[IC] Dolmenwood

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Krup smiles kindly at Brielle as he catches her surveying the forks, "Don't worry lass, no one here cares which fork you use." As if to prove a point he stirs his tea with what is obviously a cheese fork (for which there is no currently no cheese).

Krup nibbles on a hank of bread smothered in butter and honey and sips his tea. "Eat your fill and relax, all of you. We can speak of our mutual business after a restorative lunch and nice cup of tea." Krup pauses for another sip of his tea and then continues, "Try the kedgeree by the way," he gestures with his hank of bread at a dish full of very yellow rice and what looks like fish and boiled eggs , "it took me years, but I finally taught Mugwort how to make it properly."
 
Wil smiles at Gren and Brielle, and pours them cups of tea. "Pleased to meet both of you," he adds, before sitting down himself, and having a taste of most everything on the table. Its been a long while since he's had a spread of food this good...since the Feast of St Waylaine, almost a year ago, he thinks to himself...
 
Krup finished us a last pastry and a fourth cup of tea and puts his plate on the table with a satisfied sigh. "Well," he says "to business then." He fusses pulling his chair closer to the table and polishing his glasses before he continues.

"I am something of an antiquarian, as you may know. I have a veritable passion for history and legends. I have pursued this passion of mine across leagues and continents. However, I am also old and I have found the rigors of the travelling life have weighed increasingly heavy on me in recent years. I am originally from this part of the world, although it has been many, many years since I dwelt here, and I thought this seemed a likely place to settle down into some sort of retirement. Semi-retirement? Let's not quibble. Retired I might be, but my passion for history remains undimmed and I have found more local outlets for my interests. I have a keen interest in the history of House Brakenwold and I would like you to find a song for me."

Several moments pass, and then Krup continues. "Of course that needs some explanation, doesn't it? Several hundred years ago a great battle was fought in the hills north of Dolmenwood, mmm, several hundred years ago. The forces of house Brakenwold were victorious but it was close run thing. The battered but victorious forces marched back through the wood and then something happened. The army was attacked, ambushed perhaps, no one knows, but in the fray a great treasure was lost and the Duke of Brackenwold slain. The treasure was the Oriflamme of Brackenwold, a cloth of gold standard said to have great power against the forces of undeath. I don't expect you to find the standard itself, that would be an accomplishment. No, I just want another chapter of the story. It is said in this part of the world that the ghosts of the slain army appear once every 77 years along the route they took home. This ghostly army is said to sing a song of victory that would be of great interest me."

Here Krup pauses to pour himself another cup of tea. "I would like to pay you handsomely to take a scholar of my acquaintance into the wood three days from now, which is the 77th year since the last sighting, and guard him while he records as much of the song as he can glean. It's in old High Liturgic, so you wouldn't likely understand a word yourselves, or at least not enough to record the whole thing in the moment. What do you say?"

He smiles brightly and waits for your reply.
 
Ig strains to remain silent for a moment. Excitement is welling up within him at the sound of such a quest, but he wants to maintain proper decorum. Though he might be but a squire, Sir Donovan had always advised to comport himself to the position he wanted rather than the position he held.

“The recovery of such a song would indeed seem to be a noble cause,” he says. “I will gladly help escort your acquaintance into the wood, and keep him safe while he records the song.”

A proper quest! His enthusiasm is hard to contain.
 
Wil looks to Ig, then nods as well. "I too will accompany Ignatius and your scholar on this quest."

Thinking to himself, he smiles...a chance to see real history, not just dusty books! And perhaps I can help this ghostly army find their peace with God?
 
"I would be delighted to travel and investigate things. I am quite curious as to if such a fabled treasure still exists, do we know if the area is haunted or guarded by anything? Forwarned after all is Forearmed." Silver and Quicksilver is tossing the needle he used earlier up and down in the palm of his and, fidgeting because of his desire to be going already.
 
Gren helps himself to the feast revealing his sadly lacking manners. "Guarding the fellow seems like a right nice task. Who wouldn't love a stroll in the woods!" chomping down on a sausage before it dawns on him. "Say why does the fellow need guarding? What exactly is out there in the woods?"
 
Krup chuckles. "Danger? Of course there will be danger, you will be out in the Dolmenwood at night." He chuckles again and begins loading his pipe. "As to specific dangers, I know of none related to the ghostly march of the army. There are no reports of the ghosts attacking or even interacting with witnesses. The route they take goes past a lake to the east of here and that lake has a somewhat evil reputation but the two aren't connected as far as I know. The fellow you will be guarding, Ferny Thigwhistle, may know more. Unlike me his specialty is local lore. You'll be meeting him tomorrow by the way, he's travelling from the Castle today. He's a somewhat, mmm, excitable fellow you'll find. Prone to starts and fancies somewhat, which is why he needs solid folk with him in the woods. He's deeply read in the lore of Dolmenwood though, and speaks excellent old High Liturgic, as well as several other languages, so he'll perform his part admirably, I'm sure."

Krup draws deeply on his pipe and blows several perfect smoke rings toward the ceiling. "You should draw up a list of supplies you think you might need for a trip into the woods of between 4 and 7 days. If you would agree to return here tomorrow you may give the list to me and I will have my servants acquire the necessities. With Ferny here we can make more specific plans as he know all the details of the ghost march. We can also discuss the matter of remuneration, which I'm surprised wasn't your first question, although that it wasn't speaks well of you."

"I have one other small task for you." Krup says. "There was supposed to be one more of you ere today, a plucky Woodgrue who has decided, I think, to sleep in and ignore my invitation. He needs to accompany you, so if you could perhaps go by his attic nest and convince to come tomorrow I would appreciate it." Krup puts a scrap of parchment on the table. "Directions to his house are here on this parchment."

What do you do?
 
Brielle had simply nodded in agreement in regards to accepting Krup's offer, still enjoying the repast they had eaten. Knowing that she might never again enjoy such fare, at least prepared in such a manner, she had sampled a little bit of everything... and perhaps had eaten a bit too much as a result. She was grateful for the tea and milk, and that there had not been the expectation of drinking beer or other spirits.

She had meant to bring up the question of payment if no one else did, but was distracted by Gren's question, raising an eyebrow at his seeming innocence in regards to the dangers of the land. She made a mental note to herself to try to keep an eye on him, and hopefully to keep him from hurting himself or doing something foolish in their travels.

When the question of supplies comes up, she finally speaks. "Besides travel rations and water skins to last a week, I would suggest the small personal tents they sell in the market for my companions. Some cooking pots. Perhaps a lantern and some oil, just in case the weather makes starting a campfire problematic. Oh, and a pack animal or two to carry our supplies, if that is not out of the question."

Finally, in regards to the Woodgrue, she adds, "I believe I know the location of the one you speak. I can pass on the offer to join the expedition, and see if he is agreeable." She didn't necessarily expect the others to join her in doing so - and a large number of people approaching might scare the Woodgrue off, but she wouldn't say no if one or more of the others chose to accompany her.
 
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"Marvelous," says Krup. "I will see you all at lets say, mmmm" he consults a pocket watch "one bell after luncheon tomorrow? Please do bring a list of needed supplies with you. You can meet the inestimable Mr. Thigwhistle and we can sort out all the bothersome details about plans, payment, liabilities, and whatnot."

What do you do?
 
After saying goodbye to the others - and waiting just long enough to see if any of them would choose to accompany her - Brielle follows the directions given to see if she can find the wayward Woodgrue in question, and to ascertain if he would be choosing to join their expedition or not.



OOC: did Krup ever mention Jubber by name? Perhaps it was written on the parchment along with the directions?
 
Wil can't add anything to the list that Brielle gave to our esteemed host, so he says his goodbyes and leaves with the others.

Seeing Brielle heading off to try and find the last member of our group, he speeds up to catch her. "If you don't mind some company, I'll walk with you to find our missing companion." After a bit of walking, he asks her, "Have you ever been out in the part of Dolmenwood where we are headed?"
 
Gren sees the other two leave and rushes off to join them. "Lovely weather we're having! Have you all done this sort of work before?"
 
Wil turns at Gren's approach. "Not I," he answers with a chuckle. "But I've spent enough time in towers, and the Church elders have made me an itinerant cleric, and sent me on my way to do God's work."

A moment later, he adds, "This whole adventure sounds intriguing. A ghost army that appears every 77 years? The history books never mentioned anything like this..."
 
Excited, Ig leaves Krup’s manor to return to Sir Donovan. He sees the others gathering, presumably to seek out their erstwhile companion, but he decides to head home.

He’s hoping the old knight has some knowledge of this ghost army and lost song. Perhaps Sir Donovan can offer some significant but of lore, some clue, that may help the quest. At the very least, he can offer general guidance on how Ig should comport himself.

He nearly breaks into a run to get back home, but manages to maintain a measured stride.
 
[OOC] The group heading to Jubber's house can narrate their trip up to meeting him at which point he can chime in. I'll get back to Ig and Sir Donovan soon.
 
bleys21 said:
Seeing Brielle heading off to try and find the last member of our group, he speeds up to catch her. "If you don't mind some company, I'll walk with you to find our missing companion."
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"Of course," Brielle responds, not ungrateful for the company in the instance. Woodgrues could be an unpredictable lot, and some backup might prove useful in dealing with the errant individual in question.

bleys21 said:
After a bit of walking, he asks her, "Have you ever been out in the part of Dolmenwood where we are headed?"
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"No, nothing that far out, I'm afraid." Mainly her duties in the woods involved dealing with poachers who would hunt in the woods reserved for the nobility, and those who did attempt to do so usually didn't wander too far away from the town.

Bunch said:
Gren sees the other two leave and rushes off to join them. "Lovely weather we're having! Have you all done this sort of work before?"
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"Nothing like this. Occasionally acting as a guide, here and there... but nothing involving ghosts, and certainly not a ghost army." She tries to repress a shudder at the thought, doesn't succeed in doing so, and hopes that her two companions don't notice, or think to badly of her if they do.

bleys21 said:
A moment later, he adds, "This whole adventure sounds intriguing. A ghost army that appears every 77 years? The history books never mentioned anything like this..."
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After a moment's thought, she responds saying, "It does sound like the sort of thing one would have heard about, isn't it, if only in legend? Especially if it's something that has been happening for several centuries now."

After another pause, she adds, "Perhaps it's something that House Brackenwold doesn't like being talked about..."

OOC: Wil and Green can respond however they like, of course, but if they want to jump ahead to meeting Jubber in the interest of speeding things up, that's obviously okay as well.
 
hawkeyefan said:
Excited, Ig leaves Krup’s manor to return to Sir Donovan. He sees the others gathering, presumably to seek out their erstwhile companion, but he decides to head home.

He’s hoping the old knight has some knowledge of this ghost army and lost song. Perhaps Sir Donovan can offer some significant but of lore, some clue, that may help the quest. At the very least, he can offer general guidance on how Ig should comport himself.

He nearly breaks into a run to get back home, but manages to maintain a measured stride.
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Donvan has indeed heard of the ghost army...

"Oh aye lad, I've heard of the Duke Cedric's Ghost army. They had just won some great muckle of a fight on the north downs against, um, a dark queen? A queen of some sort. What was her name? Damn, it's gone. Anyhow, they has defeated this army of undeath but were badly mauled. On the march back to Castle Brackenwold the remainder of the army disappeared. Legend has it that they were run down by fell wights in the dark of the wood. The Dukes brother, Falgor searched the woods for years for any sign of his brother but found naught. He became Duke himself a few years later when the council declared Duke Cedric dead. Sure though the army, or a ghost of, roams the wood on a rare night. Could be every 77 years, I'm not sure. Few folks now remember or have seen it because the specters are only visible as they pass the wee lake off to the westward. That lake has an evil reputation and most sensible folk avoid it. I've never been there myself, but I heard from my uncle that folk have disappeared when near that lake over the years."
 
Silver and Quicksilver realize he is behind as the others depart, so he shakes loose the clinging vines of his mind and hurries to follow Brielle, "Sorry, I was slow to get going. Just give me a moment to catch up." He yells, down the road. He is of course concerned for anyone who didn't show and ponders what might have happened in his mind while he lets his feet and legs do their things.
 
Brielle takes her time navigating through the busy streets of the town during the afternoon, allowing the elf ample opportunity to catch up with the small group.

"Krup mentioned an attic," she says to her compatriots. "I suppose it's not impossible that this Woodgrue has made legitimate arrangements to be housed up in the rafters of the Medlar," her tone implying that she finds the idea, at best, somewhat unlikely.

"Woodgrues do so love their revelry," she adds as they get closer to the tavern. "He probably sleeps during the day, or at least the early part of it, so that he enjoy whatever bards and minstrels are trying to earn some coin that evening in what passes for a stage inside the Medlar.". And perhaps after the tavern has closed for the night, he makes his way out in the hours before dawn for other excursions, she thinks to herself.

Upon arriving outside the tavern, she turns to Wil and Gren and says, "If either of you fancy a beer after that meal we had, now might be a good time to go in and get one, on the off chance he is inside in the common room and not hidden away." She then turns to the elf. "If we do have to roust him out of the attic, he might react better to your presence."

She will then circle the building, until she can spot whatever hole or entrance in the upper part of the building would be large enough to allow a Woodgrue access in and out. Once she has done that, she will gather a few loose stones, and when no passerbys would see her do so, fling the stones up into hole to hopefully gain the attention of their target.
 
[Fenris makes appropriate stones hitting wooden clap board noises]
 
Wil nods, and replies, "Certainly. I'll go take a look inside..." He proceeds inside the tavern, thinking to himself that he's never actually seen a Woodgrue in person, only in books. Of course, the same could be said for elves until a little earlier today. Smiling to himself, he looks about the tavern, not really expecting to find their wayward companion. In the absence of Woodgrues in the tavern, he'll walk up to the barkeep, sit down, order a beer, and ask them, "I don't suppose you've seen a Woodgrue around here lately?" trying not to chuckle at the improbability of his question.
 
The barkeep grunts and waves a hand at the taproom, "do you see a Woodgrue? No. I think I'd know if we had one here." His eyes are bloodshot and you suspect he might be fighting off a mighty hangover. He pours you a beer and goes back to polishing glasses.
 
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Wil chuckles, then replies, "Cheers!" to the barkeep, and proceeds to drink his beer while listening for the faint sounds of stones hitting the side of the building.

He leaves some coins on the counter when finished, and heads back outside, hopeful that the Woodgrue has finally made an appearance...
 
[OOC]The alert that more posts had been made never came through--or got swamped by other alerts. Sorry![OOC]

The sound of clattering pebbles is enough to wake Jubber from his sleep. "Is that hail?"

He sticks his head out of the hole in the eaves and looks around.

"No, no hail ... OUCH ... why is human woman throwing rocks at Jubber? Why?" he squeaks.
 
"Oh, I'm sorry," Brielle says in mock-politeness, a thin smile on her lips as she speaks upward to the Woodgrue. "I suppose it would have been better to ask the owners of this establishment, who you've obviously made arrangements with and payment towards in regards to the use of their rafters as a living space, to go up into their attic to get your attention..."
 
"Perfectly good attic full of rats and mice going to waste without Jubber! Owners should thank Jubber! What do you want from Jubber?"
 
"You recently received a missive from one Mssr. Krup inviting you to a luncheon to discuss the possibility of employment, did you not?" Brielle responds. "A shame that you chose not to attend, as the meal was quite wonderful - perhaps the best I've ever had," she adds, quite honestly.

"In any instance," she continues, "Krup wished for you to be contacted so that you may join the rest of us tomorrow afternoon, during the first bell after lunchtime, to further hammer down the details of this particular patronage that he has offered us... which shows the promise of being quite lucrative."

After a pause, giving a chance for her words to sink in, she adds, "Of course, perhaps Krup has misjudged in this particular instance, and you are not in need of the sort of payout that is being offered here. Or just maybe... given that there is maybe some danger involved in our task, perhaps you do not possess the skills needed to aid us in performing this task that we have in front of us. In which case I'm certain you can find safer employment elsewhere here in this area."
 
At the mention of "lucrative" and "payout" Jubber clambers out of the hole and down the wall. "Jubber wishes to know more about this deal!"
 
"Ah! Nicely done," Wil says to Brielle. "You've found our Woodgrue."

Looking to Jubber, he says, "Quite an adventure to be had, methinks. Dark forests, singing ghost armies, ancient legends. Sounds good, yes?"

"Shall we come by and find you tomorrow at the appointed time?"
 
"We should probably not speak too openly of this endeavor, where other ears might overhear," Brielle says, grateful that the Woodgrue was now more agreeable. "Suffice to say that it will involve a trip into the woods outside of Prigwort, for perhaps a week."

"If you still have the letter that was given to you, it has directions to where we will be meeting tomorrow. Once we are outside the town walls we can speak more freely."
 
[OOC] In the interests of not getting bogged down in minutiae for the meeting on the morrow, could people post some questions they might have for Krup and some equipment they may want to acquire? There will still be an opportunity to ask questions in real time and whatnot, but hopefully this will keep things trucking and then we can make with the Dolmenwooding. I'll work the posted questions and answers into my framing post [OOC]
 
Fenris-77 said:
[OOC] In the interests of not getting bogged down in minutiae for the meeting on the morrow, could people post some questions they might have for Krup and some equipment they may want to acquire? There will still be an opportunity to ask questions in real time and whatnot, but hopefully this will keep things trucking and then we can make with the Dolmenwooding. I'll work the posted questions and answers into my framing post [OOC]
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[OOC] Ig would just have questions about the scholar. Name, general details, qualifications and/or special skills. Just to have a sense of how helpless they may be if things go poorly. Other than that, I think he’s just psyched to go on a quest, and isn’t thinking to ask anything else.[OOC]
 
[OOC] Gren mostly wants to make sure there is food, shelter, torches and would push for a bow and arrows. Not knowing what hurts a ghost army he'd probably ask is there anything thats supposed to ward off, protect against or hurt a ghost and try to get some of that[OOC]
 
The day dawns sunny and warmish, with a gentle breeze blowing from the north. When you return to the manor at the appointed time the front yard is a welter of activity. Workmen still crisscross the grounds on various crafty errands and the overseer still seems to be shouting at everyone and no one. In the center of the yard you see Alabaster Krup seated on a wrapped bundle of supplies, sipping tea and deep in conversation with a thin, older man dressed in what looks like a mockery of serious travel dress, as if he's fallen into a vat of pouches whilst covered in glue. Even his broad, floppy hat seems to have a small pouch or two attached to it. You can only assume that this is Ferny Thigwhistle.

Standing placidly next to Krup and Thigwhistle is a grey pony, unladen but surrounded by saddlepacks and bundles of various sizes. You see the headily tall form of Mugwort appear from the Manor's front door, carrying another pair of packs, and head toward the pony.

Krup sees you all emerge from the trees and gives you a cheery wave.

What do you do?
 
Uncertainty and nervousness the night before had led to Thea not getting the best night of sleep, but anticipation of what might be lent some spring to her step despite that.

She was grateful that the recent weather had been mild and favorable - Orin, herself, and the other gamekeepers had gotten an early jump on their Spring duties, enough so that they were actually a bit ahead of schedule as a result. They would be fine without her for a week or so.

"Good day, Mssr. Krup. I hope I'm not too early." She waits for Krup to introduce the other man present before continuing. "We were able to contact the woodgrue Jubber, as you requested. We did not speak fully of the task at hand, but of the basics he did seem rather interested in joining this endeavor. He may have questions, of course." A slight pause, before she continues. "That is, if he can bring himself to be up and about at this... early hour," she adds with a thin smile.
 
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