[quote="sulldawga"] Lots of bad things happening down in the Badlands right now. 25 gold ain't getting me back in the sand. [/quote] "What will, then? And why should I hire you over a guide of the League of Surveyors?"
Tohopka also asks both guides (separately) if they have any objection to another guide joining the expedition, as his master values covering all bases should something untoward happen.
Bah! says the independent guide. If'n you think just being a League member somehow makes you good at traversing the wilderness, then you're dumber than they come. I'm outta here!
The League guide, whose name is Mikyun, says he doesn't care who else is in your employ as long as he gets paid the agreed upon fee.
[quote="sulldawga"]
Bah! says the independent guide. If'n you think just being a League member somehow makes you good at traversing the wilderness, then you're dumber than they come. I'm outta here! [/quote] Tohopka watches the man leave with curiousity, wondering how he ever finds employment if he can't sell himself in response to a simple question.
> The League guide, whose name is Mikyun, says he doesn't care who else is in your employ as long as he gets paid the agreed upon fee. "You are hired, and will receive your first two month's pay when you report to this location later today prepared to travel. Do you have a steed?"
Mikyun does not have his own horse. He is otherwise ready to travel.
Egil
Egil shooes any other occupant out of his room after mumbling something about "going to the borderlands to find the undergarments", getting ready before joining Leila in the common room for some breakfast.
Reinhart stumbles into the common room as well, grabbing something to eat, mumbling something about witchcraft when looking at Leila before heading out of the city to get the troops.
All three and the Rouge Raiders will then ride out to join with Alistar and Taerad.
How much did the binge cost?
Location: Free City of Ket (Vinric, Arnolt & henches, Godric & henches, Mundo & Billious, Tohopka)
On the road between Ket and Avauntar (Alistair & Emmon, Egil & henches, Taered)
Date: Fourthmonth 3, 300 YE
Weather: 59 degrees, clear
The temperature makes a 180 degree turn, and jumps from abnormally cold to abnormally hot. The Kettites suspect demon worship is the cause and begin to eye their neighbors furtively in hopes of spotting unusual activity.
Vinric has his map in hand.
Arnolt continues his perambulations around the city.
Godric still has decisions to make regarding alchemists and wagon trains.
Alistair and the mercs are slowed by Emmon's medium warhorse and only cover 54 miles on Fourthmonth 2. They arise after sleeping in and around a conveniently located roadside inn, and continue their journey.
Mundo and Billious wait patiently for Yelid of the Many Hues, who begins his third and final day of research on the warring factions of the Badlands.
Egil, Leila, Reinhart, and the horse archers cover 72 miles on the 2nd and camp in an open field. They awake and continue onward to Avauntar.
Taered and his mercs proceed at the pace of the Cataphract Cavalry and camp in and around the same roadside inn as Alistair's troops.
Tohopka has an agreement with a guide named Mikyun but needs to obtain a horse for him.
We can retroactively buy a horse for Mikyun if Tohopka wants to get on the road quickly.
Rodriguez, feel free to roll yourself for things like gold spent on wine, women, and song.
Tohopka
Tohopka purchases a light riding horse and kit for Mikyun, and arranges with Mundo and Billious for the guide to travel to Avauntar with them. When Mikyun arrives, Tohopka gives him 50 gp for two months of service and discusses the situation in the Badlands with him, wanting to know what to expect that he and Taerad can better prepare for the journey.
He'll stay in the company of Mikyun, geting to know the man and developing a rapport with him, until Mundo and Billious are ready to travel to Avauntar.
95 gp spent on light riding horse, saddle & tack, and a pair of saddlebags for Mikyun + 50 gp spent on Mikyun = two 100 gp gems cashed in. 55 gp left over unless there's a gem fee.
Actually, Tohopka will purchase two light riding horses with gear (instead of one), as riding horses may be scarce in the smaller market of Avauntar, and he and Taerad have intention of hiring a second guide there.
That's 190 gp spent on horses + 50 gp spent on Mikyun = 240 gp. I'll adjust the treasure thread to reflect cashing in a 500 gp gem and getting soome gems and coin in return.
Egil
Egil continues to ride ahead with his troops, looking for potential trouble.
Edit: Dice roller didnt work: Rolled offsite for a whoopin 3700 gold debauchery in Ket, leaving Egil with 755 gp.
Vinric Lahes
Vinric allows that he is ready to hit the road, preferably with what companions are still in Ket.
Once all is settled with Mikyun the Guide and he is confident Mikyun has other party members to be accountable to for completing the trip to Avauntar, Tohopka explains to his companions that he seeks to catch up with the earlier departure group, but that he may return to facilitate communication.
If there's no further discussion, he walks outside the walls of Ket, finds a private spot, performs a tribal chant and dance, and shifts into the form of an oversized owl. He takes flight for the lands of Avauntar.
In owl form, Tohopka moves 300', or 60 miles/day.
Location: Free City of Ket (Arnolt & henches; Godric & henches)
On the road between Ket and Avauntar (Vinric, Mundo, and Billious; Alistair & Emmon; Taered; Tohopka)
Avauntar (Egil & henches)
Date: Fourthmonth 4, 300 YE
Weather: 51 degrees, clear (Ket)
58 degrees, overcast (Avauntar)
The weather in Ket returns to normal and talk of demon worship dies down a tad.
Vinric is ready to depart for Avauntar at first light but decides to wait in order to travel with Mundo and Billious, even though his light horse is faster than their medium horses. They can leave at noon, after the latter pair meet with Yelid of the Many Hues.
Arnolt will go dark unless kalstone posts soon.
Godric will go dark unless Dave posts soon.
Alistair gathers his mercs and travels another 54 miles toward Avauntar on Fourthmonth 3. That evening, the mage and his paladin companion are welcomed into a local lord's manse for a night of feasting and light conversation. The mercs bivouac on the lord's grounds. The next morning, the mage rallies his forces and returns to the road.
Egil and his men put in another 72 miles and camp atop a hill in and around an abandoned watchtower. They wake up on Fourthmonth 4 and arrive in Avauntar around noon time. The temperature is about 10 degrees warmer than in Ket. Feel free to give me any actions for the afternoon.
Taered and his men continue with Alistair's men and camp in the same location, Taered enjoying the same hospitality from the local lord as Alistair does.
Is Tohopka traveling along the roads or "as the crow flies"?
First thing in the morning, Mundo and Billious meet with Yelid of the Many Hues and learn the results of his research.
From what I can gather, there are a few sources of wealth in the Badlands. The main one is preying on the caravans that travel to Avauntar from the lawless city of Maquan Bay. Spices, salted fish, and pearls come from Maquan Bay, as well as trade goods purloined by the pirates. The Queen turns a blind eye to the origin of these goods and pockets the tax revenue. Luxury items make the trip back to Maquan, but the Queen forbids any arms or armor. I'm sure you could find a few smugglers who ignore that particular Royal order.
There are several tribes of beastmen in the hills that make a fine living as raiders. Mainly orcs but a few ogres and some giants as well. Hill giants but I've heard whispered rumors of a castle full of fire giants. I know of five orc tribes in the Badlands. From smallest to largest, they are the Gaping Maw, the Crooked Moon, the Necksnappers, the Red Blades, and the Blood of Hargosh. The Gaping Maw has maybe 30 orc males, but the Blood of Hargosh has well over 100. Hard to say about the ogres, there's likely to be a village or two up in the hills that no one knows about. But there are the Hilltoppers and the Hungry Ones, that we know of for sure.
More feared are the gnoll reavers. Caring not a whit for trade goods, they come out at night to hunt for human flesh. They feast on the nomads of the Badlands, and won't shy from a fight with centaurs if threatened. Can't say how many gnolls there are. No one knows where their village is, or if there are more than one.
The nomads are your usual sort. Mostly goatherders, they move from place to place, looking for wild fruit and scrub for the goats, hunting the occasional ungulate. They aren't friendly, per se, but aren't actively violent unless provoked. They rarely attack travelers or caravans but will do so to avenge a wrong or if orc and gnoll raids thin their herds. Three or four tribes out there, I think. Hard to say, sometimes food gets scarce and the tribes split into smaller groups every now and again. The Dorset, the Thule, the Kevela are the three big ones. A few hundred each, if you count the women and younglings.
The centaurs are a mystery. Usually found deep in the forest, no one knows what this particular tribe is doing in the Badlands. I'd say they're the key to all of this weirdness. If you want to figure out what everyone and everything is looking for, start with the Chag.
Tohopka does not know this land, but he also does not wish to draw attention to his travel, so he and his owl companion, Gawonii, fly within owl sight of the road but do not travel directly on it. They keep watch for predators in both the air and land as they speed southeast. If Tohopka feels it is safer for them to travel at night, they'll do so.
Note that I was incorrect about his rate of movement. Per Air Travel, ACKS 94, Tohopka's long distance movement rate while flying is 120 miles/day. It'll take him 1.5 days to get to Avauntar from Ket.
Arnault
Arnault will leave Ket when everyone else is done with their business.
Mundo, Billious
Mundo and Billious thank Yelid for his wisdom, and set out with Vinric.
Egil
After making sure the Rouge Raiders set up a camp outside of town Egil and his two goons leisurly ride up to the next tavern as if they would own the place to get a good stiff drink. He and Leila will then use the afternoon to find out about the local "underworld" while Reinhart will get some booze for the troops.
Egil and his henches scope out the scene in Avauntar. They find out that there are six bars in the town; four welcome the common man and two are more upscale where mercs (and probably Egil unless he cleans up a tad and drops some gold on the doorman) are not allowed.
There are also two brothels where the trio could likely inquire into other less than savory activities. Leila says the town has the look of the Like Minded about it, and they would have the same issues as in Ket, as non-members of the guild.
Egil notes a strong contingent of Ket royal troops in town. His off the cuff guess is that there are a few hundred overall. They apparently double as both town guards and regional patrollers.
Finally, the group finds a large open air market which appears to be dominated mainly by large merchant concerns and other wholesalers. There are relatively few stalls retailing goods to the locals. The private security presence in this area is... robust.
Location: On the road between Ket and Avauntar (Vinric; Mundo, Billious, & Mikyun; Arnolt & henches; Godric & henches)
Avauntar (Egil & henches; Alistair & henches; Taered & Tohopka)
Date: Fourthmonth 5, 300 YE
Weather: 57 degrees, partly cloudy (Avauntar)
The weather in Avauntar is unremarkable in its normalcy.
Vinric, Mundo & Billious, Arnolt and his henches, Godric and his henches, Mikyun the guide, and eight platoons of mercenaries cover 27 miles on the 4th. They camp in a decent sized town, trading gold for semi-comfortable sleeping quarters in various and sundry inns, barns, and backyards. The next morn, they are up with the sun and back on the road.
We'll take Godric to Avauntar but he stays there until Dave posts.
Alistair gathers his mercs, and Taered gathers his mercs, and they travel another 54 miles toward Avauntar on Fourthmonth 4. The local town's meister gently, politely, but firmly directs the entire crew to a large field outside town where they camp for the night without any drama. Early on the morning of the 5th, the pair and their entourages arrive in Avauntar.
Tohopka, having flown quite far on the previous day, makes even better time on the 5th and arrives in Avauntar perhaps an hour after his master's arrival.
Egil and his men wake up in Avauntar and plan their activities for the day.
Folks who have arrived can do what they like in Avauntar or we can fast forward to get the party all together.
Taerad and Tohopka seek out the services of a Badlands guide in Avauntar. Taerad looks in the usual places one finds such men and women in civilization. Tohopka looks to see if there are any tribal guides in the town.