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Post by moralhazard on Jun 3, 2019 20:54:25 GMT
Miri raised a slow eyebrow at Echo's burst of chatter, mentally reviewing what she'd said. Nothing, she thought, new or surprising; nothing that she'd really expect to freak the tabaxi out to such an extreme. With a faint shrug, largely to herself, Miri dismissed it. Surely it wouldn't be anything serious, any kind of deep phobia that might present a problem. What could she even be freaked out about anyway? Water? That was, Miri thought, highly unlikely. How could anyone be afraid of water?
Miri studied the wheel as they approached. What had Finch said? He'd been here six months back? From a quick glance at Finch's face, it seemed pretty obvious that things had changed a bit since then. The wheel was turning, although that creaking noise struck Miri as a rather bad sign.
"Tea'd be welcome, thanks very much." Miri accepted Stanton's invitation, smiling.
Miri ducked into the small mill, glancing around with a faint hum of surprise. She adjusted the sharp bits on her back, lifting the swords slightly so she wouldn't do any damage, and perched cheerfully on a stack of grain sacks between the table and the kettle, adjusting and sprawling back slightly as if they were the most comfortable things in the world. Her eyes tracked the young man across the room, then settled back on Finch, more interested in what her employer had to say than in posing her own questions. It was starting to seem very likely that whatever the priest had told them about was affecting her employer, and Miri still held out hope that he might be willing to put money to fixing it, whatever promises Crucible had foolishly already made.
All the same, the rest of the village already seemed to hate them, and Finch didn't look in the mood to make nice with Stanton. Speaking up might mean a softer landing for them all. Miri shifted forward, resting her elbows on her knees - the sacks were not, actually, terribly pleasant to sit on - and asked, lightly, "Bit of a rough few months?" She smiled at Stanton, directing the question at the young man.
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Post by 3personal5me on Jun 3, 2019 22:45:04 GMT
The building wasn't impressive. Of course, Crucible didn't expect any sort of large, grand building like in Waterdeep. But even then, this one seemed pretty run down and beat up. Especially for something that should be relatively new. He followed the rest of the crew inside, electing to take his place standing in the corner. He made no show of hiding his interest as he gazed up at the large mechanical systems that converted the rivers energy into grinding force for grain. He winced as it squeaked and groaned. He wished he could get up there and fix it.
His attention was briefly brought back to the group again. Rough times, indeed. He was curious what the kid would have to say about it.
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on Jun 10, 2019 5:38:23 GMT
The cart creaked forward again. Then it rumbled. Then it rolled. Then it kept going on and on and on and on some more!
Unfortunately.
Echo, still perched on its side, sat with her tail wrapped around one leg, her hands clenched at either side, and her eyes shut even tighter. Her claws were digging shallow lines into the wood beneath them. Okay! A deep breath. She could, uh, do this! It was just…a wheel, right? Just like the four below her! Just…a wheel. Maybe, like, a big and fast spinning and horribly, horribly wet and cold and wet wheel of death, but…a wheel! Kinda? A second deep breath, and then the tabaxi whined again. Cat Lord, who was she kidding. This sucked! Super sucked! Echo focused on the smell of the dusty road air, the feel of the warm sun against her exposed fur, and the blackness of nothing behind her eyes, but…she still had good ears. Really good ears! Badly good ears – the tabaxi could hear everything. The soft murmur of a river. The splash of rock-strewn rapids. The sharp creak – creak – creak that she was sure only a big wet spinning death wheel thing could make! Echo shivered and…the cart jostled to a sudden stop.
Echo yelped. They were there!
Hands slapping over her eyes, the treasure hunter tensed, squeezed her tail tighter, and then took another deep breath. She then dared the teeniest, tiniest peek between two fingers, and it was…it was…was…not that bad, actually? Huh? Echo opened both eyes fully and darted them around. Really, the place was more sad looking than scary – a rickety old building from a rickety old village, some nervous looking guy, and the wheel itself. The wheel! The tabaxi sighed as she unwrapped her tail and slid off the cart. The wheel was a bit of a slow spinning and whining thing and, even better than that, it was made of wood. Wood! Not, like, water! Why the dang thing was called a waterwheel Echo had no idea (woodwheel seemed, uh, a lot more appropriate and less terrifying!), but she wasted no time to ponder that little curiosity and sprinted after the rest of the caravan, who by now had already headed towards the inside of the mill. Waterwheel or no, she could still hear the river just on the other side of the building and her eyes caught the faintest glitter of wet stuff being kicked up by its paddley bits. Still not a fun place! With another shiver, a twitch of her tail, and a tug of her scarf, Echo slid through the doorway and inside.
The inside was even sadder looking than the outside was!
Other than some big grinding stones and part of the ol’ wheel, the rest of the mill was cluttered with sacks of grain and flour and other stuff and a single table and a collection of chairs. The nervous guy, who by their employer’s shouting was none other than Stone Town himself, was quick to offer them tea. Echo shrugged.
“Uh, okay!”
Tea was…not something the tabaxi drank often, given the whole life on the street kind of thing, but something was better than nothing, right! At least it could maybe help her, uh, forget about all the other liquidy things around them. As the rest of the group settled in, Echo skipped a few steps to the side, jumped, and then grabbed onto an overhanging beam. Claws latching in, she allowed her body to sway a little this way and that as she hung off and her two-tone eyes peeked around. A third of her was paying attention to whatever conversation was going on. A third was trying really, really hard to block out the sounds of running water. The last third, a little curious as to what was in all that mess, was looking for a distraction to help with the former third, and Echo watched for anything that might catch her interest.
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Echo'll take a quick look around the watermill, see if there's anything interesting in all that clutter!
Perception check: mUWim2aZ1d20+4 1d20+4
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Post by Kai Wren on Jun 16, 2019 13:15:18 GMT
Stanton seemed, to the scrutiny of the adventurers, to be just what he appeared to be. A young man, somewhat nervous in the presence of so many strange sorts, and his own boss who he wasn’t expecting to pop in just yet.
He stepped out back, to a very clearly delineated kitchen area which seemed to have been kept somewhat removed from the workings of the machinery proper. There, with utmost care, he put a kettle on to boil. It may seem odd to the adventurers that the kitchen of all places was made of stone where much of the building was wood – but then, perhaps they could piece together why they’d want to keep flame under control in a space like this.
He returned once the kettle was on to boil, and flashed a nervous smile to Miri.
“Oh, things are mostly alright, Miss.” He said, cautiously. “There was some trouble, local girl went missing, but I mostly stay here, looking after Mr. Finch’s investment.”
The merchant looked less than happy with that explanation, his frown deepening.
“So you’re on schedule then?”
Quickly, Stanton nodded.
“Oh, yes, Mr. Finch. We’ll have enough flour for the shipment by the end of tomorrow, I’d imagine. Maybe less, if these strapping folk will lend a hand?”
He flashed a hopeful smile to the others. More hands would make lighter work, after all.
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Jarovbees
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Post by Jarovbees on Jun 16, 2019 14:40:24 GMT
"Maybe less." Warden nodded, not wanting to speak for anyone else, but she wouldn't rebuff the request for assistance if they had time to spare. Still, she kept her focus on the issue at hand instead of allowing herself to get sidetracked. Something was amiss, even if the employee himself seemed genuine, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it promptly. "But first, what can you tell us about the girl that went missing, and the circumstances? That trouble sounds like something we ought to know, and might be capable of dealing with, depending."
She straightened, but already loomed fairly tall and given that she was one of the more heavily armed and armored individuals, assumed she at least gave off the impression of competence. The tiefling's intense focus remained on Stanton rather than their unimpressive surroundings, trusting that the others would point out anything that might require a shift of attention. Though really, she doubted that there would be a need, in their immediate circumstances.
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Post by moralhazard on Jun 16, 2019 20:11:21 GMT
Miri adjusted her seat on the sack again. She couldn’t feel the scratchy burlap through her studded leather armor – there was no way she could feel the burlap. Yet, oddly, she felt itchy. The seat was somehow too hard and too soft at once, and oddly rounded, pressing into her in a way that felt as if it was sort of molding her against it, and rather forcefully at that.
Miri grinned at Stanton as he answered her question, light and friendly. If he was here all the time, she wondered, why did Mr. Finch look so troubled? Why did the frown on his face deepen further at the response? Miri wondered, just like she wondered why they thought it a good idea to tempt fate by having an indoor kitchen at all. The stone was all well and good, but flour had been known to explode under fire and heat – Miri had certainly never caused such a thing to happen herself, surely not – and she thought it a bit of a risk.
Warden, as ever, was asking the right questions, sharp and direct and to the point. “We heard a bit about it on the road,” Miri added, intending to strike a slightly lighter note than her (even more) heavily armed companion. “People acting strangely, something like that. I thought it sounded just like tall tales, but…” she shrugged, a slightly exaggerated gesture, and leaned back against one of the sacks behind her, shifting so that her back and not her swords rested against the sack, the picture of casual curiosity.
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Post by 3personal5me on Jun 17, 2019 3:06:19 GMT
Crucibles attention turned back to the matters at hand. He stood, feet shoulder width apart and hands behind his back, in a relaxed parade rest. It was an old habit.
He was more than willing to lend some aid, but the news of a missing person sounded much more important. The altruist in him couldn't walk away from a person in need. To be honest, it was a trait that confused him. At night, as he rested, he frequently found himself pondering the nature of that feeling. He wondered if he was made with the intent of being an altruist, or if it was a genuine personality trait. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He had slipped up and started thinking about it. He tried to avoid that. He cleared his mind, and set it to the task at hand.
Warden seemed to read his mind when she began to ask several pointed questions. She didn't beat around the bush, which was something he always appreciated. If someone was missing, time was of the essence. He glanced about, noticing Echo. Another soul in distress. Warden seemed to be on top of things for now.
Hr wordlessly walked towards the Tabaxi, towering over her. The warforged looked down at the cat and smiled. "You okay?" he asked, his voice low.
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on Jun 17, 2019 22:38:24 GMT
Echo was, uh…really not paying attention at that point! At all. That third of her attention had poofed almost immediately. She was a little aware of Stone Town leaving the room and then coming back, mentioning some things being alright and some trouble and a girl or something, and then their employer asking about the state of the not actually watery watermill, but, past that? She was lost in her own thoughts. Well…one thought. Suppressed thought, really. The tabaxi swung one way, and then another, and then unlatched her claws and dropped back to the floor with a soft thud. She then shuffled a few steps away from the group and prodded at some sacks of grain with her foot. Nothing in the clutter had, like, actually caught her interest, but looking over and poking at it was at least…something. Something to take her mind off what was on the other side of the four thin, awfully rickety walls around them.
One arm wrapped around the opposite shoulder and the other toying with the end of her scarf, Echo only became aware of someone standing next to her when their shadow basically, uh…blotted out the entire sun. A small grin pulled at the corner of her mouth. There was only one person who was that big!
“Oh! Hey, big guy.”
The treasure hunter managed a weak smile, turned around, and then flashed a quick wave at the warforged. Then her hand went back to playing with her scarf. “Yeah! I’m, like, totally fine! Kinda. I just, uh…”
Her ears drooped and her tail swished limply.
“…don’t like water very much. It’s nothing.”
Echo looked past the cleric, toward the rest of the caravan group, as both Warden and Miri spoke with Stone Town and their employer. This time it was about helping with something, maybe? Hopefully not them helping with something. The less time spent here, the better! The tabaxi gave the warforged a bump on the…lower arm, leaned to the side, and then called out. Her voice was a little weaker than she would have liked.
“Sooooo! Uh…a-are we done with, like, the things? That are here? The here things?”
She flicked her tail at the bags of grain around them.
“I mean, it sure, uh, looks like a lot of grainy stuff here! Maybe the best mill I’ve ever seen!”
Had she ever actually seen a mill before? No! Never. Did she want to see one again? No! Never!
Cat Lord, they had better make this quick.
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Post by Kai Wren on Jun 18, 2019 7:49:58 GMT
Stanton smiled gratefully at Warden’s offer of help. “That’s very kind of you Miss.” He said, “But, and I mean no disrespect to you or your fine companions, I think it’s a little late to be helping the girl now. Little Ell went missing four, near five weeks back.”
His smile faded, and he sighed, shaking his head, “It’s sad, truly, but chances are she wandered off and got herself turned around in the woods. Sister Agnes up at the old convent organised a search party. All Wellholme was out looking for her for a day and a night. Didn’t find nothing, but that’s the way of things. World’s a dangerous place, you know? Best to stay indoors. Just glad we didn't lose anyone else.”
The kettle gave a sudden shriek as it boiled, and he walked back to the kitchen to make the tea, leaving the merchant with the group.
“Well.” He said, at last, “I think that priest was getting his head in a spin over nothing. The boy is running late. This should all have been ready to go three days back. But I can’t fault him too much. Sounds like there’s been some excitement and he’s kept my mill running anyway. That’s the important thing.”
Which, to him, it was. Children went missing, villages spawned rumours, it was what it was. If he had his flour, that was all that Mr. Finch really cared about.
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Jarovbees
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Post by Jarovbees on Jun 18, 2019 16:14:30 GMT
"Children missing, people acting odd and that's the important thing? Really?"
Warden's solid red eyes narrowed, her own priorities far different. She had agreed to come for the coin, sure, but troubling news provoking that response irked her to no end and she couldn't keep quiet about it. Pragmatic it may be, but it also sounded rather cold-hearted to her own ears. People were more important than things, including a business. Always. Her voice sharpened, though she didn't raise it. "Did you not notice how the villagers were as we entered? This place has had it rough, any way you measure it, and it's not getting better. Even if all you care about is your damned business, at this rate can you really be sure you'll get your flour next time?"
She stepped away, not caring about the tea anymore and prepared to look around on her own, if need be. Her gut told her that something was wrong, and it she hadn't had a reason to second-guess it so far. The others could have their tea, and perhaps if she walked off her temper, she would have something to report.
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Post by moralhazard on Jun 18, 2019 18:35:58 GMT
“Very sad,” Miri agreed with Stanton. “At least no one else went missing.” Not quite what the priest had said, she agreed; it sounded like he might not have been a terribly reliable witness. Perhaps he was just anxious, out of sorts that whatever religion he was peddling didn’t take. Absently, Miri slid one thumb beneath the wrist of her studded armor, brushing it over the tattoo on the inside of her wrist.
Miri turned to Finch, opening her mouth to say – something. Agreement, probably, something casual maybe about how it was best they head out, not get delayed, etc.
Warden, apparently, disagreed, the tiefling hot with anger before stepping away, as if planning to leave.
Miri shifted against her sack of flour, thinking. “You know,” she offered, “it isn’t such a bad idea for Warden and me to go check things out,” Miri grinned at Finch. “If there is some truth to that priest’s words, it’s good business to know about it, and of course I’m sure you’d be glad to know the town is doing well, otherwise. Warden and I’ll go around, make sure there really is nothing going on.” And that might keep Warden from either insulting their host anymore – or getting into some tiefling-related trouble. Miri doubted the village was terribly keen to have someone with horns wandering around alone, especially if there had been some trouble.
Miri turned to the two others who’d come to this miserable little town with them. “Crucible, Echo,” she grinned at each in turn, “why don’t you stay here, and help Stanton out? That way we can do both at once. With a little luck, we’ll even be ready on schedule,” Miri hopped off the sack, crossing to Warden before anyone could refuse or either Crucible or Echo could suggest that she, Miri, stay and do physical labor with her hands. The promise of tea wasn’t anywhere near enough to get her to stay, not with that risk looming large; perhaps if it had been whiskey. “We’ll be back soon!” she called, following the tiefling out of the hut.
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Post by 3personal5me on Jun 18, 2019 20:31:28 GMT
Crucible grimaced when he heard how long the girl had been missing. If she was lost, she was likely dead. Unfortunately, that was one of the better scenarios. He straightened up a little when he heard himself be volunteered for work. He certainly wasn't above physical labor. His feline friend, however, seemed to be a more delicate person; not that there was anything wrong with it. She would, however, be useful while searching a forest...
He winked at Echo and turned to address their hosts. "I don't think this kitten would be much help. Let her run along with the rest, and in exchange, you get the full warforged worker experience. I'm strong, I'm tough, I don't eat, and I barely sleep. I'll even defend the building from intruders, should it be necessary".
A big metal priest wouldn't be much help tracking someone in the forest anyways.
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on Jun 19, 2019 19:51:38 GMT
Echo’s forced grin faded, and her tail drooped. They were…were…totally ignoring her! Like, rude? Even worse than that – there was no sign that any of them were ready to leave just yet. Echo rubbed her shoulder, turned away from Crucible and the rest of them, and then went back to nudging at sacks of grain with her foot. She sighed.
Cat Lord, this still sucked.
All of it! Ears perked, she was at least paying a bit more attention to the conversation now, though. And, what she heard? Was kind of upsetting, actually! Stone Town was explaining something about a girl that had been missing for a while (which, uh, unfortunately sounded a lot like little Elora), the village search that had come after, and the nothing that had followed it all. Right! Echo huffed, though her fur bristled and she twitched, nearly outright jumped, as the kettle began to shriek behind her. Ugh! She hated this place. Sooooo much. Sighing again, the treasure hunter then smoothed her fur down with a few hard and absentminded pulls and pats. But, like, it figures. Why would anyone really, truly go after one little kid?
First Elora, now this? It was always just the same dumb excuses, huh?
And Warden, like…seemed to agree. Echo peeked back across her shoulder, ears swiveling, as the tiefling’s voice reached her. Not a happy voice, either! Echo watched as her companion stormed out, winning a little bit of a grin from the tabaxi. Ha! At least one of them cared. Well, two of them, she supposed. What came next, though, Echo…almost missed! Almost. Eyes widening, ears and tail going limp, and mouth flying open, Echo twisted herself around and took a couple quick steps toward Warden and Miri. One outstretched hand reached for them.
“No!”
They were gone. Cat Lord, no! No! No! No! No! Nooooo! Why her? Why did she have to stay? Not only was she, uh, not strong, like…at all, but this place? It sucked! It sucked so hard! And what if…what if…oh, Cat Lord, no. No! Echo loosened her scarf, her breath picking up. What if helping Stone Town meant…going outside? To help? By the river? The big, dark, deep, fast flowing, wet, horrible, awful, wet, dark, horrible-
Echo opened her mouth again, as much ready to scream at Miri and Warden as she was to just…scream, when she caught Crucible’s wink. She paused…and he offered to do it instead. All of it. All of it! Mouth still open, Echo’s eyes flicked between Crucible, Stone Town and their employer, the open door, and then back to Crucible. She blinked.
“You…sure, big guy?”
Another blink. Then, a wide, toothy grin spreading across her face, the treasure hunter slapped the warforged on the back, gave Stone Town and Mr. Finch a little mock salute, and then sprinted to the door. "You sure"? Who cared! She was free! Diving through, Echo paused just long enough at the threshold to call back.
“I owe you! Thanks! Okay! Later! Bye!”
Then…she was off! As fast as as her legs could run away from that awful, dang place. After Miri and Warden, too, if Echo could find them.
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Post by Kai Wren on Jun 19, 2019 21:38:00 GMT
(Okay, we'll segue to focus on Warden, Miri and Echo for the moment - Warden, as you are taking the lead on this, tell me where in the village or beyond you are aiming to go and I'll give you more description)
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Jarovbees
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Post by Jarovbees on Jun 19, 2019 22:42:37 GMT
Stepping outside the Waterwheel, Warden took a deep breath and felt her mood lift slightly. It wasn't that she couldn't deal with people when need be, but she didn't have much patience for it when there were alternatives to getting information. Besides, it seemed as though they had learned all they could within. It was time for some actual investigation.
Glancing over to Miri, she nodded in silent thanks for the company. Given the chilly welcome from the locals, it probably wasn't smart to rush off alone as a tiefling...though she would have done it anyway. Before she could say anything, quick footsteps caused her to turn and she raised her eyebrows as Echo caught up to them. "Three of us, then? That works for me."
She gestured to the decrepit shack on the same side of the river. "It doesn't look as though it's been lived-in for a while, but it might have something. I'm also interested in the smithy up ahead, that path was overgrown so it must be abandoned, too. I know someone's going to mention the tavern, but we might as well see what's on this side of the river first." And with that, she approached the shack, listening for any sign that it was not as empty as she had initially thought.
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