Congratulations for surviving the rigors of one entire round of fighting (alleged) Ankhegs! Huzzah! It's just so gosh darn exciting I could soil by finest of manly undergarb! But let's look forward, shall we? There's a Round Two to suffer through, and not all of the tricks have been pulled yet, by either side I'd wager.
SO! A couple of things - I have altered the map juuust a hair to account for the large size of the Ankhegs and the new, large size of Kathryn. For a reliable accounting in the headers, I am labeling their location as the upper-left square that they occupy. If this sounds a little weird, just compare what I'm listing to their place on the battlemap and it should be apparent. To wit, when Kathryn's header calls for a location, please use the above format for as long as she's Large.
Remember to put your rolls in the open in our Discord OOC Lounge, and tag the next person in line at the end of your IC post. Then your 48 hour timer begins. So once again, Baronfjørd - you're up. Go be a hitter.
Eddie Glynfield at a first glance seems like little more than the neighborhood friendly old man. An old war vet who likes to share his over the top adventurous stories from his more youthful years, and always has a positive spin on every one of his stories. Making them just fun and joyous tales for all who would be willing to listen. Though no where near the physical peak he was in his golden years, he is still fit enough he can run about reliably, and and is always standing proud and tall! Though this impression is easily hidden by his overall relaxed demeanor, and his greying hair. Including a hefty over trimmed beard that in his old military days, would have gotten him chewed out for being unkempt. Eddie Glynfield gives the appearance of a half elf who is pushing the very end of their life span, maybe 200 years, while pushing around 800 years. And though he acts younger than he is, the end of a long day has his body begging him to finally sit and sleep. He finds himself standing a rather average height of 5'10", but has the self confidence of a man who was 10 feet tall.
Much of his attire nowadays is light, common clothes, a comfortable fishing hat to keep the sun out of his eyes, and comfortable boots. He is dressed far more for comfort than anything else, though under his tunic and other attire is an old, worn, yet well maintained set of studded leather. Something he figured would provide him with all the protection he would need for anything major, while being light enough to not wear him down after a could days travel. Not that he could afford to wear anything much fancier than that. Every scrap of clothing he wears has an air of being well used, while being well maintained. His clothes show patches, but the seams are well stitched. Some clothes are faded, but show no wrinkles. Though dirt may be present, it is soon cleaned off. Not an ounce of dirt older than a couple days shy of some rather stubborn stains that refused to come out. But even those would begin to fade with effort, and much of his attire is colored in a forest green, brown, or black to help negate the harm such stains could cause.
Gone are the weapons of war Eddie used to carry. Sold off, or passed down to younger relatives who needed them more. Armed with a well made bow, specifically made to help handle is failing strength. On his side, well made blades to defend himself in close quarters, armed much like his early days. A short sword that had been stored away for many centuries, and a bill hook looking scimitar to fill defend the old adventurer should someone come in close.
Eddie Glynfield is a cheery old man who has a quip or story for every possible scenario! Ranging from battle hardened stories of adventure, to whimsical stories that are so over the top, that chances are they are made up for entertainment value. He’s a man who is fascinated bu every small marvel, and a man who treats even the smallest victories as a job well done.
In his many years he’s developed a guilt of sorts. He finds himself wishing he had done more with his life. The peak of his life having been spent paving the way for others to be their best selves. While time would continue on, forgetting him as the years turned into decades, and into centuries. And though he still wants to help others be their best selves, and help bring just a bit more good in the world, he wants to pave the way for his own adventures. And becoming the hero of his own story.
Eddie Glynfield is also a man who has seen the world and the creatures who live in it at their worst. Pillaging, murdering, possession, and worse. War, famine, pestilence, and more. And that dark weighs on him and every choice he makes. But with that, he has seen so much good. People risking their lives to save strangers and loved ones. People standing up to their own, knowing the actions they take are wrong. People helping each other when times are tough, and making each hard day just a little easier until things can get better. And it is that inspiration that drives Eddie to see the light even in darkness, and to see hope for things to always get better.
Eddie Glynfield grew up on a rather poor farm stead under some lord who would come to pass long before Eddie himself would. His education was minimal, but far from low quality. But he struggled with years to gain mastery of his natural skills unlike most wood elves that could be found within his region.Being a wood elf who's family lived under a human lord and within an area ripe with humans though, he found himself torn between two worlds. The natural world of his heritage and the temptation to return to it, and the industrial world of the humans who his family lived under. When the lord of his lands had passed, when Eddie was not even 40 yet, he had decided that he wanted to live his life, and get as much out of it as he could before death came knocking on his door as well. So grabbing the cheapest longbow he could get his hands on, a fist full of arrows, and a pure determination to face the world, and make a name for himself! Where he figured after serving as an imperial archer for some years, he would have a better idea of what his goals and plans would be. That is... except for the fact he didn't leave after just a few years.
Eddie had seen his first real battle not long after. And despite the chaos and absolute savagery that came up around him, he found he was rather good at this sort of life style. And still unsure what to do with his life, he found his couple years, turning into a couple decades. He found his skills not only useful on the battlefield, but in camp and campaign life as well. Many skills he had learned from his parents, and other wood elves who passed by had come in handy as his responsibilities grew, and the men around him grew to trust and respect him. Over time, his responsibilities would grow, and he would rise in ranks. Not necessarily due to any outstanding skills or abilities, but through a slow grind of experience and trust built with the people around him. In several cases, an officer would join his unit, serve until they retired, and soon then died of old age, where Eddie would still be a functioning member of said unit. That was a challenge that took Eddie a long time to get used too. Most of the men he served with were humans, halflings, or half elves. Very rarely would he see another elf with him, and if one did come up, many found themselves retiring within a few years like their human counterparts.
He would soon take on command roles, leading whole units of men into battle. But this part of his career struggled more than any of it. He found himself struggling with the loss of his own men, and at more than just over 375 years old, he had seen enough war for several lifetimes. And he decided, he was done with it all. Though when he attempted to retire himself from the King's Royal archers, he was given a new direction. And offer that rung true with his goals when he first set out. A purpose in life, and a chance to live it to the fullest! "The king's boy has decided stubbornly that he is wanting to become an adventurer. And his majesty has tasked me with finding a dozen or so men to make sure his heir isn't stabbed by some goblin while dicking off, or maimed so badly he won't be able to take the throne when this phase ends." There was some more with it, but Eddie had been sold the moment he heard Adventurer.
The next few centuries were full of so many tales of adventure, mischief, and chaos, that when Eddie Glynfield tries to retell it, it sounds like he is making it up on the spot. And in some cases, he has taken artistic liberties in telling his stories. The king's boy would only go adventuring for about 8 years or so. But several other high lords also liked the idea of their amateurish heirs not getting shot by some random bandit while they "Adventured" to be rather appealing. So Eddie and several others would find themselves being reoccurring body guards for many of this lords, and in some cases ladies, who wanted to go out and face the world head on. Much like he did some centuries prior. Most wouldn't amount to much, and protecting them was closer to babysitting than anything else. Others, held interest and would take his advice with serious consideration, and he would even attempt to train some of them up so they could actually fight for themselves! And a few, would become ones who would make names for themselves that would live on in history forever. Dragon slayers, lich killers, grand warlords, and one cheeky mage who was determined to do some creepy stuff with a bunch of mushrooms. And Eddie was there for all of it! About 50 feet behind said adventurers. Picking off goblins, kobolds, cultists, archers, and one giant spore monster. Keeping the way clear so that these grand adventurers didn't need to exert themselves on such... meaningless tasks.
Then it seemed one day, that the need for his services were not needed anymore. A time of peace when for so long, something always needed to be done. There wasn't a war to send him off too, there were no grand adventurers to protect so they could save the day, and few optimistic lordlings who wanted to take on the world. Shy of a few who needed more babysitting than anything else, that line of work had seemed to have closed for Eddie. And he wasn't even 550 yet. Many nobles would still keep him around. Sometimes he would serve as an honor guard of sorts, sometimes he was just present because many of the now current lords were those same adventurers he had helped rise to glory, and they wanted to thank him for his work. He would go to balls, make friends, spend some quality time with people that when he was younger, wouldn't have given him a second glance. But the life of parties, balls, and guard duty, just wasn't for Eddie. But yet, during one of these events, he could meet a lovely half elf woman, and they would decide to spend the rest of their lives together.
Between a life savings of a rather extensive career, a couple land grants, and just being rather lucky, Eddie Glynfield with the help of his new wife would get a rather large plot of land for someone of rather low birth, and build it up to be a home. First building their home, a couple barns, a few other smaller homes that would soon become homes for his kids and their families, a few travelers who needed to catch a lucky break, and an assortment of cattle and fields for them all to maintain. And for the first time, he felt like he was living a life worth living. And he enjoyed every aspect of it. If it could go on forever, he would do everything in his power to do so. But by the time Eddie had turned 730, his wife would pass peacefully in her sleep. His kids would have moved on with their lives. Some following in his footsteps, some deciding to follow their heritage and learn what it was like to be a woodelf. Much of his wartime memorabilia would be sold, or passed off to his children who he decided needed it more. But by the age of 760, he decided this life he found himself in was not enough anymore. He would take time and care to make sure things would work smoothly without him, and set out on horseback to make his own story, instead of standing in the backdrop of someone else's.
Oliver in Eddie's current ride of choice. A loyal horse that Eddie has taken care of since birth. A full blooded warhorse brown and black warhorse eager to join his master on all of the exciting new adventures. Raised from stock Eddie has assisted in raising for generations in his off time. Though much of it was left to other family members.
Likes
Adventuring
Partying
Folk and Tavern music
Story Telling
Singing
A really good nap.
Dislikes
Marching and formal ceremonies
Baby sitting
Orcs
Goblins
Turnips
Hobbies
Horse raising
Singing/Music
"Did you ever hear of the battle against the great Dragon Khalahan? I was there ya know. That painting with Prince Triston standing victorious over the dragon? I'm in it. That stick figure looking fellow over there in the background by his shin. Right next to Frank there holding his household colors. That's me!"
"Look me lads, there's not a problem that can't be solved with some patience and careful skill. You know, except maybe goblins. Goblins you should just wipe out the first chance you get yeah?"
"Did I ever tell you about the time I [Insert completely over the top story with comically impossible details here]"
Many of the stories Eddie shares are told in such a way that they could be read from a fantasy book. And explained in ways that give the impression of being totally fictitious. Though most of his stories hold some semblance of truth to them, a few have been changed for artistic liberties, and for making the story more "Interesting" or "Dramatic" or "More appropriate for younger ears." In his old age though, it can sometimes be unclear how true the stories are, or if apart of Eddie has begun to go senile.
Eddie's role in a party would primarily to be a skirmisher, with several out of combat tracking skills, and some casting capabilities for battlefield control or other utilities.
And here we are, our characters standing in a gore-spattered field of triumph. The good news is that they've figured out what's been going on with Mssr. Laurent's sheep. The bad news is that one can never be sure if you got them all. Time has a way of telling these things, and hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. When and/or if another session of sheep slaughter comes around, you'll know.
But those are depressing thoughts. Victory is at hand! Huzzah! Of course, even victory seems to come with a series of questions attached when you live thenlife of an Adventurer, and this is no exception. Something does seem a little bit off here.
In any case, we are out of Initiative order and back into Narrative. Standard rules apply for posting moving forward, and feel free to have your characters move/act independently (within reason). There is still a bit of traveling necessary before you get to the Vineyard, but luckily there is daylight left in which to do so.
Oh yes, and one of those feelings that something is off? Roll me a Nature check in the Discord and tag me. Best of luck!
And the update-iness continues! Brass tacks of it:
The field dressing of the Ankhegs to remove meat and carapace will take two hours, give or take. This accounts for dice rolls, help provided, and other factors. At this time, the L'Roses do not seem impatient to leave. Helpful, even.
Anyone who drinks the diluted wine that Lizbeth is handing out needs to roll a CON save at Disadvantage will find that it is not unpleasant and quite refreshing. The mild amount of alcohol present is also, as Cecily mentioned, a lot better for cleaning than regular water. Just a bit of flavor for the posts.
If Barbel's offer is taken, he will wait until the carcasses are stripped and load what's left into his wagon, preferably with help. He will likewise volunteer himself and Tarace to help load up the party's goods onto the L'Rose wagon, and lend a tarp. If the offer is not taken, he will continue helping Kosara dress her giant bug and leave the party to their devices, claiming to pass the message along to Monsieur Laurent that the issue has been handled.
In either situation, the way is paved to either stick around and get more discussion in or have the party back on the road by the next update. Let me know in the Discord which way you want to play it. Per usual, any questions, die rolls, or concerns, please tag me in our Discord.
Update has been updated, which is probably plain to see in our IC via those lovely notifications we all get, so... yeah. This post is pretty redundant. BUT! Here are a couple particulars about this specific update:
The party has a final chance to do stuff before arriving at the Rose River Vineyard, so if you have any last-minute gift ideas or suddenly feel like cornering the market on toilet paper, here's your opportunity. It will be a fairly rural area for shopping or socializing, so don't expect those Big City Marketplaces. They will also be coming down from their own, much smaller version of Harvestide, so keep this in mind.
Anyway, consider arrival in town to be the end of the coming posts for this cycle, and the time before this on the road at a standard wagon's pace. There is ample time in the interim to get conversations worked out or introduce new concepts with which to foist bedevilment upon my plate as a DM. One can hop down from a wagon and traverse up to the other at a moderate jog, or hop down from the front one and wait a moment to get back to the rear one easily enough. Walking alongside will be a steady, somewhat brisk march. Or a leisurely stroll if you're seven feet tall, like Kathryn.
Per usual, send me a message via Discord for questions, dice roll requests, and the like. Huzzah!
Congratulations! You're there. The main setting for Act Two has been reached, and for better or for worse, you all have landed slap in the middle of the THERENESS of it all. So, as the Update says, settle in! Get comfy. Relax. Let your guard down. Get yourselves out of that itchy, heavy armor. You're probably safe here, right? Right?
Well, whichever way you play it, there are rooms to divvy up and decisions to make, a meal to be had, and Stuff. Lest we forget the Stuff. And the Things. It's important. But for now, per usual, any questions, concerns, or die roll request, please contact me in our Discord. And rememeber - courage.
Okay, everyone roll for Initiative. Ahem, sorry. The evening progresses as one might expect it to. I mean, it's perfectly normal to have people wait hand and foot on road-traveling adventuring types in a charming, rolling estate full of generational wealth and suspiciously successful grape harvests for large scale wine production, right? And because it's so normal, it's really a good time to get nice and sloppy on extremely fine wine they're just giving you, bottle after bottle, cask after cask. There's no reason to get paranoid at all, now is there?
Well good on ya! I'm proud of your levels of trust. Now to business:
The issues with room selection and topping off the meal are still on the table, if you want to get into specifics. To be clear, you have the full run of the Coach House, so if you really want to stay in the servants' quarters near the stable you can do that. Or set up a bedroll near the taproom's fireplace. Or crash in the kitchen. But the beds will be a lot more comfortable. It will be another tick in the Current Clack timer that I use behind the DM Screen before something awful happens something does indeed clack, so please continue on with the festivities. Unless I'm lying. I do that sometimes.
Per usual, contact me in our Discord for die rolls, questions, or sudden breaking revelations about your surrounding that you previously missed and have to voice so that you cannot be accused of metagaming later. Best of luck!
Well, here we are again. A new cast member has been added, with several clues as to their origin and a possible deal is on the table. Then again, is blind trust in this strange guy really the best option? Or was this a carefully crafted piece of luck? FIND OUT IN THE NEXT EPISODE OF AVONSHIREBALL Z!!! (Okay, sorry, had to.) Basically nothing has been resolved from the last post to this one, and that's actually just fine, seeing as there's some good RP action going on and the interaction is comfortable. You all do what you're doing, if it works for you.
That said, Master Urmdrus has been hinted at for a month or so, and here he is. Whether he becomes a Jacques Mallard or a Constable Cavendish is fully up for debate, but he seems interested in something you have and has opened with an offer. Do with this what you will. Per usual, contact me with needs, questions, or dice shenanigans in our Discord, and may whatever god looks out for adventurers (Nuada actually, in this pantheon) smile on the lot of you.
Okay, maybe I gave that minor celebration a little too early. But a better deal has been struck, if the party accepts it. Unfortunately, if the plans mentioned in the OOC Lounge is any indicator of what's going to go down this posting cycle, then we have an interesting IC night ahead of us. Best of luck, I suppose. Things could be worse. All in all, I guess it's fair enough to say that everyone should enjoy the moment, for however long those moments last until the bottom drops out and we remember that we're in an investigation and combat oriented forum fantasy RPG. So pay attention to those details, keep your swords handy, and make sure your spellbooks are legibly inked.
And the hits just keep on coming! Now with confirmation of the deal an the materials hauled off, it's only a matter of time (and apparently a bucket of freshly squeezed urine) before the party members capable of utilizing said equipment acquires it. Let us hope that our good Duergar friend doesn't have a previously undiagnosed heart condition or gets eaten by something particularly nasty that may or may not exist nearby. In any case, consider this another good RP round, let us close out the day with a nice, spiffy Long Rest upon a decent mattress under thick blankets, blissfully unaware of the horrors which might await. Or not. I mean, you're wintering in wine country, right? What's the worst that can happen?
Anyway... do that thing where you get in touch over our Discord for rolls, questions, or if you think I missed something (has happened before). Best of luck, and I do hope that we all have pleasant dreams. <insert evil laugh here>
And the group has survived their first night at the Vineyard. I'd call that a rousing success, even if you don't know exactly why this should be considered a rousing success. Now, the beginning of the post describes the place at night, but the end puts us out at morning. There are two reasons for this: 1) No rolls called for anything awful happening to the party at night, hence we could move along, and 2) The frigging post started at one time and ended at another. There! Hope we're all up to speed.
Consider us getting going the next morning with next morning shenanigans. Send me that DM for rolls, questions, etc, and feel free to do your thing (within reason) in the IC. Obviously, this means that we have gone through a Long Rest, with all of the game mechanic stuff that entails. Best of luck surviving Day Two. Or would that be Day One, as we arrived in the evening on the previous day? Whatever. Doesn't matter. You're all here now and have to deal with it.
Let's keep the ball rolling with a.m. shenanigans. There isn't anything official planned with the owners and/or staff for a while yet, so if anyone in the party has a task they wanted to get to in the meantime (and it doesn't take more than a couple hours), there is time. Per my standard setup, there is a Current Clack of events unfolding; whether or not the party has influence on said Clack is up to them and their individual decisions and actions.
Hit me up in the Discord, leave me a message about stuff, blah blah, and suchforth. And best of luck with those conspiracy theories in chat. Huzzah!
Another cycle of posting comes to a conclusion, and another begins. The King is dead; long live The King. So let's get to the bare business if things first:
Shoe - Kathryn's acceptance of the necromancy being done to her has to be voluntary, or the spell won't take. To wit, I appreciate the explicit and direct mention of consent to such in the IC. Something official and open is appreciated as we may be skirting into PvP territory here.
Arty - Baronfjord is right to feel nervous. You've seen the Bard take out a giant insect with her voice and a casual necrotic follow-up, and she still hasn't answered his question from the night before. Experimenting with magic taken from a book previously owned by the warlock you all just killed is a little sus.
Rivaan - The initial incident moved Lizbeth's social reaction down to Cautious. The apology brought it up to Indifferent. Immediately asking her to serve you tea was ...certainly a choice to make. But the rolls were made and the situation has improved, so that's a positive note.
The immediately preceding point should be taken to heart - I don't believe that I have mentioned outright that I am loosely keeping up with the named NPCs and their reactions to party members, following interactions and events. It goes back to the bit at the start of the Act One when I mentioned that actions matter. This is, at heart, an investigative RPG with elements of combat throughout. Social presentation is just as important as a good swordarm. On the other hand, keeping true to character regardless of consequence is noted, too. Consider it a balancing act.
A.M. shenanigans continue. There is still time before the scheduled Clackery, so do your thing. To hammer the point from the last OOC post here, there is a timetable of events that occur, and the party's actions (either individual or as a group) will influence these events. Or they will continue unabated. If a charcater is in the spot where and when these things happen, you'll have your chance. But just for now, speaking in a very meta, DMish way, I will say that you're good for a bit.
Per usual, message me in Discord for rolls and stuff. And best of luck moving forward.