DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Fantasy SKT: The Storm King's Thunder 2 - Rumblings: Triboar

DM

The journey to Triboar is relatively uneventful. The weather was turning as it was the month of Marpenoth, Leaffall, and so fur lined cloaks were not out of the question, especially during the evenings.

Bern, Davroar, Jaliera, Kriv, Zhu

A dozen wagons departed Phandelin at dawn and traveled eastward on the Triboar trail. The road is familiar to Bern, Davroar, Jaliera and Kriv as they had used it often as they were searching for Gundren. Zhu, the eladrian that was friends with Luminmorn, had joined the caravan as it was heading in the direction of her destination, Silverymoon, which is where she was from.

The approach to Triboar has them passing several ranches. They were told that they were close as they found themselves traveling next to a 30 foot high escarpment on their left. When they regard the forest to their right, the wagonmaster says "Gwaeron's Slumber" (T24) which means something to rangers and druids. Gwaeron Windstrom, is the god of tracking "It is that Gwaeron comes to visit this mystical forest. Cutting wood and hunting are prohibited there."

At the end of the forest the wagons pass a trail leading up the escarpment towards farms (F) and on the right a decrepit wooden boarding house. A shingle that swings crooked on a single nail hammered into one corner reads "Six Windows Boarding House" (T14). Beyond that are more farms and soon they pass the "Frost-Touched Frog" (T13), a boarded up inn, the "Cart and Coin" (T8), an enterprise that sells and swaps horses and draft animals and all that is needed to care for them before entering the center of town.


Arus
The journey to Triboar is relatively uneventful. Arus did not know anyone else and the guards all seemed to be on high alert, not eager to have conversations. The caravan was large and included merchandise from more than just the Lionshield Coster. Several other merchants contributed wagons and supplied it's own personnel. That typicially included a driver for each wagon and a business agent. Arus was that business agent and was responsible for five wagons. In addition to the staff employed by merchant companies, the caravan as a while had arranged to for mercenary forces to escort it. Aside from a small group of orcs that were spotted fleeing into the hills there were no encounter. The large force was intimidating because of the sheer numbers of men.

It was a two day trip from Yartar. They followed the Evermoor Trail west through the Dessarin Valley with the Dessarin hills to their left. They entered Triboar watching the final bright clouds. Darkness would soon be complete. They passed was a small, quaint cottage on their right. It stood near a brightly painted barn topped with a pony-shaped weather vane. A white picket fence enclosed a field behind the barn. Set among the autumn flowers on the front lawn is a sign that reads "Merivold Pony Park" (T19). Several ponies can be seen in the enclosed yard.

Not far from there was another building. As they passed it a number of people, couples and groups entered. Since it was dusk, Arus assumed it was a restarant (T21). The folks seemed to be arriving from a large estate (T20) about 200 feet behind it. All Arus could get out of the wagon driver was "Them's places fer rich folks" and a sneer.

They left those buildings behind them and passed a few farms. Arus smiled as he spotted the next building, a store. Above the store's entrance hangs a polished shield emblazoned with the head of a stylized golden lion on a blue background. It was the Lionshield Coster (T6). The lights were out in the lower floors. Candlelight illuminated two of the windows in the upper floors. It was late and Arus quickly concluded that it was closed for business for the day. He saw a two members of the town militia patroling in front of it.

All
The caravans entered the center of Triboar, where the Long Road meets the
Evermoor Way and the Triboar Trail. It is a huge open space used as a market by local farmers and visiting peddlers. The market was almost completely shut down already. The cloudy sky had devoured sunshine all day but it began to rain just as the wagons made it into town. Soon it would be cold, dark and wet.

As the oxen turn into the plaza you see a two-story structure dominating it. The Tower of the Lord Protector (T1) is a simple stone keep that leans decidedly to the east. Hanging above the entrance is the dusty banner of the lord protector, which depicts three black boars running toward the head of the banner on a blood-red field.

The caravan's turn right into the town. The one from Yartar enter the North Caravan Campground (T2) while the caravan from Phandelin enters the West Carvan Campground (T3). The wagon drivers dismount and are greeted by workers who direct them to a specific area. This fenced-in field is evidently used as a place for caravans to park their wagons and contain their draft beasts for free. There’s also plenty of room to pitch tents and build campfires. Fresh water can be drawn from a 30-foot-deep stone well in the southeast corner of the yard.

There was a lot of work needed to get the caravans settled. The wind was picking up and there rain was coming down steady. By the time that was all taken care of there would be no chance to handle business. More important, with all the people entering town, those wanting to spend the night indoors would need to find accomodations quickly.

OOC: I clearly planned to bring everything together for the start of a new decade Clearly, even though Arus is in town, there's no need to metagame and force things. I've got it

[OOC Seems we have two caravans from Phandelin? ]

[[ She is talking about: "The caravan's turn right into the town. The one from Phandelin enter the North Caravan Campground (T2) while the caravan from Phandelin enters the West Carvan Campground (T3). " ]]

Zhu

As she rides along next to the wagons she takes in the town. She passed through here on her way to Phandelin a few days ago, but she was hurrying and didn't stop to look. She notes with interest the comments about the woods, making a mental note to take a stroll there if the opportunity arises. Being protected from hunting and cutting should make it one of the rarer natural woodlands so near to a human settlement.

She lets the caravan drivers and workers get the animals and wagons settled into the wagon park, and while noting the lean of the central tower with a quirk of her lips she strolls across the street to take a look at some of the other places nearby. (T4, T5, & T9 should be easily visible)

<Bern>

He had felt the need to 'stretch his legs' a bit so had opted to walk. He enjoyed the 'hike' and was a little disappointed when they 'arrived' back in 'civilization'.

He spent some time helping the group 'set up camp'. It felt strange setting up a camp in the middle of town, but it was what it was he told himself.

(OOC - I will edit above to make it more clear. T7, and even T12, are literally across the street from T2.)

[[ Ummmm ... so lets see ... he is a ranger ... used to living 'off the land', 'in the wild' ... and you are saying that a bit of cold weather ... in a town ... is going to be a problem?? Lemme just freeze to death now for being such a poor 'outdoors man' <shrug> ]]

[[ 40 doesn't sound like 'extreme cold' to me. I go waling around in that ... with out 'winter gear' ... to get the mail ... go to the beer store for beer <shrug> But in the end it is your call. As to 'where' he is going ... he is waiting for members of his party to express their ideas before he settles on one <g> ]]

(OOC - OK, I'll edit it to where she is looking at T4, T5 & T9 then, which should be adjacent to T3.)

Davroar

He helps the caravan workers with whatever is needed to speed things along with daylight quickly fading on them. If camp fires are needed he can easily get them going with his Druidcraft cantrip. While sleeping outdoors is nothing new to him, Davroar will take a short break from his work to find Jaliera and say to her, "There's that boarding house we passed if you want to hurry and see if a room is available for yourself?"

(OOC - Nep - I am not trying to be difficult, but T4, T5, & T9 are literally 10-20 feet away from T3. She should not have to do anything other than turn her head to see them.)

DM
Zhu turns her head in the darkness and rain. She sees an open field to her south. It looks like a ranch but it's difficult to make out (T4) and some buildings beyond. Across that street there are other buildings but there are no visible signs (T5). Just across the campground fence there are buildings hidden from by the fence. They seem to be associated with the campground but there are no signs (T9).

OOC: I'm not trying to be difficult either, but I did give you the "boxed text" answers, whether you like them or not rotating heads simply won't get you more information. BTW, the descriptions I provided to you above could have been gleaned directly by looking at the map. Maybe I gave you a bit more for T9 but that really is right next door.

Arus

It felt like a change of seasons.

The journey by wagon from Yartar was slow compared to river travel, but they'd taken the road at the driest time so it was faster than it would've been had they fallen foul of the rain.

Since the rain arrived at about the same time as his arrival at Triboar, Arus could welcome the colder, wet weather with open arms.

He saw the tile-roofed buildings through the growing murk, warm light leaking from the cracks in shutters.

It seemed sparsely populated for a town, but Arus was learning wealth never settled in quite the same way in the Savage Frontier.

In Yartar, it accumulated at the top, creating rich and poor, but in Triboar with its surrounding ranches, wealth appeared to be more evenly distributed, making it a town of affluent landowners, shopkeepers, hostelers and publicans.

Where Arus came from, the Protectorate essentially subsidised rural folk to stay where they were and maintain their traditional way of life. Most tritons would argue theirs was a more advanced civilisation than the primitive land-dwelling cultures of Faerûn, but Arus was widely-travelled below the waves and had seen the lavish lifestyles afforded to those in the capitals---arguably enjoying their traditional way of life also---the system ultimately amounted to bribing the poor to stay poor.

Yet Arus supported his country whole-heartedly. Until he learnt of a system that worked any better for people, there was no moral quandary. Since travelling on the continent, he'd certainly seen worse systems of governance (or lack of).

Rather than hunker beneath a hood, the triton let the rain wash through his thick, dark hair, standing guard whilst the team secured the caravan for the night.

Once done, he escorted his team-mates to where they were lodging but said he himself wanted to have a look around town first.

And yes, they might have stared at him gone-out, like he was a lunatic. Just a triton though: Resilient to the cold of the deep trenches, and darkvision would see Arus right.

Both were needed on such a gloomy evening. Breathing in the moist air, he hitched his woollen cloak over the paldrons of his plate armour and kept his trident upright, non-threatening. He still looked like a man-at-arms, and he was, but he was also off-duty.

Arus asked the guards outside the Lionshield Coster for directions to a decent inn nearby, and the place where local frontiersmen liked to drink. He was minded to find out more about humanoid movements in the area, after seeing the orc band in the hills earlier in the day.

Jaliera

Although she didn't exactly come from the desert region of Calimshan, Jaliera is used to warmer climes and decides to buy some warmer clothing & spares before they set out on their latest adventure, looking for fur lined boots, gloves and cloak as well as other warmer clothing. It feels strange spending money on herself as this is really the first time she feels she has her own funds and the freedom to use them as she sees fit. Typically though she invests in items that will help her function in her chosen way of life.

The journey is largely uneventful, though more comfortable as the weather changes for the worst in the latter part of their journey. She passes the time mostly chattering to Davroar and enjoys his company and that of their companions.

She is glad to arrive back in some sort of civilisation. Though she enjoys the travelling and the different scenery they pass, she is not as at home in the wilderness as Davroar. She also helps the caravan to settle in.

A warm smiles touches her face though when Davroar suggests she might want to avail herself of the boarding house. Her answer is simple.

"I'd rather stay with you."

DM
Bern, Davroar, Jaliera, Kriv, Zhu
The wagon drivers work quickly to secure their draft animals and set up a meager campsite for themselves there. These folk usually do not spend gold if they don't have to. Sleeping in an inn is a luxury, even in the rain. It is certainly an option to pitch tent there.

Just as the work to establish the campsite gets underway, two men walk into the compound with the hoods of their cloaks pulled over their heads to ward off the rain. From the looks of their clothes, they are well-off. "Could you not have come any later? Set up over there, not here!" one of them orders the men that were about to establish camp. Once they are close enough, you can see that the man that called out is wearing an eye patch over one eye. The other male looks to be half-elf.

Bern had taken a walk in the rain. He was used to the outdoors and precipitation was a good thing as it fed the plants and provided puddles of water for the animals to lap up. But he knew that most folks would consider it miserable weather. What few people there were in town seemed to be making their way indoors with some urgency, as if a little rain would melt them. He walked out of the campground into the market square. It was astounding to him how quick and efficient the merchants were when it came to shutting down and getting out of the rain. Being in the center of town, he had many directions he could decide to go.

Arus
While the wagon drivers all pitch tents in the campground, the mercenaries that accompanied the caravan made haste out of the rain to a building behind the other campground (T9). While interesting, Arus walks over to the Lion's Share, which is the name of the local franchise of the Lionshield Coster, and approaches the guard outside. The stocky dark haired man doesn't appear to be happy and places a hand on the hilt of the shortsword on his hip. "Halt!" he calls out before Arus even has a chance to say anything. "This here establishment be under the protection of the Lord Protector!"

He eases slightly once he realizes that Arus is not up to trouble but he's more officious than gracious in his answers. It's evident that the man's in a sour mood or that something about Arus bothered him. "There be the Northshield House (T10), up that way and the Boars Rest (T20) is that way." He first pointed to his right, which was a street that ran between the north campground and the Lion's Share. Then he pointed the other way, to the Evermoor Way, the road that Arus had taken into town. While he had not been near the Northshield House yet, he easily deduces that the second place, the Boar's Rest (T20), was the very expensive looking place behind the restaurant that they had passed coming in.

"The Frost Touched Frog is closed," he adds. "And there be the Six Windows yonder on the Triboar trail, if yer looking for a cheap place fer the night," he says as he points to the street that leads out of town opposite the way that the caravan entered.

"An iff'n yer just lookin for a drink or some food, yer can find the Pleasing Platter (T21) in front of the Boar's Rest and the Talking Troll (T12), which'n nobody's gonna mistake fer the Pleasin' Platter, around the campground on the Long Road headin' north. I be guessin' the best place for a Yartarians to go be the Talking Troll." The last was said with a look that hinted of contempt.

<Bern>

He had considered just setting up a tent with the caravan. But it =had= been a while since he had enjoyed a soft bed. It would also give him a chance to 'get the skinny' on the town ... who the players were ... especially if there was an bar near at hand.

He settled on the Talking Troll. Is seemed a more likely place to get some 'good gossip' ... as well as a recommendation for lodging.

Arus

"Thou art too kind." He replied drolly to the guard, and stepped back into the gloom.

For a moment he took in the street---dark, deserted, blurred with a steady, cold rain---and wondered if Triboar might've been a mistake. It seemed insular, small in all ways, but Arus told himself that it was just the late hour and the inclement weather giving that appearance.

People would be gathered. They would be talking and sharing news. He just had to find out where.

And he had just discovered that his shop in Triboar was under the direct protection of the local government. That was news to him.

So the triton walked with a purpose up the road to the Northshield House.

The goings on along Evermoor Way sounds expensive and exclusive, and he'd make no progress by walking through the door in scorched old armour he'd found in the Ooze Tomb.

Northshield House first. Meet the innkeeper, arrange lodgings, dump his pack and trident, then back out and to the Talking Troll. That was his plan.

Kriv

Speaking a word of his native tongue, the Dragonborn scholar lit up the glasstaff one more as the natural light faded, planting it where it would be of most use to those setting up the encampment. They had laboured hard to get them all here, and the worker was worth their wage, and it was no hardship to aid in their contribution to the common cause. The Noble would as like favour the inn, once the work here was done.