ONE HUNDRED FIFTY TWO
(I/C)
"Meats back on the menu boys,” Lannis said with a grin as Kovid came back with some venison steaks that he proceeded to slice thin. Lyra had gotten the stove lit and it was already heating up nicely. The Magic User continued, “I'll be taking last shift tonight. So, should we stash those gems somewhere safe for now? You figure that out, I'll get this food going.”
He reached out and was about to toss the meat in the soup pot and slap it on the over when Abraxas calmly stepped over and gave Lannis a small nudge off center. “"Whoa, alto Señor Lainess, uno minuto, por favor. Let me... como dices... borrow... si, borrow... el carne for uno minute?” He looked over the stove on the small shelf and took a tin of salt and pepper down, rubbing a decent amount on both sides of the meats. While he was seasoning them, he trimmed off some of the fat from the meat and tossed it in the pan to sear and melt. “Muchas gracias Señor. This will be much better. Do we have any toh-me-toes left to grill with el carne? Perhaps hai es some poh-te-toes around here? Can you find them for me por favor?"
"Poh-tay-toes was it? Grate them, flake them, eat them when they're raw? Do I look like a field mouse to you?" Hearing a stifled snort from the side of the room, he shot a withering look at Lyra: "Don't. Answer that.”
“I don’t need to answer that Lannis, we all know the answer,” she said, coaxing the dwarf out of his armor and underpadding, revealing the patchwork of bruises and scrapes underneath. She unrolled one of the three Sclepian bandages and muttering a quick prayer to the Healing god and Aine, proceeded to bind the dwarf’s serious wounds.
"Señor Laintess,” Abraxas said with a head shake as he laid the meat onto the searing pan, “that is absolutely NOT how you serve poh-te-toes. If you find them, bring them to me, I will prepare them. Remember, if you find them, you get to do less work. I'll do all the cooking for the group. So it all works out!"
Shrugging, “Fine, for the good of the party I'll look for potatoes. Wait, don’t we have a bunch of tomatoes?"
Wyn who was looking over the tapestries with a wondering eye had taken off his backpack and inside removed the 20 tomatoes he had gathered earlier today. “’Ere you go, Monsieur. Oh... my. Wyn feels like he could take on de world! Or maybe just more creatures in dis castle... hm.”
Brendon meanwhile was sitting at the table, the jeweled rapier in his hands, twirling the blade and sighing. “What’s going on?” Kovid asked.
“Thinking about the best way to remove the stones without damaging either them or the rapier.” He reached over and took the bottle of elven wine, popped the cork, and poured some into the closest clayware mug he could grab. Taking a taste, he smiled and drank deeper. “The wine is almost as beautiful as these stones.”
After getting bound up, Kovid took three of the slowburn beeswax candles and lit one as the lantern light was about extinguished at this time. Time passed and the group chit chatted for a while as Wyn copied the Read Magic scroll into his spellbook, Lyra bound her own wounds with the Sclepian Bandage and stowed the third one away. Eventually the grilled meat and tomatoes were finished and the party ate, stretching out their rations with the food Abraxas had prepared.
There was merriment, laughing, and for the first time in many day, a sense of camaraderie around the table that had been missing under the strain the group had been through. Eventually watches were set up and the group split up where they would be sleeping (2 to the bed, one on the couch, the last near the brazier on a series of pillows and bedrolls), and by 5:30, Brendon and Kovid took first watch.
About an hour into it, the dwarf turned to Brendon and asked, “Do you think you can swipe a few blank pages from the kitten sketch book, unseen? I think it's Lannis's pack. I need some more paper for our map... and a few other plans."
Tilting the wine bottle back and swinging the rapier a bit drunkenly, Brendon peered at the snoring Magic User and shrugged before shaking his head. “I can give you some of what I have,” he offered, taking out a few blank pages he grabbed from the Scriptorium. “You know how they’ll react if I try to take anything, even if it is for a good cause.”
Kovid chuckled, “Fine, fine, fine. Wanted to look at it.” He sighed. “I’ll be a good dwarf.” He took the bottle and drank a swallow of the wine before grinning and putting it back.
Brendon got up, took a steadying breath, and then lightly tiptoed over to Lannis and with a few quick flicks of his fingers (<Pick Pocket +25 bonus, Red 11) took the elven sketchbook out of the wizard’s backpack and brought it to the dwarf. “Look at the kitties, but don’t rip anything out or I’ll blame you.”
Kovid smiled and thumbed through the sketch book one page at a time, the two of them commenting on the quality of the drawing and the types of cats depicted. They were sure that it was five different cats over 60 pages, each cat drawn many times and in different places around the Castle and the grounds. (<Kovid Int -2 penalty Yellow 3…<Brendon Int -2 penalty, Red 6) It was after they had gone through it a second time that something stood out in the background on two of the pictures of a cat in a large ballroom with a tall domed ceiling. In the back was depicted a large metal spire with a flat top and wheel set in the middle. The two of them squinted and then looked at each other. “Thor’s Balls” “By Poseidon’s Thunder.” “That’s the vault!” The squinted at the drawing and were sure it was in a very large room based upon the size of picture’s background and the vault, a heavy metal flat topped spire, was there.
The rest of the watch was without issue (WMC: 4, 2) and Brendon returned the book to Lannis’ pack (<Pick Pockets +35 bonus, Red 36) after getting the dwarf to give it up. They had to light the next candle during the watch but Kovid filled his lantern with one of two flasks of oil and the two of them went to wake up Wyn and Abraxas.
The Elf and Fighter spent some time talking and looking around, playing with the tapestry, refreshing the aroma in the chamber, and making sure the night was passing without a problem (WMC: 6, 1). At one point they heard some noise coming down the hall (d6: 3: Undead. Zombies, # appearing d6: 4) but it was the slow cadence of the Guardians as they walked south from the hall, passing the Butcher’s room, and then continued on. About forty minute later, they were heard passing by again, heading back north and eventually to the room they had come from.
They awoke Lannis and Lyra next, the two of them feeling real good from their rest, the two friends sniping at one another and passing the time (WMC: 3, 2) but it was a quiet night for them as well. Eventually the entire party awoke and we broke our fast, studied and prayed for spells, cleaned the room and unwrapped the dirty bandages and made ourselves ready for the new day! (Everyone remove 1 day water and ½ day standard rations)
Time now is Day 5, 7:00 AM
(OOC)
Healing: Lannis heal 0 (at full), Lyra heal 6 (at 1 dam), Brendon heal 1 (at full), Kovid heal 10 (at 3 dam), Wyn heal 0 (at full), Abraxas heal 0 (at full).
Lyra, both bandages need to be washed in sulfur water today for 3 minutes at least each in order to use them again.
You guys still have a bunch of stuff at the barracks.
What’s the plan, where are we going, what are we doing? Kovid, your lantern is lit now and has 6 hours light and there are no more slowburn candles in the Butcher’s area that have not been taken or used.
Lannis, what spells for today?
No comments:
Post a Comment