Second Darkness Postgame: Session 121

[15:38] <Kjell> *****Second Darkness*****
[15:38] <Kjell> ~~~Postgame~~~
[15:41] <Kjell> -Session 121-
[15:42] <Kjell> Kjell and Kahree have everything they need for their upcoming venture ready to go. They have a ship to transport them, workers hired to help found their settlement, resources and finances to do it with, and the possibility of allies once the founding is complete. All that remains is laying the foundation, and freeing their future populace.
[15:45] <Kjell> Later that evening, after dinnertime, there comes a knock at the doors of the Gold Goblin. Katarina and Daroskt were providing a meal for their guests while they finalized their plans for departure the next day.
[15:46] <Kjell> Samaritha looks to the door, "I thought you closed up."
[15:48] <Kjell> Daroskt nods, "We did. Just a moment." He stands up and heads over to the door, opening it a smidgeon to seen who was there. It was Lavender Lil, with a small sachel slung to one side. "Are Kjell and Kahree here?" She asks.
[15:48] <Kjell> Daroskt calls to Kahree and Kjell, "Were either of you expecting a tiefling?"
[15:49] <Kjell> Lil frowns a bit; "My name is Lil."
[15:49] * Kahree nods, looking over to the door. "Yeah, she might be joining us."
[15:50] <Kjell> Daroskt nods and opens the door the rest of the way, "My apologies miss Lil. I am Daroskt. Katarina and I own and operate this establishment."
[15:51] <Kjell> Lil nods, "Thanks." She makes her way up to the counter and waves to Kjell and Kahree, seating herself. "So I heard this show's getting on the road pretty soon. Good thing I travel light."
[15:53] * Kjell nods to Lil, "Glad you could join us." He glances at Kahree, not sure how much she wanted the tiefling to be privy to.
[15:54] * Kahree nods. "Well... before that, we should tell you the whole truth of what we're doing." Kahree shakes her head and frowns. "We're fine with just giving you a ride if you're not interested, but my friend I mentioned earlier is a slave. If it weren't for him, I'd be one too. So we're busting him out, then going to help save others... then we're going to set up a settlement on the fringe of Qadira."
[15:56] <Kjell> Lil blinks, "Huh. Well, not to sound completely crass, but I frankly just got out of a situation of limited freedom. Not really sure I want to risk getting tangled up in something that might cost me it again."
[15:59] * Kahree sighs and nods. "Right... your choice, just wanted you to know what our plan is."
[16:00] <Kjell> Lil nods, "Not to sound completely unsympathetic, but even if you do succeed, then what? Slaves don't exactly have much to their names to help build a settlement with. Or were you planning on footing that bill?"
[16:03] * Kahree nods. "We are... and we have a magical item which will do most of the construction, if not all."
[16:06] <Kjell> Lil nods, "Huh. That's kinda neat actually. Still, I make my living as a freelance Quickwife. Or, I did before I was cooped up. Unless you think your liberees will be interested in my services, or you want to offer me another job, I don't really think I'll be sticking around. I'll still pay for the ride though, if you need me to."
[16:09] * Kahree shakes her head. "It's fine. We don't need payment." She looks to Kjell. "Think we might need her for a job?"
[16:10] * Kjell considers that, "Frankly, I'm not sure. Whatever skills she might have beyond... being a quickwife, really comes down to what we end up needing. At the moment though, I can't think of anything."
[16:12] <Kjell> Lil shrugs, "That's life ain't it? Still, I appreciate the free trip. If you do find yourself in need of my services, I'm sure you can find a way to get in touch."
[16:13] <Kjell> Samaritha speaks up at that, "What about me? I know I said I would help you plan, but Lil raises a good point. Is there anything I might be able to do for the sake of the settlement?"
[16:15] * Kjell nods, "Actually, I can think of one thing right off the bad." He looks to Kahree, "I would assume the slaves we intend to free would be lacking in education? Samaritha is a wizard of higher learning, and a Cyphermage as well."
[16:15] * Kahree smiles and nods. "I'm sure a lot of them'd be eager to learn."
[16:15] <Kjell> Samaritha smiles, "I'm a fairly talented linguist as well, if they need help with literacy. I like the sound of that actually."
[16:17] <Kjell> Daroskt smiles at them; "You're a remarkable group of people." He slides a sachel of coins across the table to Kahree, "Our contibution to your efforts. Since you have other debtors, you can consider it to be without a fixed repayment term." The sachel contains 20,000 gold pieces (5 Build Points Worth)
[16:18] * Kahree smiles and gives Daroskt a nod. "Thank you."
[16:18] <Kjell> Katarina smiles, "Our prayers will go with you as well. Hopefully Desna will allow the ones you liberate a safe journey to their freedom."
[16:19] * Kjell chuckles, "I'm certain my namesake will be looking out for us as well."
[16:21] <Kjell> Lil shrugs, "Calistria might not be; she knows that life can be cruel sometimes, but maybe luck will be on your side.'
[16:21] <Kjell> "
[16:23] * Kjell nods, "If we're all decided then, we should get to bed. I want to get up early so I can procure a few things before we depart.
[16:24] * Kahree nods. "Sounds good to me."
[16:25] <Kjell> Katarina and Daroskt head up to bed.
[16:25] * Kjell goes to his room with Samaritha
[16:26] <Kjell> Lil takes an unoccupied room, figuring she should keep her hands to herself since she was getting a free trip already.
[16:26] * Kahree heads to her room.
[16:27] <Kjell> The following morning goes fairly smoothly. Samaritha and Kjell are about to prepare their spells while Lil and Kahree get an hour to sleep in, before the rest are roused for breakfast by Katarina and Daroskt. After that, Samaritha accompanies Kjell for a bit of shopping, leaving Kahree and Lil to head down to the docs together.
[16:28] * Kahree stretches, about ready to head out. She nods to Lil. "Ready to go?"
[16:29] <Kjell> Lil nods as she finishes tying on her scarf. "Yes."
[16:30] * Kahree nods, opening the door of the Goblin and heading for the docs! Kahree maintains a brisk pace, eager to go.
[16:30] <Kjell> Lil keeps pace with her, not minding the stroll. Sea air was always pleasant
[16:31] <Kjell> As Kahree and Lil reach the docs, they can see a fairly substantial amount of supplies being loaded onto the Flying Cloud by dock hands. Josper Creesy is overseeing them, occasionally barking orders for something to be repositioned or left back.
[16:32] * Kahree smiles as she approaches, looking over the loading. "Need any help?" she asks the barking man, presumably the captain.
[16:33] <Kjell> Creesy looks to Lil and Kahree, "Are you with Samaritha and Kjell then?"
[16:34] * Kahree smirks and nods. "Yeah. Nice to meet you, Captain Josper...?" She introduces herself, "Kahree."
[16:38] <Kjell> Creesy nods, "Josper Creesy. And this is the Flying CLoud," he gestures to his ship, "Although I'm not certain how well she'll fly with all these supplies. Not usually how I sail her."
[16:40] <Kjell> Lil shrugs, "Does it really matter, so long as you're getting paid well for it?"
[16:40] <Kjell> Creesy chuckles, "Maybe, although I don't think I'll be setting a record on the way there across the inner sea. Maybe on the way back once I've dropped you all off though."
[16:42] * Kahree smirks. "Well, good luck. How long 'til we leave?"
[16:42] <Kjell> Creesy nods, "Just getting the last of it on board. We'll probably be good to go as soon as your friends show up."
[16:43] <Kjell> As if on cue, Samaritha and Kjell come up the doc. "Good to see you again Captain," Kjell says, addressing Josper.
[16:43] <Kjell> Samaritha gives him a polite greeting, then moves to make sure everything was accounted for.
[16:44] * Kjell looks to Kahree, "I managed to get five scrolls of sending for when we need to contact our friends.'
[16:44] <Kjell> "
[16:45] * Kahree nods. "Good. Be nice to remain in contact."
[16:47] <Kjell> Samaritha returns ten minutes later to confirm that everyone and everything was on board as needed.
[16:48] * Kahree is certainly on board, ready and waiting!
[16:49] * Kjell is good to go!
[16:51] <Kjell> And go they do. The flying cloud is weighed down a little by the heavier presence of supplies, and is not quite as fast as its top speed, but is still one of the fastest ships out there. It takes about two weeks for them to reach the southern tip of the Qadiran penninsula. The Flying Cloud is fairly shallow in the hull, and able to pull right up onto the soft, wet sand where the ocean meets the desert on the eastern side.
[16:54] <Kjell> The crew begin unloading supplies as soon as the Cloud is moored, starting with the heavier stuff before moving on to the lighter supplies. Included are a couple of small boats for fishing, in case there was a need to bolster the food already brought and stored.
[16:57] <Kjell> Samaritha addresses Kjell and Kahree as the Cloud is unloaded. "Now, we found a safe landing shallow, but that's no guarantee the rest of the area will be safe. At the very least, we should make sure there are no threats within the immediate area."
[16:58] <Kahree> Kahree nods. "Fair enough." She smiles. "Shall we?"
[16:59] <Kjell> Samaritha notes, "This island, by my records, hasn't been home to any significant civiliaztion in a long time, but there might be monsters or ruins or briggands hiding out. I recommend a perimeter of at least twelve miles."
[16:59] <Kjell> Kjell nods, looking out over the desert before them. "That would take a couple days at least. Do you want to stay and oversee the preparations here, or come with us?"
[17:02] <Kjell> Samaritha considers that. "Well... Admittedly I don't have a lot of experience in a fight. At least not since Devil's Elbow, and we know how poorly that went." She looks to Kjell, "Well, you do. I think I would be better off supervising things here."
[17:03] <Kjell> Samaritha fishes out a map of the region and a sextant, offering them to Kjell. "Just so you don't get lost."
[17:04] * Kjell nods, then looks to Kahree, "Well then, I guess it's back to a bit of the old standard, huh?" He chuckles.
[17:04] * Kahree smirks. "Not that I mind." She takes out her dual maces. "Shall we?"
[17:05] <Kjell> Kjell nods, bringing out the orb of Storms. "This should keep me covered against the heat. Will you be alright?"
[17:08] * Kahree nods. "Yeah. Being an ifrit does have its advantages."
[17:09] <Kjell> Samaritha moves back to help some workers set up a central organization pavillion.
[17:09] * Kjell nods and tucks the map away, leading Kahree into the desert. Qadira way have been her homeland, but he figured this place wouldn't be familiar to her.
[17:14] <Kjell> On their first day trudging through the desert sands, Kjell and Kahree come accross what looks to be an abandoned temple. Although badly eroded and half filled with sand, the holy symbol of Sarenrae can be seen, one of its wings missing, at the apex.
[17:15] * Kahree blinks and looks to Kjell. "Want to check it out?" She grins. "Could be treasure inside."
[17:15] <Kjell> Kjell looks to the temple, then back to Kahree, "Samaritha would probably be amused at how right she was. Yes, we should. Such places might also be home to uninvited ruffians seeking refuge, or the like." He takes a moment to put up his shield spell before pushing the door open.
[17:17] <Kjell> The interior of the temple fared little better than the exterior, with no wooden structures or glass to be seen, with only a few stone fixtures still standing. The temple seems to be tilted slightly from shifting sands, and to the northeast corner, what might once have been a branch room looks to be completely buried.
[17:18] <Kjell> At the far end of the main hall, in front of an altar, lies the sleeping form of a dragon. Basking in the sunlight through a glassless window, and half buried in warm sand itself, what is exposed of the Dragon's scales shimmer like polished brass.
[17:19] * Kjell blinks in surprise. That was a sight and a half
[17:21] * Kahree frowns, moving into the shadows. She whispers to Kjell, "Think my typical method of combat will hurt him?"
[17:21] <Kahree> "Or," she asks, "is he a threat?"
[17:22] * Kjell holds up a hand, "Wait. That's a brass dragon. We probably don't need to fight it at all."
[17:22] * Kjell smiles, "Actually, this might be fortuitous. Brass dragons are known to be very sympathetic, although sometimes whimsical. If we can make friends with it... well, at the very least it won't need to be feared as a threat."
[17:24] * Kahree raises an eyebrow. "So, we should just tell him the truth?"
[17:24] * Kjell dismisses his shield and nods, "Yes. I'm not really fond of the idea of lying to a dragon for a number of reasons. Do you wish to speak with... him, or shall I?"
[17:26] <Kahree> "Uh," Kahree frowns. "I'm not exactly sure what to say to a... dragon. Didn't think they did anything but burn shit and sleep."
[17:28] * Kjell shakes his head, "Chromatic dragons yes, but Metallic Dragons are, as I'm sure Aluthyra would be quick to remind us, are the progeny of Apsu, and only very rarely share the maliciousness of the chromatics."
[17:28] * Kjell sheathes his sword and dusts himself off a bit to look presentable. He begins walking up the middle of the temple towards the dragon.
[17:30] <Kjell> The dragon, quite obviously fairly young, is barely taller than the average humanoid, and at most 10ft from head to tail.
[17:31] <Kjell> The dragon gives a yawn and stirs as Kahree and Kjell approach. "I smell someone... two someones." The dragon's head rises from the sand and looks to the two approaching humanoids. He looks a touch defensive, but does not do anything aggressive.
[17:32] * Kjell attempts first, "Greetings sir. My name is Kjell, and this is Kahree, my companion. We were exploring this area, and decided to investigate this old temple."
[17:33] <Kjell> The dragon nods, "Are you friend or foe?"
[17:33] * Kjell smiles, "We might be friends if you are so gracious to consider us as such, but foes we are certainly not."
[17:34] <Kjell> The dragon nods, "Alright then. You may call me Gunthirax. Lovely weather today, isn't it? So nice and warm."
[17:36] * Kahree raises an eyebrow. "I guess. So..." She shrugs. "Just a heads up, we're going to be building a settlement nearby... and we're hoping this won't be an issue for you?"
[17:39] <Kjell> Gunthirax tilts his head, "A settlement you say? I must admit, since I struck out on my own, I've been a bit lonely. Mother wished for me to gain some independance, but I do miss having someone to talk to. When I first found this temple, I thought maybe I might find some pilgrims or the like. Unfotunately, it seems to be long abandoned."
[17:40] <Kjell> Gunthirax looks to the two of them, "Is your settlement going to be close by?"
[17:40] * Kahree shrugs. "If this place is safe, then probably."
[17:41] * Kjell checks the map. "It's about Five miles southeast of here, near the ocean. A paltry distance to one who can fly I'm sure."
[17:42] <Kjell> Gunthirax nods, "Yeah, that's pretty close. Why here though? Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but you humans aren't typically suited to surviving in the desert."
[17:43] <Kahree> "Because we have something to take care of in Qadira, and this is far enough that we won't get in as much conflict with the Qadirans, and close enough to do what we came here to do."
[17:44] <Kjell> Gunthirax looks at the two of them a bit skeptically, "What sort of things will you be getting up to that would cause conflict?"
[17:45] * Kahree frowns. She doesn't want this to drag out long, or cause any misunderstandings. "Freeing slaves."
[17:48] <Kjell> Gunthirax looks at Kahree appraisingly. "Rather noble of you to put yourself at risk for the liberty of strangers."
[17:49] * Kahree shrugs. "Used to be one of them... so not quite strangers."
[17:50] <Kjell> Gunthirax's eyes widen a bit, "So you were once a slave, and put your own liberty at risk to share it with others whose pain you understand. Forgive my skepticism, that is indeed quite a noble pursuit."
[17:51] * Kahree frowns and shrugs once again, not really aiming for the compliments. "Well... thanks. I guess you're welcome to come visit whenever you want-- when the settlement is built."
[17:53] <Kjell> Gunthirax nods, "I might just do that." He chuckles, "It seems my mother's desire for independance for me has put me in a position to meet others gaining theirs. Rather amusing."
[17:56] * Kjell smiles an nods, "You will be most welcome as a guest in our settlement."
[17:57] <Kjell> Gunthirax smiles, "I'd like that. When you finish with your liberation, come and pay me a visit." He stretches out, yawning.
[17:59] * Kahree snickers and nods. "Sure." She looks to Kjell. "Shall we continue to look around then?"
[17:59] * Kjell shakes his head, "We wouldn't want to intrude, and there's plenty more desert we need to make sure is safe before we're ready to start."
[18:00] <Kahree> "I meant search around the desert." Kahree rolls her eyes.
[18:00] * Kjell chuckles, "Ah. Then yes." He gives Gunthirax a bow before departing
[18:00] <Kjell> Gunthirax bows his head in return, then magically shifts the warm sands to bury himself again.
[18:05] <Kjell> The rest of the day passes without incedent, but the farther Kjell and Kahree get out, the more desolate things seem.
[18:07] <Kjell> As they reach the limits of Samaritha's suggested patrol range towards the evening of their second day out, Kahree sees an unnatural break in the rise and fall of the sand dunes. Something was inexpertly concealing itself, waiting for prey. In spite of the poor hiding however, the mound is huge.
[18:09] * Kahree frowns and points towards the moving dune. "Kjell, company."
[18:09] * Kjell turns his attention to the mound of sand. "That's big company. Think it's noticed us yet?"
[18:10] <Kjell> Prey noticed, but not drawing close enough to snatch, the mound shifts as sand rolls off the coal-black carapace of the gigantic scorpion, each claw as long as a man's body, and a deadly looking stinger curling up over its back.
[18:11] <Kjell> -End Session-
[18:11] <Kjell> Rewards: 1 EL 7; 800 Experience Each