Bard and Breakfast, part 3

Log Info

• Title: Bard and Breakfast, Part 3
• Emitter: Faranmidahn
• Characters: Irshya, Ashes, Burai, Lysos, Sabina, Bannon
• Place: PRoom: The Flashing Blade Inn
• Time: Thursday, July 09, 2020, 5:12 PM
• Summary:

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing, in Order  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Irshya       3'0"     35 Lb      Goblin            Female    A small, blue-skinned Goblin in sea-green robes.
Ashes        5'11"    177 Lb     Hobgoblin         Female    A somber arvec in grey clothes with a skull face
Burai        6'10"    280 Lb     Half-Orc          Male      Brawny half-orc, primal and uncivilized.
Lysos        5'6"     105 Lb     Human/Tsuran      Female    Dark eyes, dark hair, olive skin, a jotun-sized chip on the shoulder.
Sabina       5'4"     130 Lb     Human             Female    Tsuran woman of dark hair and green eyes
Bannon       5'9"     195 Lb     Human             Male      A shorter man of Tsuran heritage, with a thin moustace and goatee.
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  As the GM  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Faranmidahn  3'3"     35 Lb      Halfling          Female    Albino Lucht woman in black leather armor with a BIG spider 
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

Last time on 'Bard and Breakfast':

Within Greenholme's newly built Flashing Blade Inn, the two groups of 'less common' folk, at least, members of same, have hovered on the edge of violence as accusations, innuendos and maternal appelations flew.

After tense minutes of pressure applied to Liatris, dispossessed heiress of the Vorhearst family reveals that more could have been at play than the young woman can fully grasp about her mother's condition. Meanwhile Bannon pressed Liatris' robed, presumed boyfriend. With added help from the spooky Arvek, Ashes, and further, the potatophilic wanderer, Lokir, the group manage to pierce the handsome fellow's illusory veneer for all to see: He is actually a withered olf hunchback, who was exploiting the woman's state to gain access to the secret to Ellastra's immortality.

A short bout of violence erupted, but in the end, Veriford is laid low and Liatris is left in sobbing tears, promising the adventurers any answer they want as long as they get him away from her...

Irshya looks sad for a moment, before stepping up to pat at Liatris' hand. "It's okay. We will help. You will be alright.", she says softly, while she glances over to the others. "How long has he been around?"

"You should take him outside." Ashlee tells Bannon and Lokir, while she remains seated and watching. The fight was very educational for her. Sitting quietly at the table, she has both hands clasped and sitting on it. Her familiar continues to look at whatever she's watching, its head turning beneath her chin to follow.

Burai peers at a spot on the floor that he cut with his sword during the brief fight - narrowly avoiding cutting off his toes instead. He puts his sword away, deciding that perhaps there isn't enough room indoors to wield the weapon. It seems the action is over in any case. He peers at Liatris and then muses, "Is this the person you mentioned earlier? The one that began visiting your mother shortly before she was afflicted?"

Lysos let the energy she was gathering for another casting disperse once Veriford was subdued, choosing instead to clutch her staff tight and get out of the way for his escort outside. Obviously she isn't happy about his illusion having deceived her. "I don't think he is," she offers to Burai after listening to his musing. "Else I don't think he'd have been trying to get the secret from her, would he have been?"

While no words come forth from the woman at first, still in the arms of the burly woman's brother, who takes to rocking her gently and glancing murder toward the door to the inn, Liatris shakes her heads, sobbing piteously into his chest.

The burly woman, herself, turns to look to the Goblin, first, "He was in the picture before the rest of us." she explains, "We haven't know Lee very long, sometime after she arrived in town, after she lost everything."

The other two guys venture glances between the parties gathered, the door, then, as if by some unspoken agreement, head outside.

The Gobbo nods to the burly woman, patting Liatris' hand a little more. "Was she his thrall? Did he use spells to control her? Or did he use threat of exposure to make her do his bidding?" She rubs at her cheek a moment and lets out a sigh. "Irhsya should bite him. Hard. He no need both hands. Maybe he talk then."

Ashlee waches the guys head outside, hoping her suggestion isn't mis-interpreted. She definitely meant, 'outside' and not 'outside and perhaps fall down even harder'. However, she has no idea how his questionning will go. She turns to look at Irshya, "They might get some answers. She might know most of it; Liatris is not enthralled."

Burai's brow wrinkles. "Are you talking about Veriford?" He casts one last look in the direction of the man and then shakes his head. "He's clearly addled. Toothless now that his tricks are revealed..." He looks at Liatris' friends. "Now our quarry is the one behind her mother being turned into a vampire."

"He was..." the big woman sighs wistfully, "What she needed at the time, I guess... At least, that's probably what he was sellin'." She shudders as she things on where things might have gone, then turns to gently rub the bard's back, "Miserable old lech... "

Liatris pushes gently away from her supports, but she doesn't turn to face the party as she sniffs hard, then, "He wasn't.... he wasn't one of them." she explains, her voice still choked at certain points, then, "It's been... months since I've seen him, but maybe he gave mom some notes... or she wrote it down, somewhere. I don't.. trust my memory of that time, anymore. I can't."

Lysos nods slowly, watching Liatris intently now... maybe fascinated. Not quite bordering on rudeness. Hopefully. "So where does that leave us?" she asks quietly.

Irshya's expression darkens. "Irshya will bite him!", she says angrily. "It not your fault.", the Gobbo says softly, offering another pat to the woman's hand. "Irshya be right back." She turns and heads for the door in a slow, slightly ponderous gait.

"We investigated the Vornhearst Estate thoroughly, we still might have missed something Liatris would know about. Unless it was torn down." The ashen arvec observes, also staring at the hieress, although the way she does is usually considered rude. She continues to speak in monotones, "Even emptied, that bath in the basement is dangerous. Liatris may have a personal journal where she's forgotten things she wrote. Or she may be followed at a further distance than Veriford was following her."

She turns her gaze on Liatris' remaining friends, "Do you recall any strange observers?"

"Notes? Journals?" Burai frowns with the skepticism of one who doesn't read much, or possibly at all, and therefore doesn't place faith in the clues they might find written down. He strides across the main room, hands behind his back. When he reaches the far side he turns and begins to make his way back, not exactly a straight line and perhaps not even completely concious of what he's doing. "If it's been months the trail would be cold..." He stops and casts a look at Lee. "Another way would be to draw them to us."

Lysos nods to each point Ashes makes, then frowns a little bit as Burai makes his suggestion. Even while she does so, she sticks her staff out towards Irishya. Not actually in the goblin's way, but more as a point of getting her attention. "Maybe.. biting him isn't a great idea." She pauses. "We don't really know where he's been."

Sabina has ben quiet durring all this time, watching the man on the floor and listening to the back and forth of the party. Once she ensures the hunchback man is still unconcious she speaks up. "Liatris. Do you remember what happened to your mother's maids? I assume they were found innocent like yourself. Do you know if they're still in town? For if anyone saw things it would be they." She sighs.. "I am sorry we keep butting into your life, Liatris. Please believe me when I say it was not our intention this time. I hope.. that even though it is painful we have made a small portion of the debt in your heart go away."

"I don't know.... I can't go back." Liatris replies mournfully, wiping at her eyes, "Mother... she might have kept a journal, too. I don't know what happened with mine, after the trial. Edmund... the elder, he might estill have it." she suggests. She allows her remaining friends to guide her to a seat and settles in.

The burly woman thinks for a moment or two, "Not really... most folk won't have much to do with her, around here. Often as not, someone'll give her the stink eye."

"Maeble!" the bard says as her head comes up, "She handled the ledgers, maybe she knows where mother's notes are? Maybe she kept some letters from the one who twisted her?"

The Gobbo pauses, leaning on her trident a moment, and peering at Lysos. "Is okay! He not know where Irshya's mouth has been, so we're even. But he going to find out where his hand end up! He must be made to speak. He have information, surely." She looks to Liatris. "You must try to remember so..." Irshya blinks. "Where we find this Maeble?", the Gobbo wonders.

"Maeble," Burai repeats the name slowly. It's not a name that he's heard before, or spoken before. But that hardly seems important, he realizes. He nods in agreement at Irshya's question.

Ashlee listens to Liatris' answers, and watches Burai stroll up and down. Since he's moving, he gets a lot of her attention. She comes to a conclusion, "Someone will have to go back to Mornhaven to read the journal. I'll go to check the bath. The others might be for hire if you want them to help you and your friends."

Bina nods slowly. "Perhaps even more important if she did your mother's books. Those books could hold clues as well as the woman herself. We can of course, try to contact the headman again like you sugjested. And if the bath has not been destroyed it should be. Loose ends. Suddenly a stack of loose ends."

"So we have some threads to follow. Names and places," Lysos says, the slow beginnings of a smile finally returning to her. "When do we leave?"

Liatris frowns and sighs, "She might still be there, she wasn't tried, someone there might know for sure what's happened to her."

The burly woman and her brother look at each other, not sure what part they've got in all this, anymore, but they stand by her and look at the others.

The man glances at the door and, "What're ya gonna do with Veriford...?" something grim in his tone.

"Bite him!", the Goblin says enthusiastically. As if she'd momentarily forgotten something and has remembered just now. She straightens, and turns, slowly heading for the door once again. "Will ask him questions. Bite him more if he no answer."

Sabina says, "I am unsure what the laws are concerning mystical malfeasance in this land. To my knowledge he has only hurt you emotionally, Liatris. If he's done more.. then I know we can send him to jail somewhere to be tried. If not then we'd have to left him go. But I do not like his fixation on the process of becoming an undead. It worries me." She sighs. "I hate dealing with things like this."

"Can't do much to a person on a might be, though," Lysos adds to Sabina's remark about fixations. "Well, I mean, we could. But we shouldn't." Her eyes drift sideways a little bit. "We shouldn't, right?"

"He can come with us, answer questions." Ashlee turns her head, watching Irshya, then looking back to the group. She makes a small shrug of her shoulders, makes a suggestion in flat tones, "If he doesn't want to, and Liatris has no charges, we can give his description to the guards and also that he is involved with vampires somehow. "

"Toothless," Burai repeats. "But I suppose, it doesn't matter to me what is done with him." He looks at the party. "So long as we stay together. I don't agree with splitting up, unless we absolutely must. We may cover more ground, but what's a few days or even another week when all of this occured months ago?"

GAME: Irshya rolls diplomacy: (16)+6: 22
GAME: Ashes rolls diplomacy: (12)+0: 12

The three look to the goblin for a moment as she makes her declaration.

The siblings look at each other.

The bard looks to the floor, "Just....I never want to see him again." she says distantly, "I'm.... sorry... I'm sorry for not having more to offer...."

Outside, the robed old hunchback drools onto the porch, flanked by the members of the group that took him outside. His chest rises and falls so he's still alive, at least.

Sabina grumbles but then grins. "I suppose we have to take him with us then. Another small thing we may be able to do to make ammends." She looks about to her companions. "That is if you all agree? And then we can head back to see if Miss Maeble is somewhere where we can find her."

Ash nods, staring at Sabina. "I have to check the bath. Miss Maeble is on the way." She stands, with a longing glance towards the kitchen. Her orange juice may never come, "I'm ready to go. Whenever everyone else is."

Burai nods, "Agreed." He glances at the rest of the party to see if anyone proposes a better plan. He even looks at Liatris briefly, but quickly looks away, as if somehow uncomfortable at her behavior.

Irshya slips out the door, and peers at the man on the porch. She reaches out with the butt of her trident, and nudges the hunchback. "Wake up!", she shouts, with a squeak in her voice. She prods him in the belly and chest a few more times.

Lysos removes one of her hands from her staff to curl it into a fist briefly, nodding her affirmation of the plan. Her teeth become briefly visible as her lips part in a smile, then she's through the door, ready to get her horse prepared for the journey.

Bannon is standing on the porch, his arms crossed over his chest as he crosses his eyes at anyone who stares too long at the man standing next to the unconscious hunchbacked person on the porch for too long. As Irshya arrives and kicks the hunchback, "Careful. You'll wake my pal up. This is the most peace I've had since he's shown up." He pauses for a moment, and then asks, "Did Liatris tell us anything good?"

The bard just stares at the floor at first, but as the crew make their assent and start to leave, "Let me know... if you find anything, please...?" but she doesn't try to look at anyone, instead she seems to shrink into herself. Her two friends look to the adventurers, glancing doorward as the goblin girl sounds like she's waking Veriford up, and their eyes, to different levels of grim make the same promise: Make him go away, or we will.

Outside, after some poking, prodding and jabbing, the beaten old man gasps away with a cry, "Ahhh! Hah! Huh, no, keep away from me!"

The ashen arvec follows the other goblinoid out, after returning the baleful glances of Liatris' friends. She adjusts the strap of her satchel, exits onto the porch and gives a nod to Bannon. She makes no effort to interrupt Irshya's efforts. Instead, in a bland voice that makes a war-golem sound lively, she says, "Come with me if you want to live."

Burai steps out of the inn. Once outside he stops near Veriford, where he remains calm. And relaxed. "Yes," he nods to Bannon. "We have a trail to follow, of sorts." He gazes at Veriford and then says, "We can fill you in later," he says pointedly to Bannon. "There's no reason for him to hear this."

"You will be coming with us.", the Gobbo says curtly. "You will answer our questions." Her tone makes it obvious that he has little choice in the matter. "There will be ... biting if you do not." She grins toothily, baring a row of shark-like teeth. Then she opens her mouth, exposing row upon row of other teeth, waiting patiently to take their place in the front row. "You will not say no."

She grunts at Bannon, and then stares at Ashes.

Lysos is doing her very real best to not pay any attention to Veriford at this point, instead making sure her horse has a final chance to get some water and food before the party departs.

Bina steps briefly up to Liatris and then offers her a small bow of her head. "If we find out anything we will. If we can." ,she tells the bard and then heads outside to the rough meet and greet with their new travel companion. "This is your lucky day, Veriford. You get to live. You get to not go to jail. You get to come with us and looking into vampire things. If you're smart you'll learn things along the way that prove how silly your dream of becoming one is."

After recently coming back to conciousness, in pain from pervious wounds(and freshly bruised ribs), the old man recoils, shielding himself with his arms as not only his dreams of immortality, but his plans for any mortal future are dangled over the fire before him, "Y-yes, yes, whatever you want, just don't kill me!"

Sabina's words for Liatris garner only a sniff in return, though the man standing watchfully over her nods to the masked woman. His sister offers a quiet, "Thank you."

Outside, the explaination of life and the potential for learning secrets starts the man's gears turning, though, by and large, he remains cowed as he looks about the group, his lizard poking out of the soiled robe to hiss defensively.

Burai gives the man a look of...not quite disgust. More like mild distaste. "Don't get any ideas," he warns the man. "Who would object if you were never returned? No one," he answers his own question. Then he turns to look at Lysos' horse. Something about it seems familiar.

"Up!", Irshya commands of the hunchback. Her hands glow a pale white light, and she steps forward to heal the man of most of his wounds. "Irshya give you a few moments to clean up a little. Also tell Irshya if you are still bleeding. Irshya will fix."

Ashlee collects her horse, and spends some time adjusting the tack as well as brushing it. She mounts up with more agility than she normally demonstrates, getting in the saddle in a fluid motion. She can look down on everyone now, and does so. Mostly, she stares silently at the hunchback with occasional glances to the others. She's ready to go.

Lysos pauses in her inspection of her saddle as she notices Burai's attention. Attention on the horse, that is. She looks at him. Then she looks at her horse. Then her eyes narrow a little bit before she shrugs finishes, then swings herself up and properly settls herself.

The show seems to be getting on the road. Bannon seems happy enough to leave the disposition of his hunchback pals to Sabina and Irshya, beginning to see to his own horse as well. With a quick glances to Burai, then to Lysos horse, then finally to Ashes, he shoots the Arvek a curious grin before he completes the efforts of saddling up.

Burai brought no steed, having spent much of his time with the caravan riding on the wagons or else ranging about on foot. But it's probably just as well, because he's not the only one who will likely be walking. "Keep up. Your hands must remain where we can see them at all times," he warns Veriford, prodding him in the small of the back to emphasize their respective situations. "If your fingers twitch in a way that reminds any of us of spellcasting, we'll cut off your fingers." He smiles without humor. "If you utter a syllable that so much as sounds like the Eldritch tongue...well, you can imagine what we'll cut off." He then proceeds to murmurs a quick spell himself, one often used by druids to keep up when others are mounted.

GAME: Burai casts Longstrider. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14

The man's general state, plus his deformity, cause some difficulty in the old man getting to his feet, though he does put the effort in as his fate may depend on it. He looks around and tries to look composed, expect he's sweating. A lot.

Meanwhile, the hustle and bustle starts to draw attention, and the people milling around start to gather to see what's going on...

The Gobbo wanders over to Sabina, and leans against the woman heavily. Irshya looks up at her and yawns lightly. "Can Irshya walk with Sabina?", she wonders tiredly. "And we should put the man on a horse. He no walk fast."

The ashen arvec stares down at Veriford. She is a grey shadow on a pale horse, with a skull shining bright in the sun, and eyes glittering in dark eye-sockets. She holds the reins loosely in one hand, holds the other one out, the stylized bone markings also visible. She's already made her offer, no need to repeat it. So she watches.

Sabina sighs, tsking slightly before picking Irshya up and uptting her on a shoulder like one might a child. On the other a jellous peacock. Shoulder space is at a premium these days it seems. "I think Ashlee has that covered, Irshya. And we really do need to get you seen by a priest or priestess and look into your sleepy nature."

Bannon looks towards the Goblin for a moment and then frowns, "Put him on my horse." He then shakes his head to Ashes, "It's alright. If I have to draw my sword, it's easier if I do it from the ground." He then asks, looking towards Sabina now, "Where are we going, exactly?"

Sabina says, "Back to where this all started. To look for the maid Maeble and varrious other clues."

Ash withdraws her hand, turning in her saddle and dropping to the ground. She takes the bridle of Bannon's horse, clicks at it and walks it over to Veriford. Stil keeping control of it, she points at his foot and the stirrup, then pats the side of the horse and holds out her hand. He's not going to make it into the saddle unassisted with his deformity, so she's ready to pull and then push him up onto it.

Once he's seated, she pats the horse on the nose and ties the reins off on her saddle, then slides up into hers. She looks over at Bannon as she picks up her reins, giving him a monotone reply, "Ok. Ready."

The old man, weighing odds at how things would go if he got squirrely, looks up into the momento mori offering a hand up onto her horse. Gulp. He actually flinches when Bannon speaks, hesitating to take the hand, though he shies closer because... well, as near as he can tell she's just given him the hairy eyeball.

Eventually he mounts up as directed, though it's a bit of a challenge, and he tells Carbunckle, his lizard, to behave.

"I feel a little bit like we're cleaning up," Lysos admits, shifting in her saddle just enough so she can watch the... prisoner?.. get seated up on the mourner's horse. She squints at him, then raises a hand and points at her eyes with two fingers, then turns her hand and points at him with one.

Burai narrows his eyes as the party offers up a horse for Veriford to ride on. But after a moment he seems to understand the reasoning. Still he seems troubled at something. He eyes the man for a moment, then points at the lizard. "Is that your familiar?" he guesses. "Will you let him ride with one of the others?"

Irshya is happy to be lifted, and settles onto Sabina's shoulders. She droops a little, looking more sleepy by the moment. "Irshya just need water. Lots of water, to sleep in.", she mumbles quietly. "Sleepy."

Bannon frowns, narrowing his eyes and nodding his head shrewdly, "Maeble. Of course. Natually." He pauses for a moment and then adds, "I suspected her from the get go." He then points towards the Veriford, "Why are we bringing him, exactly, rather than just leaving him with the town law?" The swashbuckler seems resigned to the walk, falling into step alongside Sabina and Irshya, his eyes looking towards the hunchback every so often to ensure there's no finger or tongue waggling that would lead to bad consequences.

Bina also gives the 'prisoner' a look every now and again. "We're taking him because desire to be a vampire isn't a crime.. yet. And neither is fooling people with magical spells. ...yet. If we left him with the authorities they'd likely just let him go. And he'd likely go after that poor girl again. This way he's with us and we're able to keep an eye on him and ensure he stays away from her. And perhaps prove to him that he doesn't want to be a vampire."

The old man looks forlornly at his lizard and, weakly confesses, "Yes... this is Carbuncle... please don't hurt him." He looks down to the lizard, which sticks it's tongue out at him, then he holds the familiar out on shaking hands to the orc, like he was forced to give up his daughter or something.

Ashlee looks over at Buria, her gaze drifts to Veriford, then back to Burai and the lizard he is holding. She stares at it silently for a little bit, looks at Bannon who will likely signal everyone to leave, back at Burai and Carbuncle. She holds out her hand towards him, seemingly willing to take it if he's not going to hold onto the lizard.

Bannon reaches up, scratching the strip of beard that runs from his lower lip to the center of his chin as he considers this. As he speaks, his voice drops lower, "Desire to become a vampire isn't a crime like wanting to place a dagger in everyone that you see's back then take all their money isn't a crime. They haven't made wanting to do something criminal criminal, but it shouldn't be condoned." He looks towards Sabina, raising an eyebrow, "What's the endgame here? He becomes a vampire and we kill him? He gets close to his dream of becoming a vampire, then we kill the vampire?" He looks off for a moment, then comments, "Either seems cruel..." He then grins, "Admittedly, part of me likes it, but still..."

"But... he went a little bit past wanting, didn't he? Is it criminal to /plan/ something criminal? Take the first steps?" Lysos gets a little bit squinty eyed. "What did he do while he was disguised?"

Burai hands over the lizard without comment. He looks at the small group and then tries to recall how the wagons of the caravan were kicked into motion. Finally he shrugs. He begins loping off in the direction of Mornhaven, confident that the others on their horses will easily catch up.

Bina looks over at the old man again. "To want to be something more isn't a crime. To take from and abuse others in the atempt is. I believe that our friend here doesn't understand what a vampire is. Not really. Having faced two very different vampires now I feel it's likely I know better then him. I intend to open his foolish eyes. And if he still desires to be one after seeing.. then things will end differently." ,she says very nuetrally.

"We're taking him away from Liatris." The Mourner explains, looking down on Bannon from her horse. Sitting up on her high horse is great, it's the best for looming. If only she hadn't forgotten her parasol. Shading her eyes, she still squints from the brightness, "He might know more things."

Reaching out a bone-decorated hand, she holds her palm for the white lizard, takes it and then tucks Carbuncle into her hair where it can keep her centipede company. She whispers, "Play nice."

Then the orc moves off, and she gently nudges her horse's flanks and clicks at Bannon's horse. Her two horse train starts after Burai. Carbuncle hisses some, but, at least smart enough to figure out the situation his master is in, doesn't do anything untoward, though it moves warily around the path of the centipede.

The musing about what the old man has done, versus just what he's wanted puts a certain shiftiness in his gaze, but he doesn't volunteer anything. Rather, he tries to make himself the least obtrusive prisoner he can as they take him closer to his goals, while farther from his means....

Bannon tilts his head, looking towards Lysos and nodding his head, "The plan was certainly in motion." He stops though, looking towards Sabina curiously before he shakes his head, "I don't like this plan. If we fail to act decisively at any point, we could have two vampires on our hands to contend with, and a body count behind one of them that we would be partially responsible for." He then looks up towards Ashlee and nods, "Yeah, I get it, but there are easier ways to know what he knows that hanging him as bait for a vampire. Do you have magic to talk to the dead? Because..." He waggles his eyebrows, but falls short of elaborating.

The ashen arvec rides tall in her saddle, her hips rolling naturally with her horse's gait. She wasn't born to anything, but seems very comfortable where she is, betraying her military experience. She twists to stare silently at Veriford, her skull-face reflecting the morning light, her eyes lost in the glare. Her clothes flutter a little with the horse's motion. Her words are without inflection, as always. "They speak with me when they wish to. Killing him will not make him more talkative."

Plus, her Goddess wouldn't approve. Or perhaps she would, if it was done correctly and he bears more guilt than has been so far revealed. Everyone meets the Grey Lady, sooner or later, Ash simply prepares them for the journey. She rides on in silence, occasionally checking behind her.

Lysos is very, very determined to keep an eye on Veriford. For about ten minutes. Then either she realizes he's not going to do anything, or she just gets bored. "Bah!" She pulls her horse a little ways ahead.. eventually she starts humming to herself. For a while. Until she lets her horse fall back again. "How do we keep him from bothering Liatris again?"

Bina grins and then laughs. "Keep him from bothering Liatris? Well we find something he wants. That's why he's being so good right now." She turns her smiling face towards the prisoner. "Isn't that right? But you'll see. What you want isn't really what you want." She chuckles again and steadies Irshya on her shoulder.

There's that mortality nipping at his heels, again....

Veriford, for his part, is probably going to dehydrate himself for all the sweating. Of course, the way the adventurer's commenting makes him swallow anxiously, it's going to be a barrel of laughs when he does, in fact, dry himself out. That the man doesn't overtly cause any trouble, or make an attempt at outright escape does little to set anyone at ease in his presence, though his eyes search the party, gears turning over and over as he tries to figure out how to keep a) alive, b) free, and c) moving toward his objectives.

Until the storm rolls by. It's brief, and loud, but ultimately drops the temperature briefly, before the humidity crawls up to your hairlines when, in the distance comes the first indications of chimney smoke, signs of life from the village of Mornhaven.

Come for the secrets....

... Stay for the bacon....