The same was for the Falser Confectionary. These are murdering gnome magic user assassins who we KNOW killed 7 people, and yet they have a factory where they make candy and are well liked and also free other gnomes from a crushing Theocracy from their ancestral homelands.
Again, its how things are assumed and how they turn out.
Write up follows:
Before we went to sleep, Darius wanted to talk about the plan for tomorrow a bit more. The thought went that we would need to get out of Stivil pretty quick upon completion, but we’d be in 2 different sections of the town. Half of us would be at the Falser’s Confectionary trying to steal the logs, and the other half would be at some restaurant talking to the Falsers with Shim.
His thought went that we should have 1 or better yet, 2, sleds and horses available to get us out. If the Falsers find out we were in their locale stealing from them, we’d be killed. And there was too much chance to have half the group “waiting around” for the other half to finish up their efforts and rejoin them.
So the plan for the next day was Darius to go and find Rhygar Halfman, hopefully at Cod Smithson’s place (where the two girls, Abarin and Gersy should have been taken after we freed them from Ixitch). From there he’d get the young half-orc to go with him and purchase two sleds and horses where they could practice, make sure they can handle them, and then situate them outside of town for a fast getaway. Darius would drive one, and Rhygar the other.
So the group was in agreement and we finally crashed. It was Deathmonth the 12th when we woke up to blue skies and cold air. In the eating room of the Unshackled Wolf we ate a hearty breakfast before we were going to break up for the day. Thon had written to his family earlier but had not gotten a response yet, so wanted to go and see if his mother was home (not his father). Shim offered to go with the half-orc.
Darius, Eoghan, and Barb were going to go and try to find Rhygar and Cods, and according to the waitress, the militia and watch lead, Captain Arsin, would be the best place to go and look – he could be found at the Armory and Militia Office on Empire Way just south of the Arena. Shim composed a letter to the Falsers asking them to meet him at 6 PM tonight at the Bread and Lake, an upscale restaurant in the Westhome district. Brading and Thalin were going to wait here in case a response came. And the group split up.
The party walked together until they arrive at Captain Arsin where Thon and Shim continued going. They passed into Leeward and then down First Tusk Avenue. The quality of homes dropped significantly and the place had a general unpleasant smell to it. Eventually they turned north and came around to Felt’s Road where Thon came to stop in front of his family home that he had not seen for over a year and a half.
It was a squat stone building like others in the area, the roof was a highly pitched thatched roof. An outhouse and semi-attached ramshackle shed attached by a breezeway completed the picture; the yard was small and was mostly mud and weeds but fresh herbs were growing in the many window boxes. With Shim at his side for support, Thon knocked on the door.
His elder brother by 4 years, Teclan, met him with a sneer and some snide remarks. After an awkward meeting, his mother Melwyn and sister Tarya came out, hugging the long missing Thon, and welcomed him inside. The place was simple, clean, yet still poor – especially to Thon’s more worldly eyes. He inquired about his father, learning the elder half-orc was in the shed and rather angry. Tarya had gotten word of Thon’s visit but being unable to read, didn’t get the note deciphered until last night and didn’t inform her parents until this morning a short while ago – hence the excitement.
Shim was accorded respect and was confused with being a gnome from the Candy Factory, a fact he tried to correct but had little traction being able to do so. The conversation did get to his experiences and there was dismay that he had spent time with the Firvinir Orcs, or as Teclan referred them, Grubbers – not real Randari Orcs. Melwyn was concerned there was a pregnant girl, and then really wanted there to be a pregnant girl. Thon tried to downplay the situation and even offer money (crowns and nobles) which at first irritated Treeve. Doesn’t he work hard? Is this blood money? Did he kill someone to get this money?
Thon got the family to understand he’s doing a good thing right now trying to solve an orcish problem (and learned the here, where Scratch was first created 4 months ago, is NOT a problem for anyone local as no one knows about it at all!) and promised to come home or write more often. Treeve and his son did hug and the father reiterated his words about don’t come back, but he also rescinded them immediately. Thon was surprised to learn that his father actually worked for Loring! As did his mother and sister and brother!
Loring was a bottom feeder who sends orcs to their death fighting rabid wolves and bears? Um, no. Not according to the family – Loring actually is a pretty decent boss, runs the gladiator contracts pretty tightly, and always tries to get the best return for any orc fighting for him as well as a rapid resolution of his contract. Um…ok. Did not see that coming. The two of them left after much hugs and catching up, promising to be in touch before moving on and returning to the Unshackled Wolf.
As for Darius, Barb, and Eoghan, they managed to get a meeting with Captain Arsin who was coy about identifying anyone in town, assuming the party of three were some sort of bounty hunters. However when Darius said he was looking for Cods Smithson and the conversation turned to the others that might have come home to him, the Captain’s attitude changed completely. Apparently Abarin, Gersy, and Rhygar’s return 5 days ago had made some headway amongst the townsfolk and the story of their escape and liberators was spoken of with great admiration.
Darius and Barb seriously tried to downplay it and begged the Captain to just let it go, they were just doing what was right. Arsin led the three of them through the Trades to Smith Street where a collective of tradesmen were doing their work. In front of a nondescript forge where a half-orc smith was working an anvil and another one, the younger Rhygar, was working the bellows, The Captain announced to Cods to come out and upon seeing Darius, Rhygar ran out and met the fighter with a fierce hug and much back slapping.
Cods came out and pumped everyone’s hand firmly, referring to them as lord (Darius downplayed it) and promising them 100 nobles he had saved up from various jobs as thanks. It was returned and Darius wanted to get off the street as other smiths were out as well, also showing their admiration and thanks to the trio for saving their companion’s daughter and friends.
The Captain left us to our devices and we went with Cods to his home behind the Trades where Abarin and Gersy were outside needle pointing. On seeing the group, the two young women raced out and also added their hugs and tears, this time on Barb’s chest and waist. We did get off the street and inside the simple home where Rhygar caught the group up to what’s been going on and then ceremoniously returning the Cat Pillow to Darius as he promised he would.
We talked for a while, the two women pledging themselves to Barb as ladies in waiting for a period of 3 years but Barb was able to defer this by getting Abarin to admit she would wait here with Gersy until the dwarven girl is finally mentally sound – THAT was her current charge. Rhygar? He was a different matter and pledged himself right then and there to Darius who accepted the young half-orc with reservation. He gave him the layout for tonight and the need for horses and sleds. Rhygar who had been here for 5 days did let the group know that of the 4 procurers for the Arena games, it was word on the street that the Six Pickers and its headman, Tudar, would be the best choice as his animals were typically of the highest caliber.
So we gave the girls our love and thanks, told them we’d see them another time, and then made our way with Rhygar to Leeward section of town and 6-Pickers.
We talked with Tudar, and older male in his early 60’s, and his 2nd a 40’s year old name Vorod. Eventually we did settle on two Clydesdale nags and a pair of 4 person sleds that can be refitted to carts again in the spring (the pair of wheels were stored under the body of each cart). It cost us some coin, but the feeling was it would come in very handy as we expected to get much use out of them on a going forward.
We all met back up @ the Unshackled Wolf and bided our time. The Falser gnomes agreed to the meeting and Thalin began work on his Invisibility spells. Eoghan did make a side visit to his old farm where his wife and child had died, but it was long abandoned and a friendly neighbor didn’t make the place appealing to anyone to move back in (not recognizing Eoghan as his former neighbor).
By 5:30 we split up – Darius earlier had parked his sled west beyond the sight of Westhome while Rhygar situated himself and the wolf south and east of the Trades and the walls of Stivil and waited there. Shim Brading and Thalin when off to the Bread and Lake where they got a table and waited. Darius meanwhile with Barb, Thon, and Eoghan, all invisible, walked the streets, actually passing the two gnomes and their big half-ogre Fryld, as they went off to meet the rest of their friends!
Show time.
Entering the Falser Confectionary, leading the invisible line with hand to shoulder, Darius took a look around the room and made his way to the east side. There were only 8 half orcs/half ogres working the selling floor and one half-orc at the checkout table across the room. The curtain blocking the left door was still in place, but now was a bit pulled aside.
And the door behind it was only 2’ wide and 5’ tall. Perfect from gnomes, not so much for anyone else. Barb and Eoghan were going to straddle either side of the door and slowly pull the curtain away from the wall. This would give the illusion that straight on all was good, but only if you were looking at it at an angle, would see the unnatural shape.
Thon had fingered his lockpicks and withdrew 2 getting ready for the diversion. It was going well as they pulled the curtain back except Eoghan was too close to the nearest display table and was inadvertently pushing it “away” with the back of his thigh. Which had Darius strike into action.
By falling into a display of liquor hard candies and spilling over 300 of the rounded sugary snacks across the floor with an associated “Oh, my god! I am SOOO Sorry!” Various customers and sales floor employees were looking over, all eyes locked on the mess when Darius staggered to his feet, “slipped” on some candy, and plowed headfirst into another display table of sour fruits sugar balls, dropping another 300 plus candies onto the floor. “Oh! Oh! Oh my God!”
Yeah, that was a distraction.
Thon got behind the curtain and stuck the picks in, twisting left and right, catching the tumblers but the ends of the prongs falling free again and again. Um…shit.
Darius was helped up with some good natured “It’s alright, these things happen,” when he noticed the group still had NOT gotten into the door. So he lunged forward and twisted, free arm upsetting a table full of sarsaparilla candies and adding them to the mess growing amidst the floor. A nearby half ogre, helped Darius to stop flailing about by grabbing him from behind and holding him tight while the chaos was being contained.
Darius was helped to his feet and his leg spasmed out, sending at least 30 candies to fly like pin balls across the room and towards the checkout table. The half-orc there gave the half-ogre holding him a nod and nudge towards the door and Darius was firmly guided/manhandled in that direction…
And then Thon got the door open with a successful twist. In no time the three of them entered the narrow and short door, hunched over and twisting to gain entrance, the curtain falling flat in place and then the door closing behind them…
Darius seeing the curtain go flat relaxed and allowed himself to be led outside. The half-ogre, Hrelf, figured that Darius was from another candy factory and was here to cause trouble. He should never come back again. Darius tried to hand Hrelf some nobles and said he was here from Mr. Silver and this should just be forgotten.
Forgotten? Hrelf wasn’t going to forget this and was going to tell the Falsers about Darius and the Mr. Silver Candy Company. Darius just nodded and said, that was probably for the best and was let go, eventually making his way out of town and back to the sled and horse.
As for the other three, there were in a room with a 5 ½’ tall ceiling, a nice great room with gnome sized furnishing, a harpsichord, couches, hanging lights, long hall with two side rooms and ending a double door at the end of carpeted hall.
And four gnomes in decent clothing all staring at the door they just entered from and closed, in the process of dusting and wiping down the room. Fuck…we weren’t alone. They asked if Malted or Uke were here, no answer. We quietly made our way through the room while the gnomes talked about most likely they were here and were invisible. Was it a game? Why were they doing this? Is this a test?
We made our way down the hall, shoulder to hand. To the right was a kitchen where two gnomes were cooking and preparing a lot of food and pastries on the really nice overs and counters. And to the left was a dining room where 20 could sit, and 10 were there now, all gnomes, 6 of which were kids.
No slaves, no slave collars, no one looked beaten or messed up, no one was in rags. This was NOT was we expected to find. It was almost…familial.
There was some questioning if we, (the gnomes) were here, and some answering from the great room that maybe. Ugh. Fuck. The end of the hall was a double door and getting closer Barb was able to tell through the Ravenstone that each door had a wizardmark upon it- the left was an “M” the right was a “U”. The thought was we had seen no office or bedroom – so it was most likely behind here. And before the gnomes started figuring out where we were, we wanted to get in.
So Thon once again took out his picks and worked the lock on the “U” side, opening the lock. He turned the knob. Slowly. Pushed the door. It was dark in there and he pushed it a bit more when some candles flared to life inside and there was a chime like a cascading hard noise, and a spectral voice said, “Welcome home, Master Uke. Would you like a beverage?”
Which got every gnome in the place to come out and look around, looking down the hall and seeing…nothing – just the partially open door.
Gimme a damned break.
We all shoved ourselves inside and shut the door carefully as young gnomes were clamoring from the other side, “Master Uke? Master Uke?” We ignored everything and stood there, hearts hammering as the conversation meandered about on the other side with one of the gnomes saying, “Well, Master, if you want, there’s a brandy waiting for you when you’re ready.”
Gods, we were so boned.
We were again in a small ceilinged room, two large poster beds, tables, chairs, desks, curtains, shelves, knickknacks – obviously where the Falser brothers did their work and slept. We looked over the obvious large desk and although there were lots of books about their legitimate candy business, there were also at least 4 slim tomes that were about Sir Gregor Oslterson and deliveries to, from, and about the Demesne.
We agreed to take them and the disembodied voice said, “Master Uke, it sounds like you have guests, shall I fetch some snacks for all of them?” Fuck fuck fuck magic shit just SHUT UP… After a while, it grew quiet again. We swept all the books into Thon’s backpack, went shoulder to hand line up again, and went back to the door.
No more screwing around, we opened the door and again that damned chime went off and the voice said, “Farewell Master Uke, have a wonderful day!” And a bunch of 2’ tall or less gnome kids boiled out of the kitchen and ran down the hall towards our invisible selves. We grabbed the mug of brandy outside the door, dumped it over, and stayed to the sides as we dodged kids and gnomes milling about and others going, “I told you there were here. Master Uke?”
In the great room we wasted no time, opened the door and marched out quick to the selling floor and damn the curtains and who might see us. As we tried to dodge our way around the room, Barb was inadvertently clotheslined by a half-orc and a 7’ tall lollipop, the barbarian hitting the ground with a strangled gurgle. We felt around to locate her, helped her up and ran out of the place while the half-orc was talking to other half orcs about how something’s been weird today and he is sure he hit someone but no kid was hurt.
Out in the street we made it south and east to the wall and then relaxed the invisibility spell, going visible as we huffed through the cold night air to Darius waiting for us along with the sled. We showed him the backpack full of books, got on the sled, and drove away for the long ride back to Durcent Province.
As for Shim and his contingent, they got to the Bread and Lake early, procured a table near the back, and took to ordering some food and drink. He then asked Brading and Thalin if during the meal, they might want to get up and walk away as he had some private information to share with the Falser brothers about his time leaving the Nightwoods. Walk away? Why? Private. But, we’re all friends. Yeah, but it’s private to me – and maybe the Falsers might want it to be private as well.
At that point Malted and Uke Falser arrived along with the half-ogre Fryld. We all sat down to eat and the conversation meandered only a little bit while Shim was laying the ground work that he wanted to work with them to help free potential other gnomes.
It was at this point that whatever preconceived notions Shim had about the Falsers were slowly chipped away. They had been smuggled out some 12 years ago, shortly after the Theocrat came to power. It was easier then but still expensive. The Theocrat is not a forgiving gnome and his Defenders will often snag entire families and bring them back for re-education.
As for sending Thalin or Brading away, the Falsers felt no need as they would not send Fryld away. Too many gnome issues are shrouded and they need to be shone to the light or the Theocrat will continue to hold sway.
To gnomes it’s a big thing to leave the Nightwoods as it is their ancestral home, as far back as history goes, the gnomes had lived there. But when the Theocrat, in the guise of religious fascism, takes power and solidifies it, even the most ardent believer can’t make the case to stay.
Fryld was one of the half-ogres working with the Centaurs on smuggling gnomes free – and the Falsers took a liking to the half-ogre, especially once they learned he was a natural and untrained sorcerer. Once far away from the Nightwoods they set up shop here in Stivil at a defunct factory and rebuilt it to their needs. Since then they’ve been funding the freedom of various gnomes and their families – to the tune of 136 to date freed. They have a 15 year contract, food and board is provided free as well as education and a marketable skill here. They are free to leave or stay, but the Falsers feel an attachment to every one of them and consider them family.
As for Shim he did let know that he was a novitiate in the Arcane Academy and about 5 years or so ago, after a blistering tirade against the Theocrat to the wrong people, he was approached by smugglers who had been paid to get him free of Nightwoods. Following was a 3 week ordeal of smuggling inside tunnels, boxes, bolt hole to bolt hole, making his way out of the Nightwoods and terrified of being caught at any moment. In the clear thinking that follows, Shim realizes that if his unknown benefactors hadn’t smuggled him out when they did, a week or two tops later he’d have been snatched off the streets and taken away for reeducation and maybe even death.
The Falsers seemed honest and earnest, and they were truthful in their dealings. They have a vaunted interest in half-orcs, orcs, and half-ogres because they respect them and their dedication to clan and family. It’s a bit gnomish in their way of thinking and honor is an important part of most orc’s lives. As for gnomes? Too many humans just discount gnomes as…what? Friendly forest folk? Retarded elves?
Unnecessary?
They did talk about Rargitild of the Green Hills, a friend of their who died due to an alembic imbalance while working on some alchemical mixture. And they did admit that they did “contract” work for an odious human who was looking to fuck over the locals just so his son can get a good job. So…human.
The meal was an eye opener for everyone and it was around 8:30 when Shim and company ended the conversation and wished the Falsers the best. He’d be in touch in the next couple of days about working with them and getting someone out (or so he said). From there they left without haste and made their way eventually beyond the walls and to Rhygar who was waiting for them. They loaded up on the sled and turned to the south and east, their horse pushing forward on their long trip to Durcent Province.
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