OD&D in-character thread

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"I say we take it straight to these thugs," says Aldon. "We'll set this right for you good people, I swear!" Aside to his companions, he whispers "and if we collect the thugs' gold in the process, I can't see the harm ... "
 
Ray smiles and takes another sip of cider.

"Sink Hollow, eh? Don't worry, we'll take care of her. Demons or not, I'm not afraid of some old hag and her fancy magic tricks! Never underestimate what a sword can do."
 
Balin nods and mutters quietly ''we're all gonna die."
 
'You think you could tell us a little about these emissaries? How many come to collect? What weapons and armor are they wearing? Did anyone see any of them come put a hex on the place or walk through it?' Balin asks. 'The more we know the more likely we are to quickly solve your problems.'
 
"Aye, there be at least ten or a dozen o' the blackguards," Hamish angrily answers, "an' they wear chain, like as not. They look like wild an' woolly mountain men with big black beards hiding their faces. They have swords an' axes to match your'n, an' they be not afeared to use 'em!"

Applewasher begins to explain, "His cousin tried to reason with them--"

"An' paid with his life, damn those brigands!" Hamish slams his fist on the table, nearly upsetting even the heavy earthenware steins. "It's a blessing I'm here to console his widow, it is!"

"As for hexes," Applewasher says, "no one has actually seen them do anything to the fields. We assume she does her witchcraft from afar as punishment. The men come to demand their ransom, and if we're short even one measly crown they beat one of us to a pulp and simply say we'll pay in crops what we don't pay in gold. Then, within hours, a field is blighted. It's possible they do something when we aren't watching. We can't keep an eye on every field all day and all night."

"If I were a young 'un like ye three, I'd hunt that damn'd witch down m'self!" spits Hamish.
 
Dumarest said:
"Aye, there be at least ten or a dozen o' the blackguards," Hamish angrily answers, "an' they wear chain, like as not. They look like wild an' woolly mountain men with big black beards hiding their faces. They have swords an' axes to match your'n, an' they be not afeared to use 'em!"

Applewasher begins to explain, "His cousin tried to reason with them--"

"An' paid with his life, damn those brigands!" Hamish slams his fist on the table, nearly upsetting even the heavy earthenware steins. "It's a blessing I'm here to console his widow, it is!"

"As for hexes," Applewasher says, "no one has actually seen them do anything to the fields. We assume she does her witchcraft from afar as punishment. The men come to demand their ransom, and if we're short even one measly crown they beat one of us to a pulp and simply say we'll pay in crops what we don't pay in gold. Then, within hours, a field is blighted. It's possible they do something when we aren't watching. We can't keep an eye on every field all day and all night."

"If I were a young 'un like ye three, I'd hunt that damn'd witch down m'self!" spits Hamish.
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Balin listens intently. 'Within hours the crops fail you say? Hmm that does indeed sounds unnatural. ' he says disappointed.
'Have they collected from everyone here this month? Perhaps we can ambush them at the next collection point. Do they surround a house when they visit, gang up at the entryway to show force or hang back while a spokesman or two collect the money?' he quizes the farmers.
 
"We have to bring the gold to a designated location toward the eastern end of this country where the orchards start," Applewasher answers. "There's a particularly large banyan amongst the fig trees that you can't miss. They wait for us there. They don't seem to care if just one of us comes or if we come in a group, as long as we have the gold."

"Aye, black-hearted bastards though they be, I have to admit them bravos ain't afeared o' croppers no matter how many men we come with," Hamish says. "They be brazen as the midday sun at midnight!"

"I expect they have men surrounding in secret just in case we try anything," Applewasher adds.
 
Somewhere, some plate-covered guy with an ornate dagger is whistling the tune about Isabelle the Trollop.
 
Waiting until nightfall to check if the coast is clear, Boyan finds his hideaway in a hayloft in a barn on Ned Applewasher's farm has been successful and his former comrades in the service of Baron Günter appear to have given up their chase and returned to the Barony of Tundža, some leagues down the River Mihsoori. It's possible they didn't make any herculean efforts to find Boyan, and they may have sympathized with his unfortunate circumstances.

The lowing of cows and stink of manure make the barn an unpleasant and insalubrious place to use as a hideout for too long. Peeking unobtrusively through the pitching window, Boyan notes some unusual activity at the farmhouse just across the grassy plain. If he didn't know better, he'd think three of the five men who entered Applewasher's farmhouse were a trio of dubious characters he previously encountered at one tavern or another.
 
Boyan immediately turned in the direction of Applewasher's farm. Dubious characters they might have been, but - since leaving the Barony of Tundža - that description could as well apply to him, too!
A man at arms out of a job, with no purse, but with weapons and dreams of glory. What could be more dubious, even if it was completely natural?
"Hi there!", he waved at them, approaching and trying to see if they were indeed his acquintances.
 
Aldon squints. "Boyan? Is that you? And don't you owe me money or something?" (It's an opening that works maybe half the time, and never gets him into serious trouble. Almost never ... )
 
Ray turns around to see this strange new man calling out to them. He looked vaguely familiar and was apparently named Boyan, but Ray was not sure if it was someone he actually knew or was just some dude he met in a bar.

"Yo! Boyan, my dude! What brings you around these parts, eh?"
 
Balin sees the plate armor and lumps him into the category of probably not our current quarry.

''Oh hey Boyan. What brings you around these parts? I thought you'd found yourself a gal and we're planning on setting down?" Balin asks.
 
"Ray, Balin...nice to see you. And no, Aldon, you tried that on me last time!", Boyan says.
"I did find myself a chick, yeah. But her father said no, and that was that. What is a man to do in such occasions, fight her old man? No way. So instead, I'm now searching for riches in the broad world. If I gain enough money...well, I'd either be able to change his opinion, or I'd be able to find myself another!"
"But enough about me. How did life treat you since last we met? Have you found an employment?"
 
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Applewasher and Hamish turn to the door they could have sworn was closed behind them and survey the newcomer from where they sit at the long oaken table.

"Be he a swordsman as well?" asks Hamish, one eyebrow skeptically raised. "They be fallin' out o' the skies, it seems!"

"You said three is better than two, Hamish," Applewasher notes, "so four must be better than three."

"Aye, come in, lad, an' have some of this ham," says Hamish. "Close that damned door afore the flies get in! We can outfit ye with foodstuffs an' cider afore ye set off after Zulema."

"Do you intend to set out tonight?" asks Applewasher.
 
"What do you think, boys?" asks Aldon. "There's something to be said for cover of night, and perhaps catching some drunken, sleeping thugs by surprise ... "
 
Dumarest said:
Applewasher and Hamish turn to the door they could have sworn was closed behind them and survey the newcomer from where they sit at the long oaken table.

"Be he a swordsman as well?" asks Hamish, one eyebrow skeptically raised. "They be fallin' out o' the skies, it seems!"

"You said three is better than two, Hamish," Applewasher notes, "so four must be better than three."

"Aye, come in, lad, an' have some of this ham," says Hamish. "Close that damned door afore the flies get in! We can outfit ye with foodstuffs an' cider afore ye set off after Zulema."

"Do you intend to set out tonight?" asks Applewasher.
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TheophilusCarter said:
"What do you think, boys?" asks Aldon. "There's something to be said for cover of night, and perhaps catching some drunken, sleeping thugs by surprise ... "
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"Ham sounds good", Boyan said while passing through the door. "And catching thugs by surprise sounds good as well...Tell me more."
 
Balin asks ' These thugs are they all human or mixed with other races? If it's all human the trade-off for going at night into unfamiliar territory would be mitigated by some of our abilities to see in the dark without the need for light sources.'
 
"They be human as ye," replies Hamish, pointing to Layaway Ray and Boyan, "or me. If ye can call such as them men."

Mrs. Applewasher reappears from the kitchen with another stein of cider for Boyan, and there are obvious tracks of recent tears on her cheeks. Mr. Applewasher consoles her and asks what's the matter. "These poor boys," she say, gesturing at the four swordsmen, "will all be dead soon! It's so sad!"
 
Balin attempta to reassure Mrs Applewasher by saying 'I assure you Mrs Applewasher I am no reckless fool. We will help you with your problem if at all possible. And we aren't afraid of risk but it will be a reasoned risk. The worst thing I can think of to do is attempt and fail. It would greatly offend my honor if we were to accept this commission only to fail and possibly lead to reprisals against your community. When we engage these ruffians it will be in groups small enough for us to defeat and disguise as attacks from either natural predators or goblinfolk or Orcs. '
 
Bunch said:
When we engage these ruffians it will be in groups small enough for us to defeat and disguise as attacks from either natural predators or goblinfolk or Orcs. '
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"Hey!" says Aldon: "That's some good thinking right there. Let's do that!"
 
"Yer head be not empty, lad," says Hamish as he pats Balin on the shoulder in an avuncular way. "There be two ways to Sink Hollow. The road east be faster and easier, but a sneak like ye seem to be may prefer a path less traveled an' likely less watched. What say ye?"
 
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Ray nods in agreement at the proposal of a sneak attack.

"Yes, let's catch 'em by surprise! And we can make it look like somebody else did it, whether it be goblins, orcs, bandits, or Yankees. That old hag and her goons won't know what hit 'em, eh?"
 
"Catching them with their guard and pants off works for me", Boyan comments. "I'd hate to confirm Mrs. Applewasher to be right! Why, it might make her cry...and that's unacceptable!"
He looks at the others.
"OK, I get it we must attack some guys. Would any of you mind filling me in? What's in this for us, and who do we have to kill?"
 
"I like the sound of the less traveled and sneaky way, though I bet it will be more dangerous," muses Aldon. To, Boyan he replies "Well, we're helping these poor townsfolk get out from under a shakedown by these thugs, because it's the right thing to do! And those thugs probably have some serious gold. Also, you don't need to shout all the time, Boyan; regular talk like this will do just fine ... "
 
"I'm not shouting", Boyan whispered. "Do you have abnormally sensitive ears, perhaps? That might be helpful, but you should visit a herbalist. And doing the right thing..."
He looks around himself, but nobody's laughing.
"Is of course something I support!", he keeps whispering.
Well...everyone should start somewhere. If nothing else, it would help them build some reputation!
"Why is the road we plan to take more dangerous, Mr. Applewasher? Do we have to take any specific precautions?"

When I want to be shouting, I write IN CAPS LOCK. Bold however is just speech, to make sure nobody would confuse Boyan's internal dialogue and speech.
 
"Well...I think Hamish makes it out worse than it really is," Applewasher replies.

"HOGWASH!" shouts Hamish, "It be treacherous, mark my words. First ye must cut through Bardolph's pastures, an' like as not he'll not take kindly to that, an' then ye must cross the marshlands to get down to Brackish Creek where ye can follow the river eastward or else pay a fellow to take ye down to Sink Hollow by boat. The marshlands be treacherous and strange and queer beasts and creatures roam thereabouts!"

"Tall tales!" counters Applewasher.

"Ye've never been thataway!" says Hamish. "Ye know not whereof ye speak."
 
Applewasher finds an old receipt from a dry goods store and a quill and inkpot and, with input from Hamish, sketches out a passable map of the terrain between Buzău and Sink Hollow...to the best of their knowledge. Applewasher notes the so-called Eastern Road that crosses Brackish Creek and then winds back southwest through Sink Hollow, as well as the cavern complex in the hills southeast of Brackish Creek, and reminds you that some of the farmhands were able to trail the brigands that far before losing their quarry. They have no certainty that Zulema the Depraved dwells there.

The map looks something like this:
20180831_125913.jpg​
 
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"Well, you don't have to draw me a map! Except, um, thanks for the map ... " Turning to his companions, Aldon queries: "Shall we?"
 
Boyan sighed.
"It seems we shall. Let's take the map, and we can study it on the way!"
 
Balin studies the map. 'How high are those cliffs? Is climbing down them going to be a possibility? If we need to bring rope do you have an idea of how much we will need?' he asks Hammish.
 
"They be no more than ten or fifteen fathoms. A wee bit o' rope should do ye. There be ledges and crags. I'd worry more about rocs," Hamish answers. "Time to time they carry off a cow or two from Bardolph's pastures."
 
"Rocs? Charming...", Boyan mutters. "I've got spear and javelins, but I'm not sure I could throw them while climbing".
 
"Okay, we need rope. What else should we get our hands on before we head out?" asks Aldon, whose current inventory is rather empty ...
 
"I've got rope", Boyan mentions, pulling it out of his backpack. "What else do we need?"
 
"No point in dragging this out endlessly. One last set of questions for me before I'm ready to head out. How are the marshes this time of year? And where's a few good places to cross that might not be the main crossings? Keep in mind my short legs don't usually cause problems but a Marsh is one of the few natural impediments I prefer to avoid.' Balin asks while packing up.
 
"Ye may as well ask this oaken table, lad," says Hamish. "I've not done more than look over the ravine from atop the cliffs. I'm a sensible man an' have no truck with marshes an' bog beasts!"

"And I say there are no rocs or bog beasts," counters Applewasher. "I doubt there's anything more than chirring insects and croaking bullfrogs."
 
"Well, some peple eat bull-frogs", Boyan says. "I'd rather just avoid stepping on them. Oh well, sensible people stay at their homes. Let us ne'er-do-wells do the not-sensible thing, then, and head off towards that place nobody else wants to visit! First thing, we steal some bulls, right?"
 
'What in the hells would I do with a bull? I'm not a farmer. If you have any spare wide planks of wood and some leather straps that might make walking over the bog easier if it's especially wet.' Balin asks as he finishes packing and packs up the map.
 
"I'm pretty sure he means that we should take a bull or two in case we're attacked. Rocs would be after the meat, so if we let them grab a bull and make lots of noise, our climbers should be safe", Boyan explains.
 
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