass to wipe away the mucus off his face and as much of the vomit, bile, and remnants of mucus on his mouth and beard. After doing his best to wipe his face clean of the mess made by the ogre as well as his own, he turns to talk to the unusually friendly ogre. "Your name is Garg, correct? Heh, could it be that the name of that beautiful great sword you own be named 'Moonslicer'?" Ethan asked with curiosity and slight disbelief. The tale of Garg the Good was a story he had heard often as a child and told even more when he narrates the tale of the ogre seeking what good is to his younger siblings. It would be improbable that he was actually meeting Garg and Moonslicer, right?
History Check: 19
[Equipped Items] -Traveler's Clothes x 1 -Fancy Hat x 1 -Walking Stick (Quarterstaff) x 1
[Items in Small Satchel] [Items] -Pouch containing 1 gp x 1 -Jeweled Ring (worth 10 gp) x 1 -Metal Flute x 1 -Poorly wrought maps of homeland x 1 -Corrected map x 1 -Torches x 3 -Tinderstick Bundle x 1 -Low quality folding knife x 1 [Key Items] -None
[Items in Durable Pack] [Items] -None [Key Items] -Satchel of herbs and spices x 1
Everything happened so fast. At least, to Jarynth, who spent the entirety of the journey thus far trying to figure out how to logistically carry the Ironsand without it falling out of his pack. He surely did not want to waste what he had gathered, as he was afraid it would upset his new friend, Shem'et. When he heard noises of others, he simply looked up and waved, introducing himself briefly as Robin Jarynthcrest before proceeding with his own business. In any case, he made sure to keep a mental note on the locations where he found the Ironsand and Greenwarish at.
It was only when he started to feel just a bit on the sleepier side when he noticed what had happened around him. Everyone was lulled to sleep; Shem'et, a Half-Orc, and what appears to be a fairy of some sort. Upon closer examination, however, Jarynth was able to figure out that it was a Pixie, although what sort of fairies Pixies tend to be, Jarynth couldn't recall, exactly. What he did know was that he heard something about 'squashing bugs' from what could only have come from the Half-Orc. Judging from what has happened while he was distracted, Jarynth came to one conclusion
"Ah... I must bring this Pixie somewhere safe."
Before he got to doing that, however, he remembered that he had Shem'et's reagents she was looking for. Quickly looking around for a moment, he noticed the map she was adding on to. Noticing that she's already found a good place to gather more Greenwarish, Jarynth just quickly marked the place where he deduced the Ironsand came from before placing the map back into her paws. Oh, no, wait, he forgot something... turning the map over to the blank side, Jarynth writes a note to Shem'et, wishing her well and hoping to meet her back at Frontier Town, once she finds her ways back. Placing the map, once again, into her paws along with the reagents he found, he turned back to the Pixie, thinking of a way to pick it up without bothering it...
"Hm... ah, right! I know a spell!"
Waving a hand around and whispering a few magic incantations, a spectral hand popped into existence next to Jarynth. While he was no true mage, he did happen to dabble into a bit of magic during his long-lived lifetime, learning a spell that would have many uses for his occupation. Having a third hand was good, after all, when you want to try three different flavors of wine all at once.
Jarynth scooped the Pixie into his hand quietly, having the Mage Hand face its palm towards the sky before gently placing her on top of it, to rest on. Once that was done, Jarynth began to make his ways away from both Shem'et and the Half-Orc. Slowly walking into the woods, following whatever trail he finds in his path, Jarynth looked for a safer place to leave the Pixie at, hoping that if he brought her somewhere safe, she'd feel less threatened. It only made sense to the Jarynth, after all, who also happens to be related to the fey. Maybe she could also share some wine when she wakes up!
"Thank you," Darunia said with a gentle nod. "That will be all for now. You've been very helpful, and I appreciate that." Rather tired of the company of the owner and barmaid, he shut the door and locked it. Realizing the window was still open, he lunged for that and quickly closed it, letting out a minor groan as he felt the sun's light sting his eyes once more. Once that was done, he sighed. Finally, he was alone at last. Darunia threw himself onto the bed. A useless commodity for one such as himself, but he still enjoyed the pleasant feel of linen against his back. He'd have all of the time in the world to come up with a great battle plan after taking a quick break... but before he could even consider some sort of rest, he needed to take care of some housekeeping. Even if the owners shared as much information and had been as pleasant as they would have to any one person, there were several things that he needed to do to make sure his experience here was as optimal as could be.
To begin with, he needed to scour the room for whatever he could find that might help him. He eyed the chamberpot, then the treasure chest, and finally the window. This room seemed rather bare, a large problem to the Drow. Being inventive had always helped him out of most situations, but that's the thing. Being good at invention and coming up with creative solutions only worked when inspiration struck, and as it just so happened, he wasn't feeling particularly inspired. In any case, he began to go through everything in the room. He opened his chest and looked behind it, looked under his bed, and dug throughout the entire room, in search for anything that might prove to be helpful. A forgotten piece of cloth, a nail, screws, even a lost coin would prove his search was a success.
Darunia begins to search his room, looking for any sort of odds or ends.
All Nartur had to do was crane her neck, and she'd easily get out of Livia's grip on her ear. She was smiling. It felt ominous. "Look at the balls on this one. Thinking you know anything about how things work out here on the frontier. Kid, do you even realize why people like you haven't already tried to dig their thumbs here?" With a deft motion, Nartur's hand was wrapped around Livia's face. "That's because the only thing that gets results is action and ability. This isn't the place were words and wits are enough. Smarter people than you have tried, and they're hanging dead outside of this town. You can tell everyone whatever you want, but they know the truth; they'll know from the very beginning you're nothing more than a mewling quimm, begging and stealing until you can make the biggest lie in your life,"
Nartur pushed Livia back harshly, hard enough that she may fall to the ground. "That you'll ever become anything worthwhile in your life. Now get the hell out of here before you join those thunderheads in the hanging woods."
"Uyup. Sharp Club Moonslicer." Garg said as he patted the glowing blue greatsword on his belt. Garg seemed to be staring at it for a moment before he turned to Ethan. "Uh. She says hello. And, Garg sorry for sneezing you. Um. She says, how you do?" It seemed like Garg was trying to say something more sophisticated, but alas, he was only able to communicate what little common he understood. As they spoke, Garg's eyes narrowed as he sniffed the air. Suddenly he seems much more serious. "Little human go. Garg smells danger. Bad strong men." Garg extends his hand protectively towards Ethan as he pulled Moonslicer out. Somehow, seeing the greatsword in the ogre's hand made it look even more massive; even for the ogre this blade seemed almost as brought as his shoulders.
And sure enough, arrows few through the air. With uncanny speed, Garg moved his sword to intercept the arrows. "GO!" Garg shouted as he charged in the direction he saw the arrows come out of. More arrows, as well as javelins, flew out and struck him. Most however were cut down by Moonslicer. Fortunately for Ethan whoever was attacking seemed to only focus on Garg, leaving the lone courier time to flee. Or perhaps, he could stay and witness this story unfold.
Jarynth would walk quite a bit away before he would find a small stream and a decently clear patch of dirt and pebbles where he could lay the pixie down. There were some broad leaves nearby that he could fashion into a makeshift bed for her, a simple task even for him. And should he wait for the pixie to awaken, he would soon be met with a new guest; a small dog. Far smaller than the usual hunting hounds or guard dogs he may be familiar with, this pup seemed to be the sort of thing noble women would carry about for the sake of status and appearance. This dog immediately went to lick the pixie, which stirred her awake. He turn looked to Jarynth, not particularly threateningly, but certainly as if he was prepared for the elf to try something.
Meanwhile the fairy was quickly roused and immediately went to hide behind the dog, peeking out to look at Jarynth. She spoke in her fey tongue, a language that was only vaguely familiar to the elf. He would understand bits and pieces of it anyways. ~Who are you? ~Where am I? Are you going to eat me?~ The fairy pulled out a thorn on her dress, a very tiny and makeshift dagger in her hand. ~I'll cut you!~
Darunia's search would yield very little of use. The chest was empty, as the lock was unlocked until he decides to use his room key to lock it. The only spare cloth available were from either his bedding or curtains; the tavern kept this room fairly clean. Even the chamber pot was spotless; seemed that they scoured the thing clean whenever they had to. The only somewhat useful thing Darunia would find is a single wooden floorboard under his bead that was slightly crooked; it would be awkward to pry at it while the bed was over it, but if he moved the bed and perhaps had something to held wedge it out, he could potentially take off a piece of the floorboard. Whether or not he could make anything of it would remain to be seen. While he was under his bed he would also notice a small spiderweb with a few bugs already caught in the trap, but oddly enough no spider.
At some point Shem'et would awaken, no worse for ware than before. The orc she was with also began to stir, groggy and confused as to what happened. Shem'et would find Jarynth's notes and regents as the orc got to his feet and looked around cautiously. "Damn pixie. Must've hit us wif a sleep spell. Looks like she got away too. Ere's hoping she don't come back an try nuthin." The orc would look at Shem'et and notice the herbs that were given to her. "So yer lookin fer greenwarish too eh? Barthen didn't say nuthin bout fairies in deez damn woods. Figured I'd run into wolves or sumthin, not fey." The orc sighed and looked back at the single piece of Greenwarish he had on him; it was tattered and crumpled in his belt pouch. "Sure hope da rest of dis gathering job ain't as pesky. I just want me money and get sumthin ta eat."
Well that had gone about as well as she had expected it too.
Livia fell backwards, falling right onto her butt as Nartur gave her a hard push, taking a moment to gather herself. Well, Nartur certainly wasn't wrong. She was an outsider here. There was a very high chance most people wouldn't give her the time of day without being able to do something. However...Nartur was also sorely mistaken if she thought she was simply here to boss people around, riding on the authority her name carried and run off home.
"How quaint," Livia stood, holding the side of her face lightly where Nartur had grabbed her. She had seen scarier than this Orc in her life. "You asked me to 'show my grit' but you still won't make a deal? And here I thought you were the honorable sort. I have no desire to make enemies of you, but since you seem intent on making me out to be a villain, very well. I shall inform the mayor of your uncooperative nature at my earliest convenience." She didn't like getting her hands dirty, but if she had too, she would use every thing she could without a care.
"Good day, Nartur." With that, Livia turned to leave and headed to the Mayors house. Hopefully he could at least make this work. She didn't want to return to Maeda empty handed or ask for her help specifically. It would appear bad to do so - she refused to appear incompetent. She didn't want to rely on the Mayors help either, or her sisters. Hm. She would need help, but from who? Exiting the barracks, she headed back to town.
Underhaven, was it? An underground portion of the frontier town where the...'undesirables' gathered, and where Katherine currently was. She still needed to go there anyways to buy some snake venom that hopefully Katherine had already procured. Well, she might as well go check on the progress of that while she thought of how she was going to get the Resin from the orcs. First things first though, if the name was anything to go by she'd need a light source of some sort.
Quickly stopping by Barthens, she quickly purchased a simple paper lantern and an hours worth of Oil. Next, she headed right to the Tavern. After a brief discussion with a few patrons she quickly found the entrance to Underhaven. Exhaling loudly, she lit her lantern and descended. Oh boy, it really was dark down there wasn't it? Hm, If Katherine was still down here and she could find her, this would become far easier. Either way, best to find someone to speak to down here that hopefully wouldn't have muscles thicker than their brain.
-Paper Lanter -One Hours worth of Oil. -bottle of black ink -quill -small knife -set of Fine Clothes -signet ring -scroll of pedigree -Soul gem Dagger -The book “Frothy Tales of Conquest” -1lb Kafei seeds Money: 4gp & 4SP
The young boy continued to sob and cry for a few minutes longer after Katherine made it clear that she intended to continue onwards. Wiping his eyes against her she looked up to Katherine with his big, innocent eyes. ”My name is… It’s Ligma…” He said very quietly.
”Yes, well. Ligma then. I don’t know what happened to you, and to be frank I don’t think it’s much my business, though I won’t deny curiosity.” Katherine added, patting the boy’s head. She didn’t feel like she was being too rude or anything. She didn’t go out of her way to irritate and piss people off because of some inferiority complex the Aasimar would never understand. ”Can you stand on your own?” She asked, wondering if he had enough strength to power his legs. She avoided adding irritation to her voice, and made a more concerned sounding tone.
”Bleh… You’re no fun.”
Suddenly all at once, instead of standing the boy pulled on Katherine, trying to pull her skirt down to the ground. That’s when another young lad who looked exactly like this boy appeared, running at full speed with his hand outstretched. ”KANCHO!” The twin smacked Katherine’s bottom hard, hard enough to leave an imprint. The other boy quickly got up and ran with his twin, laughing giddily like the little shit they were into the dark tunnels. For someone who had been impaled on the wall he seemed pretty spry. ”Ligma Balls lady! Ah ha ha ha!” their laughter soon died down deeper into the tunnels.
Katherine grabbed her skirt in time to secure herself, ”Eep!” Katherine exclaimed as they ran off. ”I’m going to ZAP you little shits!” Her belongs were intact. That much was good. She’d keep her guard up more down here. That said, she really needed to learn magic so she could keep good on her word. Sadly enough, she didn’t seem to have good aptitude to follow in her adoptive father’s footprints. Otherwise, the only thing that really would have been a possibility in her mind was trying to make a deal with a devil, but she didn’t really want more of that type of stigma around her.
Taking into consideration that the two munchkins ran off to the left, Katherine took the right side path. She really had no idea where she was going. Before she left though, she grabbed two of the stakes that were there. Little bit of blood never hurt anyone. More importantly, she needed something disposable just in case though she’d have to ditch them probably before reaching anywhere with people, most probably. The people down here might not even care.
Fortunately Katherine did not run into the twins down the right path, but she arguably ran into something worse; multiple winding crossroads. There were no real directions to go and the dirt floor were oddly clean if footprints aside from her own. There was no signs, smells, or sounds that would help her find her way around these tunnels. She’d need to rely on her survival instincts for this one. Or just keep wandering around and hope for the best.
Katherine was having some luck. She was able to track her way through a portion and found some doors. They were locked though. Presumably homes? People underground needed to live somewhere as well. Against her better judgement likely, she stashed the stakes she found and knocked on one of the doors.
There was no response. Katherine would find many of the doors were unresponsive of her knocking. But there was one door where, if she knocked, the door would actually open slightly; it seemed that it wasn’t as tight as it should have been. The room inside smelled oddly… Clean. Not like the usual dirt and musk that permeates the tunnel.
Katherine perked an eyebrow. How odd. Gingerly, she peeked the door open and peered inside. She was unsure about what she’d encounter, though she hoped it would be friendly. ”Hello? Pardon. Is anyone home?” She asked with a slight worry in the back of her throat.
The first thing Katherine would notice was that this room had lights. Not just fire light either; it appeared that this room was illuminated by white crystals that were hung from the ceiling. The second thing she’d notice was a rather large woman with a large cleaver butchering a large slab of meat. The thing had to be at least two feet thick of flesh and bones, and with a single chop she cleaved a precise slice from top to bottom. She wore an odd, multicolored dress with detached blue sleeves. Her hair was white and stringy while her eyes were a piercing red. There was a red silk ribbon tied to her cleaver.
She didn’t seem to notice Katherine as she continued to chop the meat. It was hard to say what kind of meat this was, if it was just from one creature at all. It appeared to be a stack of many layers of bones meats and ribs.
Katherine spoke up a bit more this time, ”Hello, pretty miss? I don’t mean to bother you. Well, sort of I suppose, but I don’t mean to waste your time.” She didn’t entirely enter either. She didn’t want to bother the woman too much. If she invited her in though, that might be another thing altogether.
After her second real attempt, the woman seemed to pay her attention. Well, look at her. ”I don’t mean to invade your cozy little place here, but do you mind if I ask you a question?” She asked. Internally she felt a bit skittish about it, but she made sure not to show it. She looked tough, which was its own sort of attractive.
”Well howdy dere lil lady. Tis strange ta see someone as sunny as ye down in deez parts. How can I help ya?” This woman, possibly a tiefling considering her appearance and size, said in a very strong rural accent. She put the meat cleaver down to pick up a clean white cloth, wiping her hands of blood and fat. She tend reached underneath her table and handed Katherine a single stick of roasted skewered meat; apparently she has some sort of charcoal grill underneath the white clothes table. Smelled like boar meat.
Katherine took the gesture as a small invitation to enter. This woman was slightly on the scary side earlier, but that was just Katherine’s worries about being assaulted earlier. And the meat cleaver. Mostly the meat cleaver. But she seemed nice, for now. Not wanting to be rude, she accepted the skewer. Boar? Not bad. Smells good to her. ”So long as it’s not made of people, I think it smells great.” She teased a bit, taking a bite of it and it was pretty good. She couldn’t help but smile after eating it. ”Pretty and can cook, hehe.” Katherine commented without thinking.
Oh, yes, she did have a question. ”I may not be quite so ‘sunny’ as you think, though.” She giggled after wiggling her little devil’s tail toward the woman. ”That aside, I’m helping someone out and I was sent down to get some supplies from Lucilla. I was hoping you could point me in the right direction… She was about to say the woman’s name, but she had forgotten… ”But where are my manners? My name is Katherine Lindall, could I ask yours?”
”Oh sweet pea, I don’t feed people da good meat.” The giant woman said playfully about the comment about the meat being people. After Katherine introduced herself the woman smiled politely. ”Most folks round deez parts call me Nemuno. Just a lil old lady livin in a hole.” She let out a small smirk as she picked up her cleaver and started to slice the meat on the table. ”Lucilia hmm? I suppose you’re looking for Underhaven then. Well I can say this much, you’re going the wrong way. Underhaven is opposite of where you came, if you came here through the Drunken Dragon. I suppose you’d either have to double back or take the ratway.”
”Ugh, of course I take the wrong way. I don’t really want to run into those two thuggish children again.” She muttered to herself before looking towards Nemuno. ”Well, happy mistakes I suppose. If I didn’t take the wrong way, I’d never have gotten to meet you so I’ll take it.” She added, being slightly flirty. She might have a thing for nice older women too. ”Hmm, double back or take the ratway? What’s the ratway?” She asked, curiosity brimming her voice.
”Da ratway is whut we throw out da trash an such in. Leads it out to some dark messy hole fer da trash ya pile up and eventually get eaten by da oozes. Just bout everyone can reach the ratway easy, an o’course Underhaven has a back foot right to it.” When Katherine mentioned children this got a smile out of Nemuno. She handed Katherine another skewer; this one had chicken and mushroom. ”Ya must have gotten pranked by dem sunshine twins. Don’t let it get to ya. Dey naughty, but dey’re gunna grow up soon and be real smart boys. In fact dey da ones who made da Ratway. Helps dat dey were small enough ya crawl through da tunnels. Just in case ya see them again, just have dis wif ya.”
Nemuno walked around the table, taking a ribbon off of her skirt and tying it into Katherine’s hair. It was light and fragrant, like spices. ”If the boys see dat, dey’ll know dat if anything happens to ya, dey won’t get dere supper. Dat ought ta keep dem behavin.” As Nemuno was tying the ribbon into Katherine’s hair she could both feel and smell the older woman’s presence. Her huge muscular body radiated a soothing warmth akin to a hearthfire in the coldest of winters, and she smelled like a homecooked meal with a cool and refreshing drink. With a hint of cinnamon spice.
Katherine blushed very lightly. Less from the proximity to Nemuno, and more from having a bow tied in her hair. It wasn’t something she ever really considered doing herself, but she let the older woman do it. She couldn’t really help but vocally note, ”You smell really nice, Nemuno.” It was the better alternative to reaching out and attempting to touch the woman’s body though her eyes did study the woman QUITE a bit as she put the ribbon in. She hadn’t really seen too much muscle on a woman before, though it was definitely appealing. When Nemuno was finished, Katherine gave her a sincere, ”Thank you.”
The older woman smiled gently as she stepped back behind the table, taking out three more skewers. ”Here ya go sunshine, a lil snack ya go. Oh, an take dis wif ya too. Da Ratway can be real stinky.” Nemuno handed Katherine the kebabs and a large cloth handkerchief. It had the same spice scent to it as the ribbon did. These kebabs were also pork, chicken, and rabbit, with a few more wild roasted mushrooms and yam. ”Now ye be careful sweet pea, da Ratway waters are fast an rapid. And dem oozes, while dey stay in dere lil pit, will eat up anything in dere. Mind yer head too, some of deez tunnels are a little short. Fer me at least. Oh an do make sure ye come an visit again. I do love ta have some guest over ya break up da monotony of doing dis lil chop job all on me lonesome.”
Nemuno was really generous. Smells great too. Though, she was kind of interested in something. She looked over the older woman’s arms and asked, ”Hey, Nemuno? Before I leave… Could I touch your arms? Like the rest of you, they’re alluring and I was kind of curious.” It was just in her nature to go for it sometimes. When she wasn’t trying to be coy about it of course. There was always a special place for that, but Nemuno has been pretty much straight with her it felt, so she felt she might as well be forward with her here.
”Daw. Yer so sweet, I could eat you up!” Nemuno opened her arms out as if she was going to give Katherine a hug. In fact she did. It was a big, strong hug. So very powerful. ”In fact… If yer ain’t in a rush, maybe I could even have a taste. Maybe even a bite!” Nemuno said as she gave Katherine a tighter squeeze, burying the small petite girl in Nemuno’s massive yet soft body. ”How bout it hun? Wanna stay fer a lil snack?”
While she was somewhat unsurprised… Well, she wasn’t unhappy. Somewhat. She got her intended goal, in a greatly unintended way. She felt a bit out of breath, due to being squeezed the way she was. ”I really hope you’re using euphemisms on account of me liking my flesh.” She attempted to sound funny, though that didn’t come out as intended. ”I was only intended to feel your muscles, but you’re giving me such a bonus on that… Hnnnnn…” The woman grunted as she was in the hug still. ”I want to take you up on the offer right now but I need to finish this job, and I have a feeling I won’t be walking straight one way or the other.”
At this point, the Aasimar just tried relaxing her body instead of trying to resist however slightly. ”If you’re propositioning for what I think and hope you are… I’ve yet a place to stay, I wouldn’t mind if you gave me a ‘taste’ at night, so long as my flesh is intact.”
Nemuno smiled as she let go of Katherine and got to her eye level. ”Oh deary, ya don’t know how happy dat makes me ya hear ya say dat. Here, one last lil gift from me.” Nemuno leaned forward and gave Katherine a kiss on the forehead. But when she did so, Katherine would feel a strange sensation over her body. Nemuno looked right into Katherine’s eyes, her piercing Red gaze cutting right into the aasimar’s very soul. ”Come and see me tonight and I promise you that you won’t regret a single moment. But don’t forget, and don’t try and run away. I’ll punish you if you don’t.” These words, unlike most of what Nemuno spoke before, were clear, unaccented, and laced with magic. A compulsion. But in a second the feeling was gone and almost entirely forgotten; Katherine would find herself just outside of Nemuno’s door with the big old woman on the other side waving goodbye.
”Oh an when ya do se Lucilia, tell yer dat her next delivery is coming soon, an I’ll see her tomorrow ya talk bout our lil arrangement.”
”Oh, umm, understood.” Katherine agreed, since she was heading over there anyway. ”Now then… Where should I go.” Katherine pondered, as she left, feeling as if something odd might have happened. "Well, guess I should go back. As quick as that 'Ratway' is, I'd rather not reek of disgusting." With that, she backtracked to the spot where she met the twins earlier and nearly lost her skirt and coinpouch.
Ethan turned to face Garg and gave the ogre a long look of disbelief mixed with indescribably joy. "A-Uhh...It-it-it's an honor to meet you. Maker above this is incredible..." Ethan places a palm on his forehead to help him think practically gushes how incredible this was. Encountering the hero of a story he and his siblings knew so well was beyond amazing in Ethan's perspective. Garg the ogre didn't seem to be as excited as Ethan was and simply told him that Moonslicer said how he was. "I-I'm doing pretty well." The young man scratches the back of his head, trying to think of more things to say to Moonslicer. "Minus the life threatening parts of my trip, I'm rather pleased with it." Ethan failed to notice that during the 'conversation' he had with Moonslicer, Garg had detected something.
"Little human go. Garg smell danger. Bad strong men." Garg says to Ethan as he covers him protectively with a hand as he draws the massive Moonslicer. "Wha-." Ethan couldn't even finish one word when a number of arrows had been let loose and Garg had blocked the shots with uncanny dexterity and swiftness. "GO!" Ethan need not told a second time as Garg charged at the direction from where the arrows had come form. Ethan would have loved to see one of his childhood icons fight valiantly against those who dared do evil, but Ethan knew that he would only hinder the ogre and began running as fast as his body can endure towards the town.
None this round
[Equipped Items] -Traveler's Clothes x 1 -Fancy Hat x 1 -Walking Stick (Quarterstaff) x 1
[Items in Small Satchel] [Items] -Pouch containing 1 gp x 1 -Jeweled Ring (worth 10 gp) x 1 -Metal Flute x 1 -Poorly wrought maps of homeland x 1 -Corrected map x 1 -Torches x 3 -Tinderstick Bundle x 1 -Low quality folding knife x 1 [Key Items] -None
[Items in Durable Pack] [Items] -None [Key Items] -Satchel of herbs and spices x 1
Shem'et came to consciousness slowly. She was confused. Was she sleeping. She couldn't remember. The crafter sat up and felt things shimmy down and fall beside her. Shem lowered her gaze to see what it was and saw a piece of parchment, a small pouch and some herb. And suddenly it all came back to her. Master Chodok asking her to check on the situation with the mines. Bookie tasking her with finding iron sand, Barthem offering her gold for every pound of Greenwarish she could bring back to him. The pixie. The flummoxed orc.
Shem'et's head snapped up in time to see the orc rousing.
"Damn pixie. Must've hit us wif a sleep spell. Looks like she got away too. Ere's hoping she don't come back an try nuthin." The orc grumbled looking at the Greenwarish beside Shem.
The crafter cleared her throat. "Um... it would appear we've been had by that little puck indeed." She stood and quickly put herself in order. Grabbing the parchment she noticed something scribbled on the back. It was a quick note from Jarynth wishing her well and hoping they could meet again once they got back to town. The tabaxi chuckled softly. "Hope you are okay too, feather boy!" She muttered softly while retrieving the pouch she assumed Jarynth had left for her. Looking inside she realized it only had enough iron sand to lace the sides of the pouch. Not nearly the five pouches worth Bookie wanted. The colorful elf had also marked the spot where he'd found the stuff on her map.
"Right!" Shem'et dusted herself off, put the pouch in her back and focused on the orc. "Well, it would appear I have some more exploring to do. But why don't you take the Greenwarish I've collected and give it to Barthem instead." The tabaxi gathered the herb and offered it to the orc. "I really don't mind and you've suffered enough trying to find some for the merchant." Shem handed the orc the Greenwarish and picking up her stuff made to continue her task of drafting the map and finding the necessary amount of iron sand.
It took Ethan a good ten minutes to run far enough to no longer hear the sound of combat, and fortunately he could see the next village ahead. It wasn't too dissimilar to the previous village; mainly farm land with many workers out in the field. There was a notable area where various goats and sheep grazed, with men on horseback watching over them. As Ethan came closer he would be confronted by a group of men armed with axes and spears, however they didn't seem hostile, but neither did they seem militia. "Hold there traveler. State your business. We've had run afoul with brigands and bandits and we aren't too keen to letting their spies through Wayward." These men looked tough for farmers, at the very least they weren't young lads who likely were here only for strength; they had a grizzled look of former fighting men who had retired to agriculture. And sure enough while they seemed ready to fight, they weren't so agitated that they were going to attack Ethan immediately; they were disciplined enough to hear the man out.
The orc took the greenwarish. One pound was enough for 2 gold coins, which itself would be enough for room and board at the Drunken Dragon. however the orc shook his head. "Well, dis is nice. But two coins ain't gunna be enuff fer long. I don't know bout ye, but I plan ta keep looking around deez forest fer more Greenwarish. Now dat I know dat dere be fey ere, I'll be more careful. But, safety in numbers, eh? Scratch my back an I'll scratch ye. While go bout doin wotever it ez ya up ta, I'll look fer some Greenwarish and make sure nuthin jumps us." The Orc rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Truth be told, still a bit jumpy dat dere might be more critters out dere dat'll get me. I'd feel safer wif ya since ya seem a capable sort. At da very least yer faster den me." The orc was rather honest, strange coming from such a rough looking character. He picked up the oar off the ground and stuffed the Greenwarish into his pouch for delivery. "Wot say ye?'
Traversing Underhaven was a task in and of itself. Immediately upon entering the subterranean area, visibility became nearly zero. Bad, since she didn’t have any form of natural dark vision, but at least she made a good call in getting a lantern from Barthen. Doubly bad though, was simply how difficult this place was going to be to traverse. As soon as she got down there, a single, very important question, pressed itself into her mind.
“...Hm, now where would this ‘Lucilla’ be?” Taking a brief look around, she quietly observed the distance in front of her with the limited vision she had before quietly taking off in what seemed to be the correct direction. Eventually she came to a crossroads where it seemed something had happened recently? Hm. Now which way to -
“Ah,” Stepping into view just at the edge of her lantern, her sister materialized out of the darkness. “Sister. I was almost hoping you would have already left. My luck today is abysmal.” She grumbled, rubbing the side of her face once more with her hand. Nartur had some strong hands. Too bad she didn’t seem intent on showing her how she used them in a fun way. ”Did you get the Snake Venom?”
”Well, I ran into a couple of bloody brats. Not a figure of speech. They pinned one against a wall for a prank. Truly disgusting. On the bright side, I met a nice lady that gave me meat that I still worry might be human of some sort. She even allowed me to stay with her for the night. Might even have a bit more if you can read between the lines.” Katherine added, walking over to Livia and poking at her shoulder. She had a Ribbon tied in her hair, Livia might even notice. A noticeable difference from her appearance earlier.
"…Are you stupid?" Livia bluntly stated, eyes widening in both mild suspicion and concern. Brats aside, this 'nice lady' seemed incredibly suspicious. Not to mention hearing the fact that Katherine may be spending the night with someone else made her slightly more irritable than she'd care to admit. "You think she gave you meat that might be human…and you're going to stay with her for tonight? That's ridiculous even for you, Katherine." Livia replied looking over to the ribbon tied in Katherine's hair. Well…it was a nice ribbon at least. Sighing, she lowered the lantern, taking a quick look around them to make sure no one or nothing was about to get the jump on them.
"…besides," She cast a glance over to her sister. "…Well, I have a voucher for three free nights at the Inn…and it’s not like we're not used to sharing a bed."
”I mean, I figured someone would be too pissed off at me for something or another to even think about rooming with me at all.” Katherine said, looking at Livia as if she wasn’t imagining such a thing would come from Livia’s mouth. ”Since you were quite a bit moody earlier and all.”
"Tch-" Livia scoffed lightly at the insinuation. "I'm always pissed at you for some reason or another." She replied sharply. "But can I not be nice for once? It's been a long journey and as loathe as I am to admit it…you are the least annoying person in my life right now." Livia had her reasons for saying such things. Perhaps a little manipulative on her end, after hearing Katherine say she was planning on spending the night with a woman she didn't know, but then, she wasn't really lying either.
"But fine, don't take my kindness. Go sleep with some possibly human-eating floozy instead. I take it you didn't get the snake venom?"
”You know, when you try you can be kind of sweet.” Katherine added, poking lightly at Livia’s face. ”I’ve not gotten the Snake Venom yet, but I did, on the other hand, find the way there.” Katherine sighed a bit on the subject but seemed fine otherwise. ”The woman who gave me all this stuff and the ribbon told me where to go. It’s this way.” She added, pointing down the path that would take them towards the Underhaven proper, rather than toward Nemuno’s domicile.
”With that done then, shall we move this conversation back in time a bit? Who said I didn’t want to take the small amount of kindness you gave me?” Katherine asked with a somewhat sly look on her face.
"Hmph," Turning her head sharply, Livia was glad the dim lighting probably covered the red in her cheeks. "Offer rescinded. Too late, I'll go get a floozy of my own!" Katherine would probably know that was an utter lie though.
”Oh? What kind of floozy? I can’t imagine the Livia Fiore that’d go out and find a floozy.” Katherine teased a bit. ”Do tell what you’re looking for. Perhaps… An Aasimar?”
“If my sister wants to find herself a floozy, I can too." Livia grumbled in response. "And why, would I want one of those disgusting heavenly beings? I'd rather spend some quality time with a much more learned being. Like Tiefling." Livia began walking, eager to finally get this conversation away from this particular subject for now.
”You’re so cute sometimes. You remember, I happen to be somewhat tiefling as well?” She questioned, following behind her “sister”. ”Just remember, I could hardly turn down an offer from you. Well, hardly. Unless I really can’t for some reason.” She added. ”So… How did the orc issue go?” Katherine asked. For some reason, she felt it went about as well as her Aasimar twin situation earlier.
"Well," Livia sighed, face still red as a tomato. Good, they were finally off that topic. "Nartur was about as friendly as could be expecting. It went well at first, I got her talking but it quickly went downhill from there. She's intent on seeing nobles such as ourselves as villains, and refused to sell…so I left and am currently looking for alternative methods to acquire the Hash Resin we need." She paused a moment letting Katherine absorb the information. "I intend to meet with this Lucilla to see if she perhaps has some in stock or other solutions." Another pause followed by a change in topic again. "So what was the name of this floozy anyways?"
Her paranoia was acting up again, wasn't it? Tch.
”Eh? Oh, you mean Nemuno? That’s her name, though she’s not really a floozy. Kind of more a… Mama bear? I guess. She’s a tiefling… I think. ” Katherine answered, not one hundred percent certain. The woman was a bit odd, to be fair. ” Let me just tell you what happened. She was actually really strong. I, uhhh, complimented her muscles and wanted to touch them. Only people I’ve even seen like that are guards or something of the sort. She then took me in a bear hug and suggested…. Things.” Katherine’s facial expression should have been enough to tell Livia what that meant. ”But…. I wanted to help you finish the job so I told her I’d come back tonight… Then I was outside her front door with some supplies.” Katherine seemed visibly a slight bit confused before snapping out of it.
Livia simply gave her sister a perplexed look. Only her sex fiend of a sister could possibly ever do something ridiculous as she had just described. More importantly, there was something off about her sisters description of events. More so than her just being confused and going into detail about the womans' physique. She narrowed her eyes at Katherine slightly. Well, nothing too odd about the latter part. That was perfectly normal for her sister to ogle some woman than go into detail about how they look. It was the confusion part that worried her slightly…Kat was stupid, not incompetent, but it was probably nothing.
"Told her you'll be back tonight, huh? So you liked this floozy so much that you don't even recall leaving, just her muscles and tits." Livia mused. She'd make a mental note of the name for now, but it was probably nothing. She was being silly and Katherine was likely just over exaggerating events like usual. "And what of your sister dearest? Going to leave her for tonight after telling me you’d never say no to me?" She really wasn't looking to get back on that topic, but Katherine just had to bring it up again.
”Hmmm… I don’t remember the point from talking to her about staying over the night to the point of being outside her door. It’s like a blank.” Katherine was confused still, trying to piece together what happened. ”Well, I might be convinced to spend the night with you, you know?” She shook the thought off and turned to her “sister”.
"A blank…? That's not good." Livia frowned. If she couldn't remember that certainly was odd. People didn't just blank on events like that unless they had a mental illness were affected by something. Katherine wasn't naturally scatter brained enough to just clumsily blank that, either. She gripped the lantern more tightly, but ultimately didn't pursue the situation for now. First thing first, they were going to finish up their meeting with Lucilla…and she'd potentially ask if she was familiar with this 'Nemuno' person.
"I'm hurt," Stopping and turning to her Sister once more, Livia smirked. "You said you'd never turn me down and here you are making me convince you." Taking a step closer to Katherine, Livia placed a finger on her lips. "You did come all this way just to see me, didn't you? And now you're going to see someone else. Have you already forgotten who the boss in our relationship is, Katherine dear? Perhaps I need to thoroughly remind you."
Swiftly turning back down the path, Livia began walking again.
"Later. I think Barthen sells some pretty sturdy rope."
”I always thought I was the boss in our relationship, personally. And I’m not sure I like your idea with rope…” Katherine said out to the air. It was sigh inducing for sure. Oh well, they needed to get these items for the spider teacher. ”But yes, Shall we go to talk to this Lucilla.”
Unlike the path that Katherine took, this side of Underhaven had far less narrow, winding corridors, and instead were oddly vast. Some areas were even held up with wooden beams and other support structures. Things seemed pretty straight and narrow until in the center of the path was a familiar face to Katherine; it was one of those young boys who pulled their prank on her, except this time there was a small blond girl with him. Also he appeared to actually be dead this time, what with his upper half of his body laid out on the ground while the girl was in the process of eating his guts.
The blond child stood up and looked at the two girls with a smile, wiping her hands and face with a shred of white cloth from the boy’s dress. She spoke in a rather loud and shrill voice, almost to the point of screaming. ”Boo! You smell like food! Are you here for dinner too!?”
Katherine actually felt a little bit sick. ”What in all the hells is this? Disgusting.” She muttered to herself, holding back being ill. She had ill-will towards that boy, but… well, one didn’t fake that sort of mutilation… did they? She just wanted to zap him a bit and teach a lesson. ”Who in the hells are you?” She asked, ”I swear if this is some prank there’s no dinner for you boys from Nemuno.” She pointed to the ribbon she had on. It seemed kind of unbelievable that the boy would randomly be killed by some girl. Where was the other twin?
Well this was…something. Livia's eyes widened at the sheer gruesomeness of the display. Before she had a chance to speak up though, Katherine beat her to the punch. Ugh, why did she want to get involved here. And why did she think dropping that name here was going to be of any use? Unless Nemuno held some sway down here or something, but she didn't want to be involved with anyone who held sway of cannibalistic children.
"…Well, I don't quite know who you are child, but we're certainly not dinner. We're simply on our way to see Lucilla. Go back to your meal, we shall not bother you." Livia replied. "Katherine, we need to move. I'd rather not linger down here any longer than needed. Underhaven is full of unscrupulous sorts from what I've heard." For the most part, Livia would ignore both the girl and her choice of dinner and would attempt continuing on.
”Ne-Mu-No? Oh! The meat lady. So you must be meat! Yaaaaay!” Suddenly a darkness began for form underneath the girl as she floated into the air, her body slowly flipping upside-down as she did so. ”Meet the meat! Meet the meat!” The darkness began to ooze some sort of black, vicious liquid that vanished as it fell through the air, though some still managed to get onto the girl’s white sleeves before vanishing without a trace. She let her arms hang down as she swayed back and forth, floating menacingly towards the two girls. Then the mass of darkness that covered her lower half of her body ripped open and revealed a very humanoid set of teeth and a very large tongue.
”Feeeeeeed me!”
”What in the hell is with this place!?” Katherine yelled as she stumbled backward as the girl turned into some grotesque monstrosity. As the creature yelled, “Feed me” Katherine remembered the meat that Nemuno gave her earlier. ”Damn it all!” She yelled again as she took the food and threw it at the creature. She didn’t particularly care where, as long as it was toward it.
Immediately as Katherine tossed the meat at the monstrosity, Livia grabbed Katherine's hand before booking it around the creature. Hopefully it was distracted enough to at least let them get good distance before it tried to chase them further. Best case scenario, it went back to its easy meal. Damn it all, she'd have a serious talk with Katherine after this.
The girl immediately went after the food, grabbing and gobbling it up before it could hit the ground. This would give the two girls a precious few seconds to get around the dark monstrosity as she turned around and gave chase. |I am very, very crazy, very it won’t stop, not for all of eternity! All the world, into this maw| The girl began to sing in a foul demonic language as she chased after the two down the large tunnels. What was formerly a boon was now a curse; there were no winding paths to potentially lose this man-eating shadow, only a long and open path that the girl could easily maneuver around. She quickly gained upon the two but was always a few inches out of reach, her fingers just barely brushing the hair of whoever was slowest at the time.
|Come now, at this banquet in the darkness everyone and anyone is the fare! Can’t stop, can’t stop, eating, can’t stop, can’t stop, not ENOUGH!|
That singing was not of this world! This creature, whatever it was, was definitely demonic in Origin. She'd know what that was more than anyone. Gritting her teeth, Livia grabbed Katherine's hand harder. Damn it damn it! She didn't come to this place to die a dogs death, and she certainly wasn't about to die to some pathetic demon child! Think Livia, think! What could she do here!?
Her gaze went to her lantern, which was swaying back and forth wildly with her accelerated pace. It was paper too, so it should burn relatively easily. If the oil caught, then. Maybe, just maybe. They just needed to slow it down long enough to get to Lucilla's.
"Katherine, use that light cantrip, now!"
Looking over her shoulder, she briefly judged where the monster was. Letting go of Katherine's hand, Livia tossed the Lantern back at the beast and continued running. She lost her source of light, but she at least trusted Katherine enough to be competent enough do as ordered.
Ah, if she was the praying sort, this would be where she'd be doing it, wasn't it?
Katherine was confused until she saw that Livia threw her lantern. When she did, the Aasimar understood and quickly casted her Light Cantrip on Livia’s Signet ring. “Oh hells, what is going on down here.” Katherine muttered to herself afterward. She continued running with Livia, hoping they’d soon reach… Somewhere safer.
As the lantern was tossed back, the girl deftly swiped the lantern out of the air, pouring the oil on the ground and tossing the empty snuffed out lantern behind her, still singing her demonic song. ”Anything can be eaten, even if you say no, hahaha…”
The chase eventually lead to a series of corridors more organized than the winding pass that Katherine had found earlier. The halls were straight though the doors were bigger and and appeared to be made of stone. Still there was no sign of anyone in these halls, giving the impression that no one will come and save the two women. On the bright side at least now there was a way to go aside from forward.
|A full course, varied in life and existence, violence and pleasure on the palate! Don’t stop, don’t stop, feeding, Don’t stop, don’t stop, one more bite!|
”Damn it. Fine, you want some food?” Katherine asked while digging in her pocket. Since there were some different halls now, if she could distract this monster enough, they could hide. ”Well, if you want food, how about you go after these steaks!” She yelled, grabbing out the two wooden stakes she pocketed earlier. She chucked them as far down one of the corridors as she could, hoping the blonde girl monster would be distracted by the objects. Hopefully, the smell of blood from the Aasimar boy earlier would lure her to that…. If she worked on smell of course.
| Ah, it’s not enough, I can’t get enough– these impulses of original sin…| The girl smelled the blood and saw something being tossed to the side. Against her better judgement she went to case the stakes, not realizing the trickery until a few seconds later. Precious seconds which would give Katherine and Livia much needed time to put as much distance as they could from the crazy girl and let them out of her range.
By the time the two were safely away from the girl, they were still lost, perhaps more so now since they couldn’t have possibly kept track of where they were going while running for their lives. The bare features of these halls didn’t help either. Worse still, while they weren’t being immediately chased by the girl, her furious howls still echoed throughout the halls. If they didn’t move quickly, she may end up finding them again either through scent or the light on Livia’s ring.
Well, perhaps her sister wasn't as utterly useless as she looked. The demon chased those stakes, completely thrown off by whatever scent was on them. Livia panted, pausing just a moment to catch her breath. As she looked around. Damn it, out of a lantern and still in danger. Which way should they go? They couldn't go back lest they run into the girl again, so the only real way to go was forward.
"Whoever this Nemuno of yours is, is bad news." Livia grunted in idle thought, grinding her teeth together in mild frustration. This was a bad situation that they weren't going to get out of without some sort of plan. These stony halls were absolutely featureless though, and made it difficult to determine their location.
"Damn it…Kat, see anything that could help? Tracks or anything?" She couldn't see anything that could help, but perhaps her sister could see something better in the dark than she could.
”Let’s see.” Were there any tracks that would hopefully lead to the Underhaven? Not that she could see at least. The darkness didn’t help her much at all. Fucking hell. Lost in the dark. Damn it all. At least they had their lives for now. For now, they might need to wander around a bit. Maybe they could find some tracks elsewhere. To not bring attention to them, she canceled the Light Cantrip. ”You trust me, right Livia dear? To guide you in the dark.” Katherine said, gripping her sister’s hand.
"Don't have much of a choice." Livia frowned, squeezing her sisters hand tightly. She supposed Katherine didn't find anything at all. Curses. She shouldn't have so recklessly come down here without a map, guide, or something. Taking a deep breath, Livia replied. "We need to move. Quickly. I'll try and keep an ear out for anything, too."
Hearing the man-eating girl wasn’t too difficult considering that she kept screaming and shouting since she was separated from Livia and Katherine. Her voice would die down as the girls moved further away, but if they were getting closer to Underhaven or not was a big mystery. This place was its own realm and sure enough, had enough madness to share among the inhabitants.
If there was one spark of hope left, it was a scent. The smell of roasted meats. Perhaps some sort of pork. Both of the girls could smell it and it was coming down a specific hall. There was smoke and the sight of a small but visible flame. Perhaps it was someone who could help. Or a cannibal cooking their meal. What would the girls do?
The smell of roasted meats met Livia's nose, reminding her briefly of the kitchens at home. It was a direction, a hint or clue to something they could potentially get out of this mess…but the question remained whether it was friend or foe. Taking a few seconds to make a decision, Livia whispered quietly to her sister.
"Smell that? Meat." Livia made sure to pay attention to the rampaging monster. It was getting further away, good. "We should see what it is. Cautiously and quietly. I don't trust anyone down here after that." If all else failed, and it was someone hostile…she fingered the knight on her belt. Well, she'd deal with that when it happened.
Katherine smelled the air. There was a meaty smell. That was… Good? It’d be best to follow it really. Either she ended up going in the right direction or… Well, it had to be better than being chased by this monster. ”Yes, let’s follow our nose on this one.”
Following the scent down the tunnel the sound of glowing water could also be vaguely heard. It seemed like they were nearing the ratway. Soon they would come across the source of the smell; a large pig Impaled on a stick being roasted over a fire. A tall figure stood near. It appeared to be cloaked in reeds but when they turned around they would see a man masked with a boar’s head
”Umu?”
Water? That was comforting. At least if they got lost down here they might be able to do something with the water. What wasn't comforting however, was the fire that they could see from a distance. At least it made it so she didn't have to rely on Katherine's guidance for the time being. At least the smell wasn't eugh, human.
"Hmm…" Livia studying the figure in the dimly lit fire of the area. Some sort of…figured covered in reeds and wearing a boars head as a mask. She didn't understand what 'Umu' was, but perhaps it was a greeting of some sort? Motioning for Kat to stay quiet, Livia turned to this…well, what she hoped to be at least an amicable person.
"Greetings," Livia began slowly. "Are you…a resident here? Perhaps you could show us the way to the one known as Lucilla?" Livia asked, hoping to whatever spirits existed out there this thing wasn't some sort of demon again.
Katherine let Livia speak, though she was ready to run again if she felt the need to do so.
The boar man grunted and looked the opposite way, whistling loudly into the darkness. And from the darkness came a rather fat looking boar covered with moss and an armored plate head. It snorted and sniffed at the girls, and the man simple fed the boat some mysterious black lichen and made more grunting noises. The pig ate the fungi and started walking down the hall, stopping to see if the girls were following or not. The man simply motioned for them to follow the boar as he continued to grunt and cook his meal.
Did this man want them to follow the boar? He didn't seem hostile, but for all she knew he was leading them to a slaughter house or something.
"Ahem, well…thank you?" Still, it was the closest thing they had as a lead for now, better than shuffling around in the dark. Sighing and taking Katherines hand again, Livia continued. "I suppose it’s the best we have for now. Lead the way, will you? Best not to attract too much more attention to ourselves."
Katherine nodded. ”Here’s hoping that this takes us where we need to go.” Katherine muttered loud enough for Livia to hear here. ”Feel safe with me Livia dear. I’ll follow the boar and try to warn you for holes in the road.”
No holes in the road, but it was a long walk as the boat lead the two down the tunnel next to a cistern. It went on for many minutes until finally they reached a large wooden double door. Unlike the other doors this one was much more ornate and sturdy. A plaque written in Undercommon was hung up on the side. Next to it was some sort of picture that looked like half a sun under a tree. The boat looked at Livia and Katherine expectantly.
“Well, I think it’s safe to assume we’re here. No idea what this sign says.” Katherine said. Katherine casted the light cantrip on Livia’s ring so she had any amount of vision for the moment. “Might need to turn it off again if things get hairy.” She added, looking to Livia. “Are you ready?” She asked, patting the boar on the head for the help. She’d give it food, but she didn’t have any left.
"Ugh, well, this took long enough." Livia grumbled, finally glad to be able to see again. This looked like the place at least, judging from the large ornate doors and wording. Y'know, maybe they should have put some road signs up or something. Would have really helped out quite a bit.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Livia sighed. "Lets find Lucilla. I have quite a few questions for her."
-bottle of black ink -quill -small knife -set of Fine Clothes -signet ring -scroll of pedigree -Soul gem Dagger -The book “Frothy Tales of Conquest” -1lb Kafei seeds Money: 4gp & 4SP
The young man had ran within the capacity his body could offer him but the run still winded the already tired man. The ten minutes of running earned him the sight of the second town that looked similar to the first, sans the larger number of sheep and goats. He was then stopped by a number of armed men even before he could get any closer to the town. The men didn't allow Ethan to speak a word before they spoke their piece. The group of armed men demanded that Ethan identify himself and state his business in town. They seemed impatient for his answer and, in between his labored breaths, he did his best to speak coherently to the group. "Ethan...Bradford...courier...Tips...Frontier...town." Ethan takes a couple moments to regain his composure now that he had given the men a response before realizing that the brigands they were talking about was attacking Garg by the bridge. "Not trying to stir chaos or cause trouble, but the bandits you were talking about? I do believe they were attacking a friendly ogre named Garg by the bridge yonder." Ethan points to the direction he came from. "Garg may be strong warrior, but it wouldn't hurt for you to send a few men to help him just in case he needs it." Ethan wasn't sure if they men believed him or not but either way the bandits were too close to the village for comfort.
Insight check: 10
[Equipped Items] -Traveler's Clothes x 1 -Fancy Hat x 1 -Walking Stick (Quarterstaff) x 1
[Items in Small Satchel] [Items] -Pouch containing 1 gp x 1 -Jeweled Ring (worth 10 gp) x 1 -Metal Flute x 1 -Poorly wrought maps of homeland x 1 -Corrected map x 1 -Torches x 3 -Tinderstick Bundle x 1 -Low quality folding knife x 1 [Key Items] -None
[Items in Durable Pack] [Items] -None [Key Items] -Satchel of herbs and spices x 1
Upon opening the doors, Livia and Katherine would be struck by a cool but refreshing burst of air. Compared to the rest of Underhaven which was musty and humid, the inside of this place was cool but pleasant scented. The place was dimly lit with candles that gave off a golden flame, providing just enough light for Livia to see inside without too much difficulty. There weren’t many patrons here; there was a table with a few strange looking characters, another tables that had a grizzled looking drow man, and a kobold that was cleaning tables and sweeping the floor.
Notably there was no one at the bar. The place seemed to not be open though people o bioisly were allowed to come and go as they pleased. As the two girls would approach the drow man spoke to them. ”If you’re looking for Lucilia she is not here. She has business to attend to on the surface. You’ll ought to wait here or continue your business elsewhere.” The drow man didn’t seem to bother the two girls beyond that, merely sitting at his table and drinking his wine. Another thing to note was that at one of the tables which had a blind girl, a strange looking tiefling, and a pink-haired gnome, was some sort of snake man who appeared to be spitting into glass vials.
The men didn’t seem to budge as Ethan tried to explain his case. They looked at him with suspicion as one of the older men whispered something, causing a younger farmer to run back towards the village. ”Whatever your business is, you’d best hurry and finish it. One of our men will accompany you while you’re here. Don’t try nothing. We may seem like farm folk to you, but no one settles into the Frontier if they don’t know how to handle themselves.” The men lowered their weapons but one armed with an axe was assigned to be Ethan’s escort. He seemed a quiet man but would wander any question Ethan had to the best of his ability.
The village itself wasn’t too dissimilar to the previous one, save for the fact this village dealt in different crops, had a bit more live stock, and seemed to have more old folk instead of children. And just like the previous village the main shop here appeared to be one of the more sturdy buildings; while most had wood or dirt huts, this one seemed to be made of proper timber and stone. So it was either a store or the local official’s home.
Well, so far this place seemed to be where they were looking for. Livia allowed herself to relax somewhat, stepping into the cool air of the place. A pleasant scent wafted through the air, making it obvious this was indeed, their destination. The young noble took a quick glance at the patrons, glad to finally be able to see again. A kobold that was cleaning, a grizzled looking Drow and a table full of rather unsavory looking characters...but no one that could possibly be Lucilla. Thankfully the Drow man was kind enough to inform them she had left.
"I see, thank you." Livia replied taking a glance to make sure her sister hadn't run off somewhere and possibly got into more trouble. Hm, she didn't want to wait around to gather information if she could, yet at the same time she was quite keen on meeting this Lucilla. Well, perhaps this Drow Man could be a bit more helpful. "Don't mind if I sit here, do you?" She folded her hands on the table, smiling pleasantly at the Drow. "If Lucilla isn't here, then I suppose I'll have to track her down myself in a bit. But before that, Perhaps you can help me with something else. Is the name 'Nemuno' familiar to you, sir?" Her sister may be frivolous and careless, but she was not, and something was nagging at her that something was fishy here.
-bottle of black ink -quill -small knife -set of Fine Clothes -signet ring -scroll of pedigree -Soul gem Dagger -The book “Frothy Tales of Conquest” -1lb Kafei seeds Money: 4gp & 4SP
The walk to the town was awkward to say the least. It was awfully apparent that the men were rather unwelcoming of him. He knew of the bandit problems they experienced, but it still hurt his ego. He considered himself rather decent looking...well decent looking enough in Evergreen standards. Ethan quickly gives himself a once over, and only frowned when he couldn't find anything wrong with his attire. 'Maybe it was because I wasn't very polite to them that they thought me a suspicious person?' Ethan pondered to himself while the two strode to the village proper. The village was not too dissimilar to the first village, though this town seemed to have a majority of its population in their twilight years. He then notices the building made from quality timber and stone, something that stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the plain and simple houses surrounding it. "Please correct me if I am wrong, but is that building over there the village's general store or is it something else entirely?" He asked his escort hoping he could quickly point him to the right direction, the sun had nearly set and he needed to be on the last boat heading to frontier town.
No rolls done this turn
[Equipped Items] -Traveler's Clothes x 1 -Fancy Hat x 1 -Walking Stick (Quarterstaff) x 1
[Items in Small Satchel] [Items] -Pouch containing 1 gp x 1 -Jeweled Ring (worth 10 gp) x 1 -Metal Flute x 1 -Poorly wrought maps of homeland x 1 -Corrected map x 1 -Torches x 3 -Tinderstick Bundle x 1 -Low quality folding knife x 1 [Key Items] -None
[Items in Durable Pack] [Items] -None [Key Items] -Satchel of herbs and spices x 1
Somehow Antaeus managed to shift his weight and still hold on as this insane woman bludgeoned this massive, massive creature against the earth. Was she some kind of demi-god!? Antaeus knew himself to be pretty darn close to "strong as an ox," but there would be no way he could lift a creature of this size over his head, much less throw it! Either this woman was an experienced adventurer of some sort already, or something was very wrong with this picture.
But there was no time for any of that! The beast was down, pinned in place. If ever there was a time to try and finish the creature off, now was it! But while virtually sitting atop the beast, could he make effective use of his javelins and darts? No...but there was one more option!
From the loop on the side of his backpack, Antaeus reached back with a practiced motion and grasped his trusty old friend--a pickaxe, kept sharp and in good condition for daily use. Using his legs to grip the body of the creature below him, he quickly grasped its haft in both hands and raised it over his head. With all the strength of a veteran rock crusher he brought it down at the Stag's skull...
Antaeus equips Pickaxe (improv War Pick) in 2 Hands (1d8 damage per DM) Antaeus Attacks White Stag w/Advantage! 1st Roll: 16 2nd Roll: 4 Damage Roll: 8
1 Quest Book - 5 lb 1 Shovel - 5 lb 1 Miner's Pick - 5 lb 1 Block and Tackle Set - 5 lb --Pulleys --Cable --Hook 1 Climber's Kit - 12 lb --Pitons --Boot tips --Gloves --Harness 1 Set of Clothes, Common - 3 lb --Roughspun Tunic --Roughspun Pants --Ragged Boots 1 Belt Pouch - 0 GP 1 Hunting Trap - 12 lb 1 Backpack - 5 lb - Holds 30 lb 1 Waterskin - 5 lb (full) - holds 4 pints 1 Tinderbox - 1 lb 1 Hempen Rope - 10 lb - 50 ft 2 Javelins - 2 lb Each 6 Darts - .25 lb Each
Total Encumberance: 71.5/240 lb (Light)
+Bookie has agreed to write a letter to Captain Ork at the Garrison. I should kill an animal in the forest and take it to Captain Ork to prove I'm adventuring material. --The animal can be anything from the Forest. Bookie suggested a deer or a boar.
+Barthen has requested me to hunt a White Stag in the Forest, and has given me a free hunting trap for this purpose. If I don't succeed I should probably bring the trap back. --I should try to find the Redchaser, she might be able to help me.
+Barthen is paying 1 GP per pound of Medicinal Herbs from the forest.
Katherine wasn't sure what to do at this point. "Of course the woman I'm looking for is gone by time I get here. Can't ever be simple or easy down here. It's just been one thing after another." Katherine muttered to herself, following Livia at the moment. Her heart felt like it was going much too fast at the moment and she just wanted to sit down and take a break. Fifty different things were running across her mind at the moment. For example, was that boy really in trouble? Perhaps it was a prank... Then again, being eaten alive was... A bit much. She kept that locked in the back of her mind for now though. She needed to do what she came down here for.... Not that it seemed to matter either way though... Since, well,she wasn't here at the moment.
Still, Livia really had the wrong idea about Nemuno. She was a bit... Rough? But she didn't... Seem... Like a horrible person. At least, not the way her jealousy addled sister was thinking. Whatever, she needed to sit for a bit. She wasn't built for all this running.
The drow man didn’t seem to react to Livia sitting at his table, focused solely on his drink. When she asked him about Nemuno he thought about it for a moment before finishing his bottle. ”Vaguely. I know she delivers food for Underhaven. Mostly meats. I’m a vegetarian so I’ve never dealt with her personally. I stay out of her way, she stays out of mines.” He seemed to be finished and leaves to go get another bottle of booze for himself. The kobold takes his empty bottle to dispose of while the front door opened. It was that monstrous blond girl, though no longer floating in the air. She didn’t seem to notice Livia or Katherine as she went to sit at the bar with a book and read from it. She looks almost… Normal.
Ethan’s escort nodded his head. ”Something like that. It’s the storehouse. It’s where we put all of our grains and goods for harvest before shipping it back to town. Someone there might be willing to sell goods too.” The man narrowed his eyes at Ethan, tightening the grip on his axe. ”But today it’s closed, due to the bandits. No one goes in or out. If you want anything you’ll have to talk to the chief.” Ethan wouldn’t need to ask where the chief, soon a group of men approached him. From the center of the crowd was a rather young man, only a little bit older than Ethan, but with a somewhat more sophisticated air.
”Hello. First, I apologize if the men have been treating you roughly. As you might have noticed we’ve had a bit of a bandit problem and everyone is on edge. I understand that you have some business with our village? I’ll do what I can to help you along so you may leave. I’d hate for you to get caught in our troubles.”
Antaeus’ pick dug into the stag’s hide, blood spilling forth from its wound as he ripped a hole clean into its side. And yes the beast still here want done yet. Blinded and pinned to the ground, it wasn’t going to let itself be taken out like some young buck. As the silver haired girl was about to try and slam the stag again, a hoof was planted against her chest and she was thrown ten feet away through the air, slamming into a tree and falling to the ground. The struggles back o to his feet and let out a blood curdling roar, showing that even as bloodied and beaten as he was, he wasn’t about to go down just yet. The stag faced Antaeus’s general direction, still unable to see him but knowing that he is nearby. The wounds on the stag was starting to weigh him down, and it was very possible he could be defeated. But the girl had taken a rather solid blow and was in the process of bleeding out, and was entirely unconscious as well.
Silver Haired Girl Death Saving Throw = 13 One Pass, Zero Fails
Katherine
As Katherine was taking a breather the strange looking tiefling from the other group approached her. He had a certain swagger about him that made him seem confident yet casual. Like he was walking up to an old friend instead of a complete stranger. [Well howdy, Angel. I hear you’re looking for Lucilia, just like my group is. Since we're all waiting, why not join us and have a chat? May as well use our time wisely. My boss is especially interested in you.] If Katherine turned to look, she could see the blond blue-eye bombshell looking right at her, giving her a little wave and a smile. Next to her was the pinkette gnome tinkering with a helmet and mask. The snake man was filling up vials with his own venom.
[If there’s anything you’d like to drink, I’ll see about getting I for you as well. Least I could do for a friend.] He said with a wide, demonic grin. Without any eyes, lips, or anything on his face aside from his teeth, all he could do was smile and smile wider.
[Odd calling someone 'angel' and then talking to them in Infernal.] Katherine mentioned, eying the girl coming in. Whatever smile she had dissipated. [But of course, I suppose I could make time for you and your boss. And don't worry about a drink. I don't think I could keep it down at the moment.] She peaked over at the... Very attractive blonde waving to her at the moment. [Oh, well. If that woman there is your boss I'd definitely be happy to talk.]
Livia leaned over to her sister. "I found us some interesting folks to talk to." She added, pointing out the Tiefling she was currently talking to and then to the beautiful blonde, the Pink Haired Gnome and the Snake man. "Come along with me if you want. Your current conversational partner seems to have left anyhow." She then whispered. "Of course, let's not trust them a hundred percent. They probably expect as such." With a smile, she turned to the Tiefling. [Very well then. Let's go.]
With a smile, she followed the Tiefling over with her sister following behind is she decided to come with her. "Hello there. I'm Katherine Lindall. I heard you wanted to see me?"
Livia frowned. Well that was fruitless. Well, she supposed it was useful regardless. If the more reasonable folk at least seemed like they liked the person, then realistically there was probably no threat. Just her being overly cautious and paranoid again. Ugh. She sighed, slumping back in her chair a bit. Well, no matter. She couldn't let Katherine do as she pleased anyways. If she caused problems she'd get blamed for it or have to clean up her messes.
"Well, at least he was far more polite than I expected." She grunted, straightening herself just in time to notice a familiar girl walk into the place. It...no. It couldn't. She seemed utterly normal. Livia narrowed her eyes at the girl. There was no sign of demonic influence on her at all. She seemed utterly normal. "...I'm going crazy. Yep, going crazy. That's what this is. I've snapped. Surprisingly less violent then I thought it'd be." Either someone was messing with her, or this kid was some sort of demon in disguise. Katherine mentioned a prank before, didn't she? If that was these kids idea of a prank...she held a hand to her head, just in time to have Katherine lean over and get her attention.
"Hm...?" Taking a look at the group that had gathered, Livia observed quietly as Katherine introduced herself. She hadn't thought much of them. Looked to be a rather disreputable bunch, so perhaps they could help with the Hashish problem. Not trusting them? That was rich coming from her sister who walked into someone's home, only to end up agreeing to spend the night after just a few minutes greeting. "Hello," Livia straightening her posture. "Livia Fiore. I apologize if my sister has bothered you. We're here looking for help with a request from Miss Maeda of the frontier town. We heard we could purchase some Snake Venom here?"
-bottle of black ink -quill -small knife -set of Fine Clothes -signet ring -scroll of pedigree -Soul gem Dagger -The book “Frothy Tales of Conquest” -1lb Kafei seeds Money: 4gp & 4SP
