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Back to the Council Hall

DM Mitch
Friday July 31st, 2020 7:35:53 AM
Zazu ponders regeneration realizing that some things that can do it are people of sorts and rejects the notion of becoming a slaver. He asks the others if Hydras are more like animals or people before giving thanks for the treasure and reflecting on becoming presentable.

Niall is thankful for the assistance they received on their last mission and agrees with the idea of cleaning up first.

Naithi looks at the treasure and is happy to see that some of the items are perfect for her and that the belt is beautiful. She stays her hand though, as something suggests to her that it needs health and protection more and if she dies it dies.

Lothlo relays thanks to Delilah to give to the councilor. He then takes a quick bath as it is luxury he was unaccustomed to given his time in slavery and something his still recovering body needs.
Náro uses a prestidigitation spell to make himself presentable and considers a wardrobe change. He gives thanks for the treasure and investigates it a little but decides to check later to see just what in there is magical.

Ash tries to make out the writing on the Token Nelly gave them. The message seems to roughly translate to the message of IOU signed Nelly the Greenmage. She did bid Nelly farewell before leaving

Ash tells Delilah they did what they did because it was the right thing to do not because of any reward. She privately wonders if that means the Councilor considers the matter closed and they won’t be given help by her in the council chamber. She offers a prestidigitation spell to any who want it.

Delilah says, “Councilor Woldrock is most generous indeed. She rewards those who do right by her. As a wealthy scion of a dwarf noble house in exile that has made shrewd investments over time she can afford to be. I do not know whether what you did for her, the wine and her people will have any influence on her vote, but I honestly hope you get at least the three votes you need today and that someday I’ll be able to visit your settlement.”

After everyone has had a chance to freshen up Delilah escorts you back to the council hall. As your petition is the first item on the list she takes you all the way to the waiting room with the double doors that empty out to the council chamber floor.

After waiting a much shorter time from yesterday the doors open and a voice calls out “Docket 74532 strike 2 an update on Docket 74532 strike 1 brought by Goodie Silverkin and Petitioners Braurer, Drochil, Murzush, Niall, Windwood and Zazu from the large caravan currently residing outside of Kovri regarding their request for a parcel of land and the rights to settle there. Petitioners please step forward...”

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle) d20+9=17 ; d20+1=17 ;
Friday July 31st, 2020 2:43:14 PM

Having tidied up with prestidigitation cantrips of their own, Boyo and Zazu are looking sharp and tidy.

"Come on, everybody! Break a leg!"

The elf steps confidently into the conference room and looks around. Is there anything different from yesterday? Do the councilors seem to be in any particular mood?

Perception 17
Untrained Sense Motive also 17!

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20 d20+2=18 ; d20+7=15 ;
Friday July 31st, 2020 9:03:17 PM
Lothlo makes sure he is a presentable as possible as they wait behind the doors.
When his name is called the archer makes his way to the front and waits to hear what they say. I tries to pay attention to any indication the counselors might give signing that there is something specific they can address to sway them to their side in this petition.

Sense Motive = 18
Perception = 15

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25 d20=4 ; d20+4=24 ;
Friday July 31st, 2020 9:39:32 PM
Ash steps forward when called and stands tall. She still isn't entirely sure on the protocol, but as she hasn't been asked any questions Ash acknowledges the panel simply with "Councilors" and a short bow.

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Perception: 4
Sense Motive: 24

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Friday July 31st, 2020 10:45:55 PM
Náro looks around the room interestedly-- unlike the other members of his party, he's never been in front of the council before. However, he soon stands attentive and listens to the statements made, paying close attention to make sure that he didn't miss anything when the status of the council was recounted to him yesterday. He, along with the rest of the party, tries to understand any indications of the councilors.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Sunday August 2nd, 2020 9:01:30 AM
Niall steps forward with the others and bows in proper respect to the council.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Monday August 3rd, 2020 7:40:13 AM
I step forward with the others. Unsure what to do, I follow Niall's lead and bow.

DM Mitch
Monday August 3rd, 2020 7:56:03 AM
Zazu and Boyo are looking sharp. He gives words of encouragement to his companions then steps forward confidently trying to gauge the moods of the councilors.

Ash steps forward and stands tall. She bows and says, “Councilors.”

Náro looks around the room interestedly. He stands attentive and listens to the statements made.

Niall steps forward with the other and bows.

Naithi mimics Niall

Murzush steps forward with the rest of you.

The elf sees the same 3 elves, 1 half-elf and 1 dwarf sitting around the council table as yesterday. The observation area seems more crowded than yesterday.

You don’t really get a reading on Councilor Pagolar nor Councilor Cardithas but Councilor Weasboros seems cranky, and Councilors Ilymys and Woldrock seem content.

Councilor Illymys bangs a gavel and says, “Does anyone assembled here from the petitioners or council have anything further to add for your request for a parcel of land and the rights to settle there?”

Councilor Woldrock responds, “It would appear that those standing before us have had quite the morning. Word has reached me of a mindslaver mold infestation at one of my properties that is no longer an issue thanks to those standing before us. It would seem perhaps that there are those of us on the council that may have been hasty in judging the groups fitness to survive.”

Council Waesboros says, “That may be all well and good, but you forget the caravan isn’t full of adventurers like those that ventured before us today and to your property this morning. Correct me if I am wrong but your caravan numbers in the hundreds? How many among that group are competent enough to survive frontier life or fend off threats? How many old, young, infirm or otherwise non combatants in your ranks? Those gathered before us today may be capable but they are just a sliver of everyone we’d be allowing with a vote in favor of their petition today. They cannot be everywhere at once, furthermore they are still young as an adventuring group. I don’t think we can expect them to always stay near the settlement especially if rumors of treasure reach them or of neighbors in trouble.”

Councilor Pagolor asks, “How many adventurers did the last settlement we granted count amongst its ranks?”

Councilor Cardithas replied, “I believe the last settlement we granted was the failed venture on that flood plain. A merchant venture complete with mercenary warriors as guards. The mercenaries hired were a motley assortment of sellswords rounded up from here or there. None were members of the mailed fist or any other organization.”

Councilor Illymys says, “And not all of the people who attempted the last settlement were warriors either. So I don’t see how we can hold that against them.”

Murzush says, “Your honors, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that those seeking a settlement are either orcs or fought against orcs and won freedom from said orcs. When I helped free my friends and the others from the bondage of my former tribe we all fought. If a threat comes up and the party before you is not around the settlement to deal with it there are others among the caravan who have skills. Perhaps they wouldn’t deal with it in the same manner as the party but they’d if something threatened their home or the people they cared about they would defend it, with their lives if they had to. With a spirit like that I do not think you would have to worry about our adventurers being spread too thin.”

She says to the rest of you, “I don’t suppose you guys have anything to add?”

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Monday August 3rd, 2020 1:43:43 PM
"those looking to establish a hike may not all be adventurers, but they were all strong and sturdy enough to survive life as slaves in a harsh land. I do not think life in the frontier as a free people will be any more of a hardship." Niall chimes in.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle) d20=9 ;
Monday August 3rd, 2020 3:47:50 PM

Zazu thinks and remembers the correct way to address these lordly folk, so as to be polite and respectful. Somebody has to refute this example of a failed merchant settlement.

The elf mentions that the refugees are not a mercantile expedition looking for profits, one that investors could abandon if things go belly-up. "Rather, we are looking for a place to live, and we will not retreat or abandon the place you kindly grant us. We are determined to make a home. And we are resourceful people, ready for hard work, especially working for ourselves, not slavemasters."

Zazu tries to make eye contact with each council member, especially Councilor Cardithas. "I wonder how devoted those merchants were to the land, if they even thought about respect for the place in which they sought to settle. We were blessed this morning with the favor of Greenmage Nelly, who has generously offered her assistance in helping us to become self-sustaining."

Zazu looks at Council Waesboros and says, “I hope that with the Lady Greenmage's help and with our own considerable resources, we will successfully survive frontier life and fend off threats."

Diplomacy untrained 9

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Monday August 3rd, 2020 9:04:49 PM
Lothlo bows and addresses the councilor's concerns.

Councilor Waesboros, may I ask what happened to the previous group? The caravan has plenty of skilled hands and strong backs, but since it is a flood plain we are discussing and sellswords supporting the group, I am curious if it was the flooding itself that was the cause of their demise. A flood can be devastating for those who are not prepared, but when it is regular and expected it is something you can plan for.

Along this note, the green mage we mentioned would have far more success than the previous sellswords and adventurers when it comes determining what crops would not only grow, but thrive in such harsh conditions such as a flood plain.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25 d20+2=11 ;
Tuesday August 4th, 2020 2:18:01 AM
"I think you covered it rather well, Murzush" Ash says nodding towards their orcish friend. "There is a difference between a mercenary who fights for money and people who fight for their homes. These people - our people - have strong spirits. They are dedicated to making a place to call home"

Diplomacy: 11 (untrained)

DM Mitch
Tuesday August 4th, 2020 7:47:13 AM
Niall states that while everyone with them may not be adventurers they were all hardy enough to survive as slaves in a harsh land arguing that frontier life as free people will be less of a hardship.

Zazu refutes the example of the failed merchant settlement arguing that they are looking for a place to live and they will not retreat or abandon anyplace granted. He brings up the fact that they have secured the favor of Green Mage Nelly earlier that morning to further their self-sufficiency aims and that between that and their own resources they should be able to survive and fend off threats.

Lothlo bows and addresses the councilor’s concerns. He asks what the reason was for the failed merchant venture and suggests that working with the greenmage should the land they be given be on a flood plain they should be able to plan around it and determine what plants could live there as well.

Ash talks about the difference between mercenaries fighting for coin and people fighting for their homes.

Councilor Weasboros says to Murzush, “You folks may be spirited but is that enough to not only survive but contribute to the Emerald Kingdom? Perhaps only time will tell? The question is, do we want to grant it?”

He asks Zazu, “What exactly has this Greenmage promised your group that you feel it will make such a difference?”

He says to Lothlo, “The previous group failed because of the flood plain and they didn’t plan nor take it into account as they did not do a proper survey of the land they bought from the Emerald Kingdom. Your circumstances are a bit different I admit and their arrangement was different than what you are asking, it could still prove to be a parable of what happens to the ill prepared and foolhardy.”

Councilor Cardithas says, “I have read a report of the situation and while I am impressed that you managed to secure the aid of a Green Mage, I can’t help but feel a little disturbed that some amongst you wanted to keep a mindslaver mold in captivity to use as a potential food source. I can appreciate the ingenuity but can a group of people that would entertain such a risk in the first place find themselves stumbling into a future difficult situation that could have been easily avoided by not taking those kinds of risks? Do you as a whole possess the judgement to avoid them? That I am not certain of.”

Councilor Woldrock says, “I have nothing further to add, but I reserve the right to ask questions or respond to anything further that may come up until we take our vote.”

Councilor Pagolar says, “I find myself in the same position as Councilor Woldrock.”

Murzush says to Councilor Wesboros, “Perhaps what you said to me is true but if you do give us the time to prove ourselves you won’t be disappointed in the results that our spirit and resolve will yield.”

Murzush says to Councilor Cardithas, “We did not end up taking the live mindslaver mold in question with us after all and parlayed the situation into a promise of future aid from a greenmage. I don’t understand any further objections.”

Councilor Illimys asks, “Do you folks have any further rebuttal to the statements and questions that Councilors Woldrock and Cardithas just made or should we put things to a vote?”

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Tuesday August 4th, 2020 9:38:11 AM

Zazu looks a little embarrassed. "I was the one to strongly propose using the mold. I thought it was just a mindless thing operating on instinct. Once I understood that it was intelligent and could understand language, I came to a better understanding. We were slaves; we have no desire to be slavemasters."

The elf pauses to recall the greenmage's offer, using his intellect to recall the words more or less exactly. "Greenmage Nelly explained to us that the mold was not only dangerous but sentient, and she offered to take care of it in exchange for her help. She said ..."

"How about I offer you a deal. Leave the mold with me and after you folks have figured out where you are staying I will come out there and plant something that will yield more food than a mindslaver mold and be better for you. .... How about that trade? A mindslaver mold which is sentient, mobile and trouble that wants to enslave things in exchange for a safe, non-sentient, stationary food plant of some kind later."

Zazu pauses, and the elf's natural shyness comes to the fore. Boyo nudges him (to an outside observer, an odd bulge in the elf's shirt moves a bit unusually.)

"Um, well, it's funny to say it, but we are here to make friends. Some of our friends will help us, and we them. Others will be of no help, but we still want them as friends. Maybe Miz Nelly will be a friend, one of many to come, and we will trade favors or simply be good neighbors."

"In the same way, we are elves and other noble races who have become friends with orcs."

"And we met a very nice person named Aiduin who said that with your blessing we could invite a witch or cleric to find a place in our new village."

"I hope that our openness to new people and ideas will help convince you that we intend to make our new village a thriving, productive, safe, good place for people."

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Tuesday August 4th, 2020 10:49:50 AM
Sorry for the missed post, our birth class went late.

Councilors,

I pray that you will our actions as resourceful and showing the necessary critical thinking. At the time we did not know if the mold was a plant it animal. Sentient or not. We also wanted to know if it could be rendered harmless or used for am antidote. We kept it for questioning as much as anything else.

Upon meeting the Green Mage we did our due diligence. We determine it was sentient and would still post a risk to us and acted appropriately.

I believe we showed ourselves cautious and resourceful. We will be creative with our resources and look for ways to renew and cultivate them rather than using them up. We will seek out knowledge and listen to those whose experience exceed our own.

Even our enemies we tried to learn more about and when we learned they were sentient agreed to do nothing to oppress them.

Most importantly, we are willing to learn and adapt and to take your advice to heart.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Tuesday August 4th, 2020 4:41:00 PM
Niall has nothing more to add

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Tuesday August 4th, 2020 9:19:21 PM
We are making plans based on our knowledge of the flood plains to make sure food will not be an issue, and with proper planning houses can be kept safe by keeping them above the flood line, or building them on raised foundations that prevent the flood waters from damaging them. As for whether you want to grant it, these are people that have worked hard their entire lives, fought for their freedom, and are willing to do anything that is asked to be able to live a peaceful and fruitful life. I do hope you decide you want to grant their request, as few are as deserving of such a chance as these refugees.

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Tuesday August 4th, 2020 10:20:29 PM
Náro has been standing to the side, listening attentively to the points being made. He is reluctant to chime in-- it is in his nature to only make points when he can be sure of their validity-- but now, he bows slightly and says, 'I agree with my companions, we are hard-working and have the will to create our own settlement, if this right is granted to us.' He steps back politely after he finishes speaking.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Tuesday August 4th, 2020 10:22:38 PM
Zazu and Naithi have covered the 'moss' situation well. Ash takes a shot at a different angle.

"Councilors. We want to succeed in creating a home, and to that end we are gathering as much information and advice as we can. If you think it would be beneficial we would also gladly meet with the previous group to understand what they encountered. What went well for them, what challenges did they face."

She looks to Councillors Woldrock and Cardithas

"We don't wish to push you to a vote until we have addressed all of your questions and you are comfortable that we have answered them as best we can."

DM Mitch
Wednesday August 5th, 2020 8:02:06 AM
Zazu feels a little embarrassed and owns up to the idea of the mindslaver mold as a food source before explaining that he changed his mind when he realized it was intelligent. He explains the terms of Nelly’s deal and that it is their intention to make friends. He also tells Councilor Cardithas about Anduin’s offer.

Naithi explains that they are resourceful and that they didn’t know as much about the mold at the time as they do now and they were considering keeping it for an antidote to the spore or questioning as much as anything else and that they changed their minds when they knew more. She also points out that they are cautious, creative and resourceful and are willing to defer to others whose experience exceeds their own and that they are willing to learn and adapt.

Niall has nothing more to add.

Lothlo explains that the group is planning to make use of the knowledge of the flood plains to ensure that food won’t be an issue and that they are planning to take precautions in their building to alleviate flooding concerns. He also summarizes some of the things the group has been through and that the refugees are deserving of a chance to live a peaceful and fruitful life.

Náro had been reluctant to chime in but adds that they are hard working and have the will to create a settlement should that right be granted.

Ash takes a different tact and suggests that if it might be beneficial to meet with the merchant group that failed they would. Ash also states to Woldrock and Cardithas that she doesn’t want to push a vote until they feel all their questions have been answered.

Councilor Woldrock says to Ash, “I already said I had nothing more to add and no further questions.”

Councilor Cardithas says, “I suppose I stand corrected on the mold question, though one can only hope that you are earnest in your expression to learn more, considering there are real risks in Nature. Even if you are building your settlement in the tame lands and not coming to some kind of agreement with the Culverwood, it can be cruel to the ill prepared and unwary.” She continues to Zazu, “Ah yes. Anduin is my cohort. And yes if the council does grant your request then he could see to it that your settlement could have its own Votary Cleric of the Culverwood or bloodwitch with a Culverwood pact should you want one. That person would be able to advise on some of the hazards out there. At this point in time I have no further questions and am ready to cast my vote.”

Councilor Waesboros says, “I too have had all my questions answered and am ready to vote.”

Councilor Illimys says to you, ”Then as is our tradition do you the petitioners have any final statements to make before the council votes to decide the answer to your petition.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Wednesday August 5th, 2020 2:46:59 PM
Niall dips his head to the council and looks to the others in case anyone speaks but remains quiet himself.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Wednesday August 5th, 2020 4:43:50 PM

Zazu feels like enough has been said. The elf stands quietly, hand in shirt to pet Boyo.

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Wednesday August 5th, 2020 6:33:00 PM
Náro has nothing more to say either-- though he hopes that the councilors being ready to vote means that they've taken the company's request into consideration instead of just dismissing it, and although he is nervous, he feels like valid points have been made from his side.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Wednesday August 5th, 2020 9:02:20 PM
The only thing I can think of that we haven't expressed already is these are refugees who would be eternally grateful, and in the years that follow I am sure they will be a far greater asset to your great land than any group of merchants and sell-swords would have been. And you know that if your great land is ever in need they will be the first to answer your call, eager to repay the kindness you show them here today.

Lothlo bows before the counsel and thanks them for their consideration.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Thursday August 6th, 2020 1:42:46 AM
There is nothing more Ash can think to say. The party have made strong cases for the settlement to be allowed. She feels confident that they have secured at least the votes of Ilimys and Woldrock. She's uncertain of the others and can only hope that they have done enough to get just one more vote.

DM Mitch
Thursday August 6th, 2020 7:11:24 AM
Niall has nothing to add.
Zazu stands pat, with his hand in his shirt petting Boyo
Náro has nothing more to say either and he hopes the councilors have taken the party's points seriously instead of dismissing them.
Lothlo emphasizes that the settlers are a bunch of refugees that would be really grateful and prove to be an asset ready to aid the land in the future and repay the kindness granted to them. He then bows and gives thanks.
Ash has nothing further to add.

Murzush says, "Indeed both Orc and non-Orc alike in this group are ready to prove themselves in front of their new home if given a chance. Should the need arise in the future our settlement would give any aid required. Allow us the opportunity and some time and you won't be disappointed..

Councilor illymys says, "Then we will start the voting. I vote aye. This group has potential and I can empathize with their plight. Let's let our home become theirs."

Councilor Waesboros says, "I am still unconvinced. I will abide by the council's decision if the vote ends up being Aye but my answer is Nay. I do not think the risk is worth the reward.

Councilor Cardithas says, "I am torn. On the one hand I think you folks have a lot to learn but on the other hand you do seem to have somewhat of a respect for nature. Therefore I abstain from the voting. I hope should you secure a majority that you prove my misgivings to be wrong in time.

Councilor Woldrock says, "I am convinced. I admit I was originally against the idea but you folks are capable enough to deal with the Mindslaver Mold so I'm sure you and the rest of your friends back at the caravan will be able to puzzle out whatever challenges await you.

Councilor Pagolar says, "I guess that makes me the deciding vote between a majority and deadlock. You know I was elected to shake up the way we do things here in a good way and I.think letting you folks stay here would do just that. I too vote Aye."

Councilor Illymys says, "Then with a vote of 3 ayes, 1 nay and 1 abstain the council votes to approve Docket 74532 strike 2 an update on Docket 74532 strike 1 brought by Goodie Silverkin and Petitioners Braurer, Drochil, Murzush, Niall, Windwood and Zazu from the large caravan currently residing outside of Kovri regarding their request for a parcel of land and the rights to settle there

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Thursday August 6th, 2020 7:57:41 AM

Zazu bows, smiles, and offers sincere thanks. The elf is curious about exactly which parcel of land, how big, and where ... but he says nothing of that for now. It will all be made clear soon, he is sure. He hopes it will be near the magical Culverwood, maybe near a lake. Honestly, he's not super keen on the floodplain, but houses on stilts would be kind of cool, and it would be good for growing rice ...

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Thursday August 6th, 2020 8:19:04 PM
Náro also hopes that the parcel of land isn't too far from the Culverwood; he thinks it would probably be difficult to move a large group of refugees a very far distance. However, he's very grateful that they've been granted rights to settlements, and he bows in thanks. It seems almost surreal to him, that a couple of weeks ago he was a slave and now he's being given the rights to be a citizen.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Thursday August 6th, 2020 9:04:27 PM
Lothlo bows and thanks the council for their gracious decision.

Thank you so much for considering our request and giving us this opportunity. We promise we will work hard to make sure the settlement thrives and grows to be something the council will be proud of.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Thursday August 6th, 2020 11:11:46 PM
I bow in thanks. You have our unending gratitude. May our people memory of this day and desire to repay this favor be as unceasing as the hot fire is in reaching towards the heavens.

DM Mitch
Friday August 7th, 2020 7:54:13 AM
Zazu bows, smiles and offers sincere thanks. His thoughts turn to just where they’ll be able to settle wondering about growing rice if they do have a floodplain to contend with.

Náro too ponders where the group will end up, thinking about the logistics of needing to move the large caravan a great distance.

Lothlo bows and thanks the council.

Naithi also gives thanks and pledges her people to repay the favor if needed in the future.

Before anything else can happen a smartly dressed messenger enters the room from the direction of the petitioners antechamber, takes an envelope from a satchel and gives it to Siggy. The minotaur opens the envelope, reads it and then follows the messenger out of the antechamber.

After the interruption, Councilor Illymys says, “Now before we move onto the next item on the docket I believe we have to establish some information about the settlement we just approved. We need to figure out just where it is going to be and what it is to be called. As for naming that is something for you folks to decide. As for where you will settle where there are a number of parcels of land available.”

He claps his hand and a page enters carrying a backpack full of documents.

Councilor Illymys says, “We have a number of parcels of land we could grant you.” He proceeds to go through the documents in the satchel describing them:

This piece of land is along a small lake in the Tamed Lands between Ferry and Red Hills. There are some edible fish native to the small lake and the water is fresh and potable. There are big enough natural clearings by the lake that you could farm without offending anyone’s sensibilities but the proximity to the lake means the farm land could flood.

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This piece of land is nearish to Fort Peace where the tamed lands meet the red hills. There is a series of caves on this parcel that will yield mining and mineral opportunities. There are a few clearings but the soil is rather poor meaning you can farm if you want but the yields will be reduced.

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This piece of land is beyond Parnoth’s Hill but before the Deep Culverwood. It is somewhat remote and hard to access. Travel times will be fairly long to get places and you cannot farm here as there aren’t really any clearings big enough to support it. You could always clear the land but it would likely upset certain sensibilities.
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This piece of land is beyond Perpaguil near the border of the deep culverwood. There is a ruined castle that is crumbling on this land. You could repair the ruined castle but it will take a lot of resources or you could use it as a source of stone to build new structures. Either way if you want to do anything with it you will likely have to explore the ruins and clear out whatever happens to be living there now.

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This piece of land is between the Emerald City and Parnoth’s Hill. With the fall of the Paroth trade from the Emerald City to Parnoth’s Hill kind of fell off. Also due to the proximity to Parnoth’s Hill this piece of land does have a minor stigma associated with it. You can farm here because the land is relatively clear.

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This piece of land is larger than the other options but that is because it is cut in half by the Lygn River. It is far downriver near the deep culverwood. It does not currently have a bridge so to get from one half of this parcel to the other you’ll have to go several miles out of your way to a ford until you can build a bridge. You can farm here but the farm lands could flood. This land is also near the deep culverwood so strangeness can happen.

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This piece of land is between Dunadori and Titania. It is an orchard that has fallen into disrepair. It used to belong to Mastakara’s family and has several fruit trees that could produce again with some TLC as well as a rustic cottage treehouse on the premises. It is nearish to the border of the deep culverwood so it’ll be a journey to get there.

After Councilor Illymys has gone over the options he says, “Please fill out the form included with the information on the different parcels of land and return it to the clerk. Congratulations and good luck. I believe our business is concluded with you for the time being.”

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Friday August 7th, 2020 2:39:56 PM
I rack my mind trying to recall as much as I can from the maps I studied earlier.

My vote is for the property by the Lygn River.

From what I can recall, the property by the Lygn River is the farthest West. What makes this one stand out of the it is about 12.5 miles from the Emerald Kingdom and just a little further from Fort Silence, although there are no roads it trade routes to and from there.

Travel there might be the easiest, as we could make rafts and sail there and more easily transport larger items. Unfortunately the return trip would be much more difficult as we would be going up river.

It is also the only one right on the border of the Deep Culverwood. If the orcs want to seek retaliation they would have to travel North and pass by Fort Silence cut through the Deep Culverwood or take the river closer to the Emerald Kingdom.

The down side is that we would have to plan for flooding and the mysteries of the Deep Culverwood. Since the orcs will never forgive us and the Culverwood is an unknown, I would prefer the unknown.

There are also some mysteries about the area. I noticed the maps all stop giving detail at the Deep Culverwood. Does the council happen to know where the river stops? At the edge of the Deep Culverwood or at an unknown location inside?

If it is deep inside and we can get the Culverwood's acceptance, we may find a faster route to Pullman's Crossing or Blackbird Lake. However that is not anything we can count on.

I'm not saying this will be the easiest location to settle. Infact, it might have the most challenges. We will need to plan our buildings and agriculture accordingly.

However is protects us from our most immediate threat, we can prepare for the flooding, and there is an unknown potential for future exploration and trade.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Friday August 7th, 2020 4:26:38 PM

Zazu uses the party map to show where each parcel is.

Here is the map Zazu shows around. See below for the key.

When Naithi mentions that Site 6 is the westernmost, Zazu sighs. "But is it, really? We need clarification. 'On the river near the border' could be two places." The elf shows that Site 6 is marked in two possible locations on the map.

"But regardless, I agree with Naithi. The river location gives us a sense of sky and openness. The river also gives us food from fish. There is an opportunity for agriculture, and we can grow rice, maybe, or some other plant that will survive flooding. We do not need a bridge right away, since we can cross with boats. And it will be easy to transport our goods to Kari for selling at market."

"Also, not that I know anything about it, but maybe river banks tend to have clay? Good for pottery?"

Map Key

Site 1: Along a small lake. Fishing, fresh water. Natural clearings for farming. May flood.
Site 2: Caves, mining and minerals. Some (poor) farming.
Site 3: Hard to get to, poor/no farming.
Site 4: Ruined castle.
Site 5: Farmland.
Site 6: Largest parcel, straddles the river. Farming. (2 possible locations shown)
Site 7: Old orchard, Rustic cottage treehouse.
Site 8: Not a site, just the location of the current refugee camp.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Friday August 7th, 2020 8:19:14 PM
I shake my head. My reading should be correct. The river started in the mountains in the North East. Down river is South West heading to the sea. Also, the east is not that close to the Deep Culverwood.

FYI, there is another map with a grid overlay I used to approximate distances.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Friday August 7th, 2020 9:36:26 PM
Ash wonders what has caused Siggy to leave so abruptly. He was as invested in this as anyone.

She waits for Illymys to leave.

"Hmm" she contemplates the locations "I think a location to the east might suit us better."

"It is near both a lake and a river, which means food sources and transportation, and still has many wide open plains for farming.

It is the one furthest from the Emerald City. It would hopefully mean less politics and greater independence. That's important I think if we intend to be self-sufficient. I think that was important to Siggy.

It is still close to the Culverwood yet not so close as to have it overshadow the settlement. Not everything in the Culverwood is friendly and we don't know what may upset it. Even with a greenmage or witch with us, the Culverwood is dangerous and unpredictable. An agreement with the Culverwood itself is also not an agreement with what lurks within it. The closer we are to it the greater the danger and the more we scare away potential traders and travellers.

Most importantly, the location to the east is an equal distance between the Culverwood and the Red Hills. We need to remember that this settlement is to be welcoming to orcs as well. The further we are from the Red Hills, the more land that any orcs desiring freedom would have to travel. That means possibly being mistaken for raiders and being attacked. We don't want that. Not everyone is as accepting of orcs as we are becoming."

--------------
OOC: Location #1 could be further east on the map. The DM said it adjoins a lake, rather than a river. I think he's allowing us a location close to what was discussed via email. Between Ferry and the Red Hills could be anywhere between #1 and the star on this map. Scale and distances are really hard to tell. I'm not sure whether it is a couple of hours walk to the Culverwood or days

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Friday August 7th, 2020 10:06:04 PM
Lothlo considers the plots, and the the one with the strange events intrigues him.

I agree that the river sounds like a good place to settle, though it would depend in part on what Murzush thinks her people would generally feel about the strangeness that may occur. I feel it's the kind of place that would excite some people and be a nightmare for others depending on how you view it.

Can you tell us more about what kinds of strange events have occurred around the river plot?

Otherwise, I think Parnoth’s Hill might be a good fit. Something tells me that a certain degree is stigma is going to follow a caravan of orc refugees regardless, so the stigma associated with this plot may very well make less of a difference in our case than it would to others.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Sunday August 9th, 2020 8:43:11 PM
Niall has no opinion.

DM Mitch
Monday August 10th, 2020 8:00:25 AM
The party leave the council chambers and head back to the Inn to start figuring out just where they are going to stay.

Naithi suggests they go for the parcel of land straddling the river. She lists the pros and cons of this particular area and summarizes that the pros outweigh the cons.

Zazu finds a map and shows the party where everything is. He agrees with Naithi regarding the river location. He also wonders if the river banks might have clay.

Ash wonders what has caused Siggy to leave so abruptly, he is not at the inn when they arrive. Ash suggests they go for parcel 1 as it is equidistant between the Culverwood and the Red Hills since it is supposed to be a haven for future orcs seeking freedom. She has her misgivings about the river parcel even with the help of a green mage or blood witch of the culverwood.
Lothlo is also interested in the river parcel. He also suggests the area near Parnoth’s Hill might be a good fit. He suggests they consult Murzush as to what her people would think.
The documents don’t really do a good job detailing the strangeness of things near the Culverwood.

Niall has no opinions

Murzush says “Thank you for taking my people into account Lothlo and Ash. We are ready to make our home anywhere. With that being said parcel 1 would certainly be not too bad to get to but I wonder if it might be susceptible to raiding parties. As for the river parcel if we do end up settling there or someplace far from the red hills maybe we can work out some kind of arrangement with the Emerald Kingdom for safe passage? Are we sure we don’t want to consider the orchard? It has one structure already and food bearing trees and we have a green mage that owes us a favor. Might we not be able to get a head start there?”

It is up to the party to come to some kind of consensus on just where they want to settle and what to name it.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Monday August 10th, 2020 12:38:42 PM
"Freedom is a good name, fitting as well, for the settlement" Niall suggests, "no matter where it is located.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Monday August 10th, 2020 1:33:03 PM

Zazu likes both Site 6 (straddling the river) and Site 7 (orchard and treehouse). The elf also likes the name "Freedom."

"If pick Site 7, we can also look into using natural meadows and clearings for gardens. We can learn to find trees for gathering nuts, including acorns. We can gather fruit and mushrooms, and hunt of course. We'll have to see how many people the area can support."

"I suspect larger Site 6 can support more people, with more extensive agriculture and the river resources."

"But Site 1 is too close to the badlands and too far from a fort, I think."

=====

Map Link

Site 1: Along a small lake. Fishing, fresh water. Natural clearings for farming. May flood.
Site 2: Caves, mining and minerals. Some (poor) farming.
Site 3: Hard to get to, poor/no farming.
Site 4: Ruined castle.
Site 5: Farmland.
Site 6: Largest parcel, straddles the river. Farming. (correction: one location shown)
Site 7: Old orchard, Rustic cottage treehouse.
Site 8: Not a site, just the location of the current refugee camp.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Monday August 10th, 2020 2:35:04 PM
The thing I don't like about the orchard is that it sets us up as an agricultural community. We would have nothing unique to offer. No special trade routes. No reason for people to come to us. It would be safe and easier, but our success with be limited.

The larger parcel is on the edge of the Deep Culverwood. There is potential for a new trade route to Blackbird Lake, Cinnamon Valley, Pullman's Crossing or Izen.

There is exploration into the Deep Culverwood which reveal new resources, trade goods, and even magic. It could draw researchers and adventurers.

Trade goods could easily be shipped to us down river from the Emerald Kingdom in water tight barrels. And there is room for us to grow and prosper.

Most importantly, it's a blank slate. We can design the architecture. We can choose the agriculture. In a forest we are sheltered from the wind and great storms. We could make a one of a kind city with hanging gardens cascading down from the trees, houses on stilts over hanging the river meandering canals and gondolas for roads, or a society that lives in the canopy of the tree tops.

Not that we have to do anything like that, but the potential is there, especially if the river flows anywhere close to the South Peaceblossom River.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Monday August 10th, 2020 2:46:10 PM
(I was picturing a Venice canal situation is the river is large and floods or a city of buildings on stilts )

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25 d20+10=15 ;
Monday August 10th, 2020 8:32:13 PM
"Site 1 might be closer to the badlands, but again, that encourages more orcs to join us. There is enough clearing between the site and the badlands that we could see trouble approaching." Ash shakes her head. "It doesn't seem a wise choice in terms of the security of the town to be nestled adjacent to the Deep Culverwood. So close we wouldn't see trouble coming until it was right in the settlement. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable leaving the people of the town that close to the Culverwood while we were away. It's true, they aren't exactly experts in combat."

Zazu, you're familiar with the Culverwood. Can you tell us if the town would be safe from the dangerous things in the Culverwood if it were that close? Would an agreement with the Culverwood itself prevent all the creatures within it from attacking us?"

She then considers something and follows up with "Uh, isn't site 7 farther from a fort than site 1?"

She stops to consider all of the options. "At the end of the day we need to choose a site that is in the best interest of the people we represent. Bordering the Deep Culverwood just seems too dangerous."

"Site 1 offers all the benefits of the others. It is close to the Culverwood for exploration and securing resources, yet far enough away from the edge of it that we could see anything dangerous approaching the town."

"It is by the river, so trade goods could be shipped to us much as the others. We could create trade paths going east to west around the Deep Culverwood to bring in trade from New Elenna, the Tree of Parting and the Red Hills, as well as eventually create paths south to north though the Deep Culverwood between the Scab and Izen."

-----------------
OOC: I'm still assuming Site 1 is further east on the map - close to the Culverwood but with space to see trouble coming

Please excuse the die roll too. It was meant on the Agents board.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Monday August 10th, 2020 11:36:54 PM
I shake my head. [b] I don't think that location would be useful for trade at all. In fact, it might be stepping on several toes. Right now there is a trade route to the South going from East to West that includes the Emerald Kingdom. We wouldn't be creating a new trade route so much as moving an existing one 12 miles or so North. That could upset some people.
The river is also several miles away. Other towns are closer and the Emerald Kingdom already trades via the river to the East.

North West is the only direction that would (to my knowledge) open up something new or greatly shorten a trade route. #6 is the only one on the river, let alone within several miles of it.

Additionally, paths cannot be so easily created in the Deep Culverwood. The woods change. That is why the river holds such potential. A short path between rivers would be much more likely than one dissecting the forest. It would also disrupt the first less.

That parcel is also the only one directly bordering the Culverwood. If we can gain it's acceptance and show it respect, that can open up numerous other opportunities. Honestly, the borders of the deep forest can change. It can hide things from us, or show us what it wants, so if you are worried about something exiting the forest, building a relationship with it is the most important thing.

I think any of the properties would be good for farming, but only #6 offers anything unique to the Emerald Kingdom. It also would be the shortest journey for the refugees.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Monday August 10th, 2020 11:49:30 PM
"We can show the forest the respect it deserves and can gain it's acceptance, but that doesn't extend to the creatures that reside within it. Bordering the Deep Culverwood is very dangerous and would risk the lives of those we are here to represent. I think we need to have a safe distance between it and the settlement. Half a mile perhaps?"

OOC: I didn't think the river extended through the Culverwood to the west? Doesn't it stop shortly after the Emerald City?

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Tuesday August 11th, 2020 1:03:16 AM
Ooc: I don't know. It stops at the border of the deep woods. But they might be because the deep woods are not mapped. I've asked for clarification both by post and email and am still waiting for a response. Either way, that would be in the distant future.

Character wise, Naithi is from a similar forest, so the Deep Culverwood of more homey to her and she feels safer there than she does by civilization.

Personally, I like the idea of the magic of the deep woods and want to create something unique in the Wold. Why be close to an immortal power when you can be part of it?

DM Mitch
Tuesday August 11th, 2020 7:42:07 AM
Niall like the name Freedom for the settlement.
Zazu likes both the river and the orchard. He also likes the name Freedom. He suspects that site 6 can support more people. He is also of the opinion that site 6 can support more people than the others. Lastly he points out how Site 1 is too close to the badlands and too far from a fort.
Naithi thinks the orchard is too limiting and that the river parcel would open up opportunities for exploration. She also comments that she grew up in magical forests and would be comfortable in or near the deep culver.
Ash still extols the virtues of plot 1 being near the badlands and is wary of the plot by the Culverwood. She asks Zazu what strangeness a site near the culwerwood could expect. She continues to make her case for parcel one and not the large one near the border to the colverwood
Murzush frowns. ”An orchard, it is a tree farm yes? My people are aware of farms but I’ve never actually seen one. Having food easily at hand would be nice and let us focus our efforts on other things wouldn’t it? How does that force us into this… agriculture thing?”

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Tuesday August 11th, 2020 1:49:02 PM
"I think just by wanting to eat regularly there will be need for farming no matter where the settlement is" Niall opines.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Tuesday August 11th, 2020 9:04:09 PM
An orchard would be a good option, especially if there are a good number of trees that can be coaxed to produce right away. My concern with that one is that orchards take a few years for new trees to produce. I felt it better to focus on plots where we can have a quicker return on your work so you can have a supply of food and a trade income to help act as a buffer against any other trials that come up while settling the area.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Tuesday August 11th, 2020 9:44:07 PM

"The trouble with orchards," Zazu elfsplains, "is that they only bear fruit in season, not the year round. The appeal to me of the river is that you can fish year round, and you can grow spring, summer, and winter crops."

"The river also gives clay, transportation, and maybe even a water wheel for a mill."

"As to the Deep Culverwood, friend Ash, I have to be honest and say that I do not know. But I have lived in the forest for most of my life. With a druid, a greenmage's blessing, and a cleric or witch who honors the Culverwood, I think we're as ready to cope with the hazards and opportunities as anyone."

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Tuesday August 11th, 2020 11:52:05 PM
Náro speaks up with his opinion on the matter after listening to the others speak. 'Out of the two, I personally prefer site six; it's on a river, which is always a good sign, and I'm wary of being so close to the Badlands myself, though that might be because I wasn't part of the escape plan, no offense meant. However, I'm wondering if there's a reason why no one has mentioned sites four and five; five is on the river too, and it's far enough away from the Culverwood to not really be a point of contention; and the abandoned castle on site four could be as much of an asset as a drawback.'

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Wednesday August 12th, 2020 12:08:17 AM

"A castle would be way cool," muses Zazu.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Wednesday August 12th, 2020 12:40:29 AM
I grew up in the most wild of forests. It is what kept us safe from the tyranny of a corrupt government. I will always feel safer deeper in the woods.

As for the orchard, it is not agriculture that I dislike. It is the lack of opportunity. We can grow an orchard. We can build a castle. We cannot grow a trade route, proximity to magic, or a relationship with an immortal power.

For inland trade, waterways are always hubs. There is already a hub to the East and the Emerald Kingdom is the the last stop on the route. If we create trade to the West, someone else could always build another settlement West of us and usurp our business... Unless we are at the edge of the tamed woods.

If we are looking for something unique to trade, v The Deep Culverwood is the most likely place to find something new, but we would have to be by the border to maintain control of the supply.

The other properties are good. They are safe. But they do not offer anything unique or that we can't create ourselves.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Wednesday August 12th, 2020 12:56:23 AM
I should also mention that as a druid, growing an orchard and other crops would not be that hard. If we plant a bunch of fruit trees, we could buy a staff with plant growth. One casting would make the trees become think and over grown. Another would make all crops in 2 miles increase their yield by 1/3.

What we would do is plant a couple hundred square feet with various plants that are close to fruiting age. The plants will become so thick and dense that we will have to move and transplant them to cover a large area. If we do that a few times we can get set up quickly, but the land will still need to be maintained and harvested.

Between that, fish, and hunting we should have plenty of food.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Wednesday August 12th, 2020 1:03:32 AM
"Freedom is a fine name for the settlement" Ash nods in agreement to the name.

"The western river location isn't well placed to encourage refugees though. Any orc women or children fleeing the Red Hills would have a number of towns closer to seek refuge, and it would be much safer for them to visit those than trek across the Emerald Kingdom to us. That parcel of land really is the one furthest away and would make it the least inviting I would think. If we're creating a place for people to seek freedom then at the very least they should be able to get to it safely."

"That the river dead-ends and doesn't flow through the Culverwood doesn't really lend itself to travel or encourage trade from that direction either."

Like Siggy, Ash also has concerns about being so close to the Emerald City and it's politics.

"Being able to encourage plant growth will certainly be useful though"

She's also starting to like the castle idea...

--------
OOC: As mentioned, location #1 could possibly be further east on the map. Between Ferry and the Red Hills could be anywhere between #1 and the star on this map. Scale and distances are really hard to tell. I'm not sure whether it is a couple of hours walk to the Culverwood or days

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Wednesday August 12th, 2020 1:25:28 AM
Must refugees go to the fort first. From Fort Silence all a refugee would have to do is head north an then follow the river, and since most refugees are individuals or small groups, it is likely someone from the fort would take them in horseback. For them, it with be one of the most convenient locations.

As for the river, it is uncharted. We do not know where it ends. The map stops at the Deep Culverwood. Also, people live in the Deep Culverwood. Even if it only goes part way, we might be able to trade with some of them.

ooc: last I saw the DM was still looking into where the river ends, if anyone knows.

DM Mitch
Wednesday August 12th, 2020 10:11:03 AM
The debate continues

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Wednesday August 12th, 2020 8:29:33 PM

"Should we vote?" asks Zazu. The elf passes around parchment and charcoal. "List the sites you prefer, all seven, from most to least. If there is a clear majority, we're set. If not, we take the least popular votes and look to people's next choices."

Zazu's picks: 6, 7, 4, 1, 5, 2, 3

=====

Map Link

Site 1: Along a small lake. Fishing, fresh water. Natural clearings for farming. May flood.
Site 2: Caves, mining and minerals. Some (poor) farming.
Site 3: Hard to get to, poor/no farming.
Site 4: Ruined castle.
Site 5: Farmland.
Site 6: Largest parcel, straddles the river. Farming. (correction: one location shown)
Site 7: Old orchard, Rustic cottage treehouse.
Site 8: Not a site, just the location of the current refugee camp.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Wednesday August 12th, 2020 8:38:33 PM
Niall is fine with whatever.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Wednesday August 12th, 2020 9:01:36 PM
Yes, year round fishing definitely makes the river an attractive option, and fishing is a pretty simple thing to pick up. I've not lived by a river before, but I would assume it aids in hunting as well since animals know they can get fresh water there. That makes it much more likely we will have what we need to survive while the settlement gets established.

In any case, I do like the name Freedom for the settlement

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Wednesday August 12th, 2020 9:03:53 PM
Hmm, I suppose if I were to rank them...
Site 6: Largest parcel, straddles the river. Farming. (correction: one location shown)
Site 5: Farmland.
Site 1: Along a small lake. Fishing, fresh water. Natural clearings for farming. May flood.
Site 7: Old orchard, Rustic cottage treehouse.
Site 4: Ruined castle.
Site 2: Caves, mining and minerals. Some (poor) farming.
Site 3: Hard to get to, poor/no farming.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Wednesday August 12th, 2020 10:55:13 PM
"It's true. The largest parcel does allow the greatest room for growth. I'm fearful at how far away it is from the Red Hills, and I'm also not keen on being so close to the Emerald City that we might get dragged into its politics.

Still, the largest parcel has great potential. As long as we remain a safe distance from the edge of the Deep Culverwood we can probably make it work"

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Thursday August 13th, 2020 9:02:34 AM
Náro nods in the direction of the others. 'It's true that the largest settlement does offer a lot of opportunities, but I'd argue that any piece of land offers a lot of opportunities, and it might be risky to pick the one with the most choices available. That being said, if I were to rank them from my favorite to least favorite...'

1st: 4
2nd: 5
3rd: 7
4th: 6
5th: 1
6th: 2
7th: 3

'Oh, and I didn't say so before, but I also really like the name "Freedom" for the settlement.'

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Thursday August 13th, 2020 11:23:25 AM
Ooc: 6 is my top. I'll rank the others after lunch.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Thursday August 13th, 2020 1:32:40 PM
Site 6: Largest parcel, straddles the river. Farming. (correction: one location shown)
Site 4: Ruined castle
Site 2: Caves, mining and minerals. Some (poor) farming.
Site 1: Along a small lake. Fishing, fresh water. Natural clearings for farming. May flood.
Site 5: Farmland.
Site 7: Old orchard, Rustic cottage treehouse.
Site 3: Hard to get to, poor/no farming.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Thursday August 13th, 2020 8:04:30 PM
Niall abides.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Thursday August 13th, 2020 9:00:44 PM
Murzush, I know you've been quiet, but what are your preferences for the different locations?
Lothlo knows she may well abstain, but it's important to him that she is being included in the conversation and has a voice if she wants one.

DM Hugh - As long as we remain a safe distance from the edge of the Deep Culverwood we can probably make it work...
Thursday August 13th, 2020 9:03:02 PM

Zazu suggests they take a vote and that they list their choices in order to see if there is a clear majority. He lists the river area first.

Niall abstains being fine with whatever.

Lothlo voices preferences for the river area and the name ‘Freedom’. He then also ranks the parcels putting the river area first

Ash agrees that the largest parcel does allow for growth but brings up the distance from the Red Hills she is also not keen on getting dragged into Emerald City politics. She still thinks the largest parcel has potential and if they can keep a safe distance from the Culverwood they could make it work.

Náro agrees that the largest settlement offers a lot of opportunities but suggests it might be risky to pick the one with the most choices available. He ranks his picks starting with the castle, the farmland, the orchard and then the river. He does like the “Freedom” name though.

Naithi also has the river at the top of her choices.

Niall continues to abide.

It sounds like 3 members of the group have the river as their first choice, 1 member prefers the castle, one is okay with whatever and the last has mixed feeling about the river.

Regardless it seems like those who voiced naming preference have voiced for Freedom.

Will you fill out your form and return it that you would like to have a river settlement named 'Freedom?'

(OOC: What about a name for the game keeping COTC or are you going to change the game title)

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Thursday August 13th, 2020 9:12:18 PM
It appears that a majority would like to settle in the river settlement. Even though he has his doubts, he thinks that it’s not the worst option out there, and it’s amazing to have an a place to settle at all— but, more than that, he loves that they’re voting on it, making their own choices, and for that reason, he’s happy with the majority. ‘The river settlement wasn’t my first choice, but I’m willing to go with the majority on this one. And I stand by the name “Freedom” as well.’

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Thursday August 13th, 2020 9:17:48 PM
"Just putting this out there... do we want to expand on the name? Freedom's Landing? Freedom's Rest? Fort Freedom?"

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Friday August 14th, 2020 9:33:04 AM
Freedom's Refuge?

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Friday August 14th, 2020 12:46:43 PM

"I like Freedom, but I also like Freedomville, Freedomtown, or Freedomtownville. Especially that last one, it has more flair and panache."

"In Elvish, it might be prettier -- Leithan."

Zazu agrees with Lothlo and wants to hear what Murzush thinks.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Friday August 14th, 2020 9:01:13 PM
I like Freedom's Landing for a name, it provides additional information about the settlement and will be useful in the future if we want to become a trading settlement.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Saturday August 15th, 2020 3:49:45 AM
"Well, 'Freedom Springs' has a nice double meaning."

DM Hugh - As long as we remain a safe distance from the edge of the Deep Culverwood we can probably make it work...
Saturday August 15th, 2020 4:52:52 AM
Náro is enjoying the fact that they are voting on where to settle and says the river settlement wasn’t his first choice but he’s willing to go with the majority. He also reiterates he stands by the name of Freedom.

Ash suggests they expand on the name offering Freedom’s Landing, Freedom’s Rest, Fort Freedom

NaithiTo that end Naithi suggests Freedom’s Refuge

Zazu opines that he likes Freedom or Freedomtown, or Freedomtownville. He also suggests the Elvish word for Freedom and agrees with Lothlo about seeing what Murzush thinks.

Lothlo says he likes Freedom’s Landing as it provides additional information about the settlement and will be useful if they want to become a trading settlement.

Murzush considers. ”My natural instinct is to focus on defense and safety honestly. In the Izen everyone was out to kill you and take your stuff and I can’t help but think that way even though that isn’t the reality here. If it was solely up to me I’d pick the castle for the defensive options. Once we rebuilt it we could in theory hold it against all comers. Well until supplies ran out at least.

You all make good points about the river plot though. Lots of space is good and it gives us space to grow. We may all be stuck cramped on one side until a bridge is made but we might not need the space until later anyway.

As for naming the place I kind of like Freedom’s Refuge, Freedom’s Vale or Freedom’s Bastion”

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Saturday August 15th, 2020 3:34:21 PM
'I don't have much of a preference for the intricacies of the name-- the meaning matters more to me-- so I'm fine with any of those.'

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Saturday August 15th, 2020 10:33:58 PM
"Unless it is a Fort I don't see why we would call it that.. but I am fine otherwise" Niall says.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Sunday August 16th, 2020 12:49:20 AM
"Freedom, just plain Freedom, is my favorite."

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Sunday August 16th, 2020 2:53:58 AM
"I like Freedom's landing, especially for encouraging trade. Calling it just 'Freedom' could cause confusion"

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Sunday August 16th, 2020 5:10:42 PM
Do your people have the skills that would be needed to rebuild the castle? You didn't have any permanent structures so I wouldn't have expected that to be among your skill set. I suppose it depends on what their definition of crumbling is, I took it to mean that the castle in it's current state was mostly useless beyond a resource for stone in it's current state and providing minimal added defense. But if the foundation it still strong it may be a different story. And I would assume that if someone took the years needed to build the castle, they also have something in the way of cleared land for fields or to support the inhabitants, even if they have long been ignored. Can we get some more info regarding the state of the castle and the surrounding lands?

DM Mitch
Monday August 17th, 2020 7:37:05 AM
Náro does not have a name preference.

Niall says unless it was a Fort he doesn’t know why you’d call it that.

Zazu still prefers just plain Freedom.

Ash prefer’s Freedom’s Landing as just Freedom could cause confusion.

Lothlo asks Murzush if her people have the skills needed to rebuild the castle. He didn’t think they did since they didn’t really have permanent structures and from the description it sounded like it is mostly useless besides a local place for stone but if the foundation exists it could be a different story. He asks for more info regarding the state of the castle and the surrounding lands.

Murzush digs in the backpack they were given and pulls out everything related to the castle. It would appear that while the surface is fairly degraded aside from a few walls here or there the basement and tunnel system is fairly substantive per information in the write up on it. It has been a while since anyone has been out that way and apparently the last expedition that stopped by the area reported strange noises coming from down below, but opted not to investigate. There is a rough floor plan of the basement and tunnels from an expedition prior to that, that mapped the basement and tunnels but didn’t find anything threatening down there at the time. The surrounding area has been overgrown and it would probably take substantial effort to reclaim enough of it to make a difference. The walls and ruined rubble might honestly be more good as a source of nearby stone for new buildings than to repair the castle as someone would have to explore and clear whatever has been living down there currently.

Murzush says to Lothlo, “My people are wanderers and yes we lived in tents but we still knew some basic carpentry. I thought that castle dwelling and stone cutting is among the expertise of the Noble races and there are some Dwarves and Gnomes amongst the refugees. Mayhap they could lead us in reclaiming the castle and turning it into a bulwark against all comers?”

Does this new information on the castle change anything with respect to where you want to settle? Are you still not set on a name? It seems like Zazu likes Freedom, Ash likes Freedom’s Landing, most folks don’t care and Murzush likes 1 of 3 that includes Freedom’s Landing. As things sit you technically don’t even have a plurality with respect to the name.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Monday August 17th, 2020 8:23:44 AM

"Well, my real preference is for Freedomville or Freedomtown. Those are east to understand: Here is a town where people are free. What does Freedom's Landing even mean? Does the Landing belong to Freedom? What landed here? Maybe Freedom landed here, but then what? If by 'landing' we mean 'port' than what about Freeport?"

"My vote is for Freedom or Freetown or Freedomtown or Freedomville or Freeville or Freeport or Freedomport. Any of those are fine, one word names, just like all the other names of towns in this country."

"I like the river site, but this castle site sounds good too. If Náro and Murzush like it best, I'll make it three."

"What else is in that backpack, Murzush?" Zazu asks.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Monday August 17th, 2020 8:03:31 PM
"A landing is typically a place where passengers and cargo come and go. It just sounded like a good name to add to a trading post. I guess it's a bit like a port, but perhaps not as big."

Ash still likes Freedom's Landing

"We don't have to stick with one word names. We're starting something new. Maybe it's a way to stand out?"

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Monday August 17th, 2020 9:01:53 PM
Hmm, I don't know about the castle. It doesn't look like the castle itself is salvageable, and there is no clear way for the people to survive and make a living once settled on the land... at least not without significantly more work clearing out some farm land. And while the tunnels might provide some protection, they could also just as easily cause you to be trapped inside should a threat come. The same choke points that would make them easy to defend would also make them almost impossible to leave.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Monday August 17th, 2020 9:47:49 PM

"That Lyre of Building idea we had discussed would be perfect for the castle, since all the stone is still here," observes Zazu. "We can play the magic Lyre, the walls rebuild themselves, easy peasy. If we can find the original quarry, we can use the lyre to do more stone construction. Very safe and sound!"

"And Greenmage Nelly said she would help with food and such. Heck, the orchard and treehouse is nearby, maybe she could walk the orchard trees over to the castle. Greenmages can do that, right?"

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Monday August 17th, 2020 10:47:39 PM
'I think the castle idea is interesting too-- it would certainly be helpful to have available building materials, even if we don't elect to rebuild the castle, and I'm still not persuaded by the idea of being so close to the deep Culverwood, myself, so I would vote for that.'

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Monday August 17th, 2020 11:18:15 PM
I'm still in favor of the river and looking for a new trade route and living in the edge of the deep Culverwood.

I do like Freedom Landing and the names that had Freedom with something extra added on.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Tuesday August 18th, 2020 12:28:42 AM
"freedoms landing is good if we need something added on" Niall agrees.

DM Mitch
Tuesday August 18th, 2020 7:41:15 AM
Zazu explains his preference is for Freedomville or Freedomtown and asks what Freedom’s Landing even means. He says he is interested in the river site or the castle site and asks Murzush just what is in the backpack.

Ash explains the definition of a landing and then says they don’t have to stick with one word names and maybe a two word place name would stand out.

Lothlo says he doesn’t know about the castle as it is questionable whether it is salvageable. He also isn’t sure about being able to support the people without clearing some land and suggests that the tunnels might provide protection they could turn into choke points.

Zazu raises the question of using the lyre of building and seeing if Nelly could move the orchard trees over to the castle.

Náro is also intrigued by the castle, not quite sold on being so close to the Culverwood with the river.

Naithi says she is still in favor of the river and she likes Freedom’s Landing or some other two word Freedom combination.

Niall says he too likes Freedom’s Landing.

Regarding the castle:
Knowledge (engineering 15) Highlight to display spoiler: {The report from the expedition that mapped out the basement was years ago; conditions could have changed since then with respect to its viability depending on what has been living down there}
Knowledge (dungeoneering 15) Highlight to display spoiler: {Some creatures that favor dark places can alter worked stone potentially making it weaker}

Murzush says to Zazu, “It looks like there are additional tidbits of information about some of the other parcels of land too. Any others in particular you want to know about?”

It would appear the debate has reopened between the river and the ruined castle sites and that you are still trying to figure out some name involving Freedom.

Is it time to take final votes in order to fill out your permit so you can start working at getting back to the caravan or do you still want to discuss your options some more?

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Tuesday August 18th, 2020 8:38:57 PM

"I'd like to hear ALL the extra information! We should know as much as we can before we make such a serious decision. Maybe the river site has a history of plague! Maybe the site near Parnoth's Hill has some secret advantage!"

Zazu takes out Boyo and listens to the bunny. "Boyo wants to know which plot is best for growing carrots."

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Tuesday August 18th, 2020 8:39:05 PM
"Ok. I think we're close." Ash looks to the others and nods "First up, location"

"The report from that expedition was made long ago. The conditions may have changed in terms of its viability. There are also creatures that favor dark places that can alter worked stone and make it weaker. Being that close to the Culverwood it's possible that might have already happened"

"There are probably ways we could overcome such obstacles. Regardless, it is an option."

"That leaves us with two sites to vote on: the river or the castle. How do you vote?"

Ash votes in favor of the river.

"Then comes the topic of the name. There are lots of options on the table here."

Ash votes in favor of Freedom's Landing.

----------
Knowl Engineering vs DC15: 20 (Take10) = Pass
Knowl Dungeoneering vs DC15: 20 (Take10) = Pass

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20 d20+2=6 ; d3=3 ; d20+2=12 ;
Tuesday August 18th, 2020 9:03:01 PM
I would be curious what tidbits there are about the farmland with the bad reputation. And Murzush, what are your thoughts for how the best way to set up a community there? Are you thinking it's best to reclaim the old fields and be agriculture based, or something else?

***
both knowledge checks fail.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Tuesday August 18th, 2020 9:04:16 PM
I would still vote for the river/Freedom's Landing if there is nothing interesting written about that other location.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Tuesday August 18th, 2020 10:18:16 PM
Niall votes in favor of freedoms landing. Does not vote for a location.

DM Mitch
Wednesday August 19th, 2020 8:39:23 AM
Zazu says he’d like to know all about the other parcels of land and Boyo wants to know which plot is best at growing carrots.
Ash says she thinks they are close. She says with respect to the castle the expedition was made long ago and its possible conditions have changed since them. She poses the choice between the river and the castle and votes for the river. She then votes for Freedom’s Landing as the name.

Lothlo wants to know more about the farmland with the bad reputation. He also asks Murzush what her thoughts would be if they settled there. Should they focus on agriculture or something else? However he still votes for the river and freedom’s landing if there is nothing interesting at the other location.

Niall votes in favor of Freedom’s Landing.

Murzush digs in the bag and starts taking out documents.

She finds a surveyed map of the floodplain for the area along the small lake with fishing and farming possibilities. Aside from that there is nothing interesting for that plot.

For the parcel of land near the network of caves she finds a partial map of the cave system. She also finds a writeup suggesting there might be a vein of silver or mithril in the cave system though it is possible the vein could be fool’s silver as no one really ever confirmed.

For the parcel of land in the remote wilderness area you get a sort of bestiary. It is a fairly wild area with a variety of flora and fauna, some of it predatory but nothing an adventuring group couldn’t deal with.

Murzush has previously given you the data on the ruined castle plot

With respect to the parcel of land on the old trade road near Parnoth’s Hill she finds an accounting of how the area used to be. People were intimidated into staying there by Parnoth and when the dragon was defeated everyone living there decided to raise the settlement and move to other areas of the Emerald Kingdom. The fact that a settlement once existed there suggests you might be able to find archeological artifacts from the time Parnoth ruled there if you had a dig. It is uncertain if you’d find anything useful to your current endeavor.

Murzush says, “I say we use whatever an area has to our advantage if we settle there. If it has ready made farmland we farm, though my traditionally nomadic people might need training with respect to farming from you of the noble races.”

With respect to the river plot you find a suggested site for bridge construction. You also find a partial map of the river floodplain. There is a handwritten note stuck to the back of the bridge suggestion saying something about mischievous sprites.

With respect to the plot containing the orchard you find a floor plan of the treehouse cottage. You also find a listing of the types of fruit trees that were growing there as well as a few recipes for fruit pies and hard ciders

Current Votes:
Ash - River / Freedom’s Landing
Zazu - ????
Lothlo - River / Freedom’s Landing*
Niall - No Preference / Freedom’s Landing
Naithi -
Náro -

* = pending information about stigmatized land near Parnoth’s Hill

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Wednesday August 19th, 2020 9:43:46 AM

"I like the idea of the Castle Site, but it really sounds like just a basement and some tunnels, really. That's not good enough."

"So I vote for the River Site, and 'Freedom' for the name."

Zazu feels a wriggling Boyo in a pocket, and pauses to hold the bunny up and listen.

"I think we can grow carrots and fight monsters if we settle in the River site, you bloodthirsty cutie!"

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Wednesday August 19th, 2020 2:17:45 PM
I scratch Camalayaas ear as the discussion continues. I am still in favor of the lot by the river. The magic of the Deep Culverwood has much untapped potential, something that is not offered at any other site. It is the only one that offers much hope for there even being a possibility for a new trade route. The other sites are fine, perhaps easier to start up, but we would be competing with other, more established locations when trying to sell or trade our goods. As a druid, and with the green mages help, I am not worried about starving at any location. However, I want this town to be a great legacy for our descendants.

The Deep Culverwood is the last unexplored frontier. If we gain it's acceptance it will protect and bless us and can make our journeys through it easier whereas it misdirects outsiders.

Most of the people here are not farmers by nature. Half are from a mobile wandering society and many of the others are adventurers and traders. Wanderlust is going to be an issue. At the river people can explore and have a permanent residence. There is fishing and farming. There is a natural trade route coming down the river and we can try to extend it down the river, up through the mountains, she to Fort Silence it bring things back up the river.

For safety, the orcs will not attack us through the Deep Culverwood and to come from the South they need to pass Fort Silence. Also, if we are on the far back of the river, any force trying to invade will be an easy target while they cross.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Wednesday August 19th, 2020 4:08:56 PM
Niall hasn't changed his mind.

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Wednesday August 19th, 2020 9:18:07 PM
Náro likes the idea of the castle plot, but he also acknowledges the benefits of the river settlement. He might have voted for the castle plot if there hadn't been such an obvious majority, but as it is... he inclines his head. 'I can understand the benefits of both, so I'll leave it up to you guys. That being said, it appears as if the river settlement appears to be in the majority. As for a name, I don't really have an opinion... I suppose Freedom's Landing does have a nice ring to it.'

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Wednesday August 19th, 2020 10:48:18 PM
Hmm, in that case I think maybe the orchard instead of the Parnoth plot. The farmland may be good, but it sounds like there may be more trees that are in good shape than I previously thought

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Thursday August 20th, 2020 12:57:20 AM
Ash nods as the others make their points. There has been some good decision and a lot of consideration given to all of this. Hopefully they are making the best decision for the settlers.

DM Mitch
Thursday August 20th, 2020 8:13:32 AM
Zazu says he likes the idea of the castle site but it sounds like mostly a basement and some tunnels which isn’t really good enough. He votes for the river site and Freedom for the name. He holds Boyo and tells the bunny that they can grow carrots and fight monsters if they settle on the river.

Naithi scratches Camalayaas on the ear and proceeds to list out a number of reason why she favors the site on the river including its proximity to the Culverwood, the chance to create a new trade route, the possibilities for exploration and it’s defensive possibilities

Niall hasn’t changed his mind
Náro voices preference for the castle or river plot and support for the name Freedom’s landing.
Lothlo changes his mind in support of the orchard.
Ash nods pointing out the good decisions and deliberation. She also hopes they are doing right by the other settlers.

Murzush says, “The river and Freedom’s Landing work for me. That seems to be the majority opinion at this point. Though it looks like Naithi hasn’t given an opinion on the name. Should we mark down both on the form we need to turn into the clerk?”

Everyone has voiced an opinion about both topics save for Naithi re: the name but Freedom’s Landing does have the majority. If everyone is in agreement then the form can be filled out and turned in and you can start making plans to return to the caravan.

Current Votes:
Ash - River / Freedom’s Landing
Zazu - River / Freedom
Lothlo - Orchard / Freedom’s Landing
Niall - No Preference / Freedom’s Landing
Naithi - River / ???
Náro - Castle or River / Freedom’s Landing

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Thursday August 20th, 2020 8:44:30 AM
I also like Freedom's Landing

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Thursday August 20th, 2020 12:59:16 PM

Zazu is a writing-oriented person. He will apply his neat hand to the form, writing in the agreed-on settlement name and location.

"No Boyo!" the wizard whispers, "I will not write 'Freedomtownville' on the form!"

Zazu turns in the form and asks about the next step in moving and settling the refugees. "And while we are here in the big city, should we visit a magic shop and see about buying a Lyre of Building?"

"If it were a Flute of Building, you would be a natural, Náro!"

"You've started learning how to play, right Lothlo?"

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Thursday August 20th, 2020 8:22:29 PM
Ash does some quick mental math. "If we keep the wand of cure moderate wounds, we could sell the rest and have enough gold to buy the lyre."

"It may take some time to gather all the materials needed to build houses, but we could create temporary underground areas to provide immediate shelter"

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Thursday August 20th, 2020 8:23:01 PM
Náro laughs slightly at Zazu's remark. 'I think I'd like to play my flute anyway, even if it doesn't have the powers of building.'

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Thursday August 20th, 2020 9:02:52 PM
Yup, I've actually played the lyre for a long time though I may have sounded a bit rusty after our time in captivity. As I understand it, the first 30 minutes isn't too bad, but I'm going to struggle playing beyond that point, those chords get pretty tough. Of course, if we using this to build a settlement I can start practicing every night and in a few weeks should have more success playing for long stretches.
Lothlo pulls out his Masterwork Rhinoceros Horn Lyre and plays a few bars.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Friday August 21st, 2020 1:10:13 AM
If we have the money, I would like also get a couple scrolls of plant growth to help the city increase it's crops.

Grasses, briars, bushes, creepers, thistles, trees, vines, and so on entwine to form a thicket or jungle that creatures must hack or force a way through. The area must have brush and trees in it for this spell to take effect. (Several castings would be ideal in order to keep crop types separated).

Because of this I suggest we fill the farming area with plants we want, and after casting the spell transplant and take cuttings to fill the rest of the field. That also means that getting plenty of fruit trees, berry bushes, grains and grape vine will be important.

A second casting can be used to increase the production yield over a half mile area by 1/3 for the next year.

DM Mitch
Friday August 21st, 2020 7:13:43 AM
Naithi voices an opinion for Freedom’s Landing.
Zazu neatly fills out the form and tells Boyo he will not right Freedomtownville on the form. He asks what the next step is in moving and settling the refugees and if they should visit a magic shop and see about buying a Lyre of Building making a remark about Náro and flutes and Lothlo learning to play.

Ash informs the others that if they kept the wand of cure moderate wounds they could sell the rest and have enough to buy the lyre outright.

Náro says he likes to play the flute even if it doesn’t have building powers.

Lothlo says he’s played a lyre for a long time but was rusty after their time in captivity and he’s struggling to play more than 30 minutes but if they bought the lyre of building and practiced he could probably improve. He even plays a few bars on his existing non magical lyre.

Naithi suggests they use scrolls to quickly set up farm fields and increase their yield.

Murzush says, “Are you sure you want to part with such useful items as a belt of giant strength or a wand of barkskin especially when Naithi is a Druid?”

The party is at the inn and Delilah can hear the party discussing next steps. She walks over and says, “Are you sure the wands and potions are worth what you think they are? As for what happens after you turn in the form, the emissaries can get you back to the caravan. We can also provide you with a map of the Emerald Kingdom and a writ of safe passage. Any citizen or military patrol that challenged you would have to let you pass through the Emerald Kingdom on your way to the river site.”

Appraise DC 20 Highlight to display spoiler: { A wand of the 2nd level spell created by a cleric (CMW), druid(barkskin) or wizard at CL 3 is worth 4,500 gp with max charges.
2(spell level) x 3 (Caster Level) x 750 = 4500 gp / 2 = 2,250 gp sell value}

Appraise DC 20 Highlight to display spoiler: { A potion of a 2nd level spell created by a cleric, druid or wizard such as resist energy (cold), eagle’s splendor or bear’s endurance is worth 300 gold. 2(spell level) x 3 (Caster Level) x 50 = 300 gp / 2 = 150 gp sell value}

Appraise DC 25 Highlight to display spoiler: { A lyre of building costs 13,000 gp }

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle) d20+8=13 ;
Friday August 21st, 2020 10:43:17 AM

Zazu knows from things. Books, his traps, magic lore. "I've been alive longer than anyone else here, for gosh sakes, Boyo boy."

Appraise (at +8) 13

Still, worldliness is not sufficient, this time, to figure out what this is all about! :-)

Regardless, Zazu still thinks the Lyre is the best thing. "We can use our own labor to clear ground and gather building materials. When we need trained work to do actual construction, then we use the Lyre. Maybe we can scout some high ground on one bank or the other for our fist settlement. We should make sure we bring at least a couple boats."

"The question is, would it be better to bring all our people to the Emerald City and then pay for river transport to our site? It would be shorter as the crow flies to travel straight from Kovri to the new site, but how much trouble would it be to go cross-country? Can we even do that with wagons?"

"Maybe we want to actually clear a land-route track from Kovri to Freedom's Landing. It would be good because Kovri is the closest town to us, and it would give us a land route in addition to the River route. We could buy some books on engineering and even use the lyre for road-building."

[OOC: Like this, maybe?]

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20 d20+6=21 ;
Friday August 21st, 2020 9:03:20 PM
Lothlo looks over the items that they were planning to sell.
I'm not really sure what a lyre of building would cost, but now that you mention it that does sound like a pretty powerful item for what we are talking about selling. I suppose that means I have more time to practice before we can afford one.

Appraise = 21

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25 d20+9=20 ;
Friday August 21st, 2020 10:08:59 PM
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." Ash redoes the math in her head "Yep. Forgot to take into account the materials the wand is made of"

She looks to Murzush "The barkskin wand is the second most valuable item in the lot. It would take preparation to use it properly, and using it during combat would effectively remove someone from helping. Besides, if selling them gave us enough gold to support the community and give everyone a roof over their heads, we should sell them, right?"

Ash stops to consider the situation.

"Well, we could sell that cure wand too. I'm getting pretty good at healing, Naithi is learning too, and Naro is certainly able to cure more than I can right now. Naithi, are you learning to heal as well? All that plus five cure potions. Maybe selling that wand isn't such a bad idea? We might even have enough left over to keep that belt"

"Also, the settlement did claim a whole lot of artworks and things. Shelter would be more important, I would think. How short are we in terms of purchasing a lyre? Can't we sell some of those art items? It's to benefit the community after all."

"How much is a lyre though? I suppose one of us could just pop into the Catacombs and ask how much they cost. They're open right now, right?"

--------------
Appraise check vs DC20: 20=Pass!
Appraise check vs DC25: 20=Fail!

OOC: You see kids, that's what happens when you rush. You confuse SL with CL

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Friday August 21st, 2020 10:51:44 PM
Náro bows politely in Ash's direction. 'I would certainly be glad to assist with healing in any way that I can. Personally, I wouldn't use the wand myself, so I would be fine with selling it if no one else disagrees.'

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Friday August 21st, 2020 11:56:22 PM
I shake my head. I know the basic cure spells, but my healing skills are lacking. Camalayaas and I are used to being on our own and didn't have the time to rely on healing by mundane means...

When the group is eventually alone I further tell them,
Look...This is a little awkward... It looks like we are going to be bound together through this city. As such, I should let you know my ability to drawn upon nature and cast spells is limited. I predict I will be able to cast the next level of spells and no more, though I might be able to utilize scrolls and staves if I train right. That is not too say I won't have other abilities, but the heal spell will be out of my reach.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Saturday August 22nd, 2020 8:28:51 PM
"I believe I could use the wand, perhaps" Niall offers of the healing wand.

DM Mitch
Monday August 24th, 2020 8:14:49 AM
Zazu is not able to figure out the price of things based on his worldliness. He still likes the idea of the Lyre and suggests they use their own labor to clear the ground and gather building materials but when they need to do construction then they use the lyre. He also suggests they scout some high ground for their first settlement and bring boats. He then asks if it makes sense to bring the people to Emerald City and then pay for river transport or if it would be better to go to their site directly from Kovri but is unsure if the wagons can go cross country. He suggests maybe they build a road from Kovri to their settlement site using the lyre.

Lothlo says he isn’t sure how much a lyre would cost but it does seem like a pretty powerful item for what they were selling. He supposes that means he has more time for practice.

Ash redoes the math and explains to Murzush that the wand of barkskin is the second most valuable item in the lot and isn’t exactly easy to use or convenient for combat. She reasons that if selling it gives them enough gold to support the community and give everyone a roof over their heads then they should sell it. She then considers selling the cure wand as well since Naithi is learning, Náro is able to and they have 5 potions. She thinks if they do that they might be able to keep the belt. She suggests sending someone to the catacombs to find out how much a lyre costs.

Náro says he can help with healing but he wouldn’t use the wand so he would be fine selling it.

Naithi tells the others she knows the basic cure spells but her healing skills are lacking. Later she tells them she thinks her ability to draw upon nature will be rather limited though she might be able to use magical items if she trains right but the heal spell will be out of her reach.

Niall says he could use the healing wand.

Murzush says, “The town has its own funds and you as an adventuring party have your spoils. Keep in mind the funds of the town are supposed to be for things like provisioning in addition to building. If the Lyre is that expensive it is going to take probably most in not all of the funds of both the town and the spoils of the party to be able to make it to settlement and start building with enough provisions to enable us to survive until we have stable sources of food, shelter and water. I worry though if we would be spreading ourselves too thin by buying the lyre of building at this time. I mean aren’t adventurers supposed to use the spoils of their adventures to equip themselves to be better able to deal with more challenging future adventures thus earning treasure hauls that are worth even more than the treasure hauls they previously encountered? What happens if you sell most if not all of the spoils and bought the lyre of building and then something shows up where it would be useful to either have the equipment you sold for the lyre or have spent the gold from selling the equipment on upgrading your adventuring gear. This isn’t to say I’m against the idea of the lyre, but wouldn’t it make sense to get it at a later time when purchasing it wouldn’t be such a huge gamble because we’d be tying up so much of the settlement’s funds and the party spoils on a magic item that is only situationally useful. I mean with the wand of barkskin maybe you wouldn’t want to toughen up everyone’s skin but whoever is on the front line might be able to use a boost so you’d only be taking someone out of combat for 5 or 10 seconds while they support those fighting on the front lines with an armor boost.”

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Monday August 24th, 2020 3:16:18 PM

Zazu is happy to dash off to the Catacombs for a price check.

[OOC: not actually going to the CC Board. Just using that as an in-game pretext. Hoping our kindly DM will post the price next post if that's ok.]

[OOC: Looking at Rob's spreadsheet ... and the DM Post of April 25, which says we got 20,000 gp in the community (non-party) fund. So if we paid for the lyre half out of community funds and half out of party loot, can we get where we want to be and still have enough loot left over? I think so?]

"I like the idea of a road from Kovri to Freedom's Landing, but we would still have to visit Emerald City for stuff like tools, a couple anvils, seed, and whatever we need to set up a kiln. I love the idea of using riverbank clay for bricks, and we need a forge for ironmongery."

"I really need to use some money to put useful spells in my book, like Rose's Temperature Control. With that, we won't need wood or coal for our forge or kiln or ovens, which the Culverwood should be happy about, I hope."

"Plus we can save money buying broken stuff because we can grind Mending spells to make it like new."

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Monday August 24th, 2020 9:03:57 PM
I agree with Murzush, we don't want to spread out resources too thin. I think it makes more sense to see if we can hire someone with a lyre of building to come out and help with the initial setup. I don't know if that's possible or what the cost might be, but it's worth looking into. Worst case scenario is that we decide it makes more sense to wait until we can actually afford the lyre without stretching ourselves to a dangerous point.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Monday August 24th, 2020 9:09:27 PM
"Lure or not people will be happy with a place to call their own, even if more work is required Niall comments.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Monday August 24th, 2020 11:58:42 PM
Zazu really has some good ideas for how to stretch the gold and look for bargains.

"Once I scribe Roses into my spellbook you can borrow it if you like" she offers to the elf. As a bloodwitch Ash already knows the spell and had already planned to scribe it into her wizard spellbook.

"It may be worth making a list of spells and scrolls that would help. Naithi is right that a plant growth scroll or two would be incredibly useful."

"I think Commune with Nature might also be a good one. It would let us know a few things about the land and resources around it"

She still isn't convinced on the value of keeping the barkskin wand compared to the benefit it would provide if sold. Especially if with a little study she'll be able to cast it herself.

"We also need to think about what skills the people of the town have that could be put to use immediately. I know Briana and Mike have been studying hard. They can mend things, purify food and drink, and also create fresh water. I'm sure others could do the same."

"Hypothetically if we were to get the lyre some way or another, we could have mines dug straight away. That would enable us to start using and trading some of the natural resources very quickly.

"The sooner the settlement is up and running, the sooner we become self-sufficient"

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Tuesday August 25th, 2020 12:22:15 AM

Zazu comes back from the Catacombs with interesting news. "The clerk said that the Catacombs exists to serve adventurers of the Wold, not municipalities! They would not even sell me a lyre!"

"He was kind of snooty about it! Who'da thought a janitor would be so stuck up!"

DM Mitch
Tuesday August 25th, 2020 7:57:47 AM
Zazu is all eager to go shopping and do a price check on the lyre. He talks about spells he’d love to learn.

Lothlo likes the idea of renting a lyre to save money till they can buy one.

Niall comments that people will like having their own place even if they have to work hard for it.

Ash talks about spells that would be useful to pick up.

Zazu is annoyed that he couldn't get a lyre at the catacombs.

The debate and paperwork done the party is free to roam around the city some. Zazu hits the magic item shops around town and finds to his chagrin that there actually aren’t any Lyres of Building available currently. They are not really a highly in demand item - most people can’t afford that kind of expense even to rent, meaning no one has one lying around for you to rent because there just isn’t enough demand. The government has one, but it’s not available for private use. One shop offers to make him one, but it would take them a two months waiting list on other orders at the moment. He does find out it would cost about 13,000g.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Tuesday August 25th, 2020 2:02:03 PM
That is a disappointment, but I suppose we need to organize, draw up blue prints and plant crops first.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Tuesday August 25th, 2020 4:41:02 PM

"You know, Náro is really talented with his flute. Maybe if they are making one from scratch, they can make a flute version? We might as well prepay either way and be happy to get it when we get it?"

"Meanwhile, I do not think we can get the wagons and boats and people all the way from Kovri to Freedom's Landing through the woods without a trail or way to make one. I suppose we have to lead the people via road to the Emerald City, then buy or rent boats to get to our new home?"

Meanwhile, Zazu looks to borrow Ash's spell book for Rose's Temperature Control, and looks to hire a local wizard to teach Unseen Servant, Animate Rope, Floating Disk, that is, if Ash does not know them.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Tuesday August 25th, 2020 8:00:09 PM
Niall heads to the temple of Gargul for some prayer and mentions their new settlement should any cleric be looking for a new place to setup before returning to the others.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Tuesday August 25th, 2020 8:17:02 PM
"It's the longer journey, but probably the safest"

Ash starts making a list of the things she wants to buy from the Catacombs before the party leave town. It's almost entirely scrolls that she can add to her spellbook. She waits to see what the group want to keep and sell from their haul so that she can take care of those as well.

--------------------
OOC: Loot Tracker: Who wants to keep what?

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20 d20+3=8 ; d20+3=5 ;
Tuesday August 25th, 2020 9:02:16 PM
We aren't into the deep Culver wood, we should check the survey notes or ask around to see whether we can get our caravan straight there without too much problem. I'm afraid that being an unsettled part of the land I haven't heard too much about what the land is like. The river is also a good idea, but we shouldn't rule out the direct route without at least looking into it first.

Lothlo looks over the items the party is going to bring to the catacombs. The ring looks nice, but those who prefer fighting up close could probably make better use of it.

knowledge local = 8
knowledge geography = 5

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Tuesday August 25th, 2020 11:06:22 PM
'Yeah, I think that would be the best option... I don't like the idea of traveling through the forest with that many people, it would be easy to lose track of one of them. As for the lyre, maybe it's lucky that we don't have that option right now; it would probably be easier to purchase once we're settled.' Náro offers his input.

DM Mitch
Wednesday August 26th, 2020 7:01:36 AM
Naithi is disappointed about the lyre but says they should focus on organizing, drawing up blue prints and planting crops first.

Zazu suggests prepaying the 13,000 gold for the lyre now and be happy to get it when they can. He also suggests special ordering it to take the shape of a flute.
He then moves onto the topic of getting people out to their new plot. He suggests they lead people down the road to the Emerald City from Kovri the buy or rent passage by boat to get to their new home. He then looks into hiring a local wizard to tutor him in Unseen Servant, Animate Rope and Floating Disk if Ash doesn’t have the spells

Niall heads to the temple of Gargul spending some time in prayer and mentions the new settlement to the clergy should anyone be looking for a new place.

Ash says that road and then river is a longer journey but it is probably safer. She starts making a list of things she wants from the catacombs and waits to see what the group wants from the last treasure haul as well.

Lothlo suggests going over to survey notes or asking around if there might be a more direct route to their plot. He says the river is also a good choice but they shouldn’t discount the shorter option without at least looking into it. He looks over the items and considers the ring but reasons someone who prefers melee combat could probably make better use of it.

Náro favors the river route reasoning it might be hard to keep track of everyone going cross country. He also suggests waiting till they are settled to order the lyre.

Murzush says, “13,000 gold pieces is over half of what we have for the settlement. Even if you chip in resources from your spoils it is still a lot of gold. I think Náro has the better idea in waiting till we are settled in and we are sure we can safely part with 13,000 gold pieces to purchase the lyre.”

Investigations are made about the best route. Boats are suggested as is just going through the woods. The party finds that most boats on the river don’t go down that direction. They could hire a few, enough for a maybe 20-30 people, but they have 130 people and it would take a half dozen trips. Going through the woods would be easy for the people, rough, but possible, for the wagons. The wagons might be able to go along edge of the river more easily or using the boats to carry the wagons and goods to the landing would work (taking 2 or 3 trips for everything).

Niall finds that there’s a few acolytes that might be willing to go to the new community. Many details are asked about, including if they already have any priests or if he’s looking for someone to lead the community spiritually. Some seem a little too enthusiastic about “converting the orcish heathens” to their way of thinking.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Wednesday August 26th, 2020 9:03:10 PM
Lothlo runs his fingers though his hair as he considers the options.

It sounds like heading straight there is the best option for the bulk of our group. Even though it may be rough taking the wagons, it may be best in the long run to take them this route too. We were just talking about making a road, and when moving into new territories that tends to start with making sure there is a clear path for a wagon and expanding that path over time. The little extra work it would take to get there now would mean we now have a land based trade route as an option once we are settled, as well as a better feel for the surrounding land and resources when we get there. And any obstacles we run into would be far simpler to clear away with the full manpower and skills of our group available.

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Wednesday August 26th, 2020 9:40:40 PM
'It's true that having a land based trade route would be very helpful when it comes to establishing a settlement, especially if boats don't often travel in that direction. I suppose that might be a good option as well.'

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Wednesday August 26th, 2020 9:46:42 PM

Hearing Lothlo and Náro gives Zazu enthusiasm for the job. "Yes, we could just blaze a trail and make our way overland to our new home. We'll have to fell trees, but this is the "Tamed Lands" so the Culverwood will not mind. And we can take the wood we fell and use it in our new home."

"And we can also buy some things we need here in Emerald City, like an anvil and a potters wheel and axes and saws and shovels and picks and lots of rope -- and buy a couple boats and row to Freedom's Landing."

"I still think we should pre-order the Flute of Building. It will take months to make, and that's just when we'll need it. If we wait, we'll have to wait months more."

"The question is, should we split the party, with some taking boats from here to the new site and getting things ready, and some going to the camp and leading the people overland through the woods?"

"Ash, can you still talk with your people there? Can you have them start to make the journey while we get the boats and goods and travel upriver ourselves?" Then we can go from there overland, survey the route for our trail, and meet up with our people."

"Can we hire someone to help blaze the trail, survey the route, and tell us the best place for a road?"

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Thursday August 27th, 2020 12:40:11 AM
"Yeah, based on the hostile orcs, bugs and mold we've seen it might not be best to split up. It would also be risky asking the people to travel without us there to protect them. They didn't handle the locust situation very well"

"The direct path from Kovri to the new site would be good, and claiming the wood as we go is a great idea."

"The council was happy to teleport us here so I'd imagine they'd be happy to teleport us back to Kovri. Could we escort the people from there to the new site, and once they are there we come back here for supplies?"

"Alternatively if we want to keep everyone together, we teleport to them and then escort them here. We then collect the supplies and head to the new site together. It would mean not taking a direct line from Kovri though"

Ash keeps writing a list of the things she plans to buy from the catacombs before they leave.

DM Mitch
Thursday August 27th, 2020 8:22:38 AM
Lothlo opines that heading straight for the plot is the best option as they can build a road as they go to make it easier on the wagons and have a pre-built land based trade route for future endeavors.

Náro agrees that having a land based trade route would be a good idea as well.

Zazu is enthused by Lothlo and Náro’s opinions. He suggests they blaze a trail and take the wood from any trees they fell along the way with them. He also has a number of ideas for supplies they’ll need. He still argues for pre-ordering the flute of building. He then asks if they should split the party with some boating to the new site while others lead the caravan overland. He asks Ash if her people could start the caravan moving while they see about boating to the site then surveying the land as they travel to meet with the caravan. He also asks if they can hire someone to help with the road.

Ash suggests they meet up with the caravan and lead them to the city first, then onwards to the site. That will let them keep the whole group together.

Murzush says to Zazu, “I still don’t think we should even put an order in for the lute now to pick up 2 months from now as we don’t know if we will be able to afford 13,000 gold in two months.”

You do some asking around and you find that:
A mundane trained hireling to help with the road building could range anywhere from 3 sp per day at minimum wage all the way to 3 gold, 7 silver and 2 coppers per day for the best type of mundane help assuming you could find them but that is only for their labor. You would still need to purchase materials and equipment and the trained hireling might need the help of untrained hirelings, or alternatively party or caravan members with the trail blazing and surveying.

Alternatively there are several spells that could help with trailblazing surveying and determining the best placement of a road but each casting would require the caster to be compensated at a rate of Caster Level x Spell Level x 10 gold pieces.

The shop that can build the flute of building wants the entire price as a downpayment so if you do want to just purchase it not only will it take 2 months but it will tie up 13,000 gold.

A few questions quickly determines that a transport back was part of the deal when they were brought here. After all they need to let everyone know they’ve succeeded and where to go.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Thursday August 27th, 2020 2:49:53 PM
Niall agrees the land route is good.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Thursday August 27th, 2020 9:04:28 PM
Lothlo looks over the map and goes over the pricing for a hireling.
I would say that if we are hiring someone we probably would go cheap. After all, we aren't constructing a full road right no. They would mostly be advising us on the best path for a permanent road, and when it's better for us to clear some brush vs take a slightly longer way around. Then once we get to our new home, they could tell us whether the path we cleared is sufficient for trade wagons to make the trip, or if this part of the country would require any additional work before they would make the journey.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Thursday August 27th, 2020 10:47:11 PM
"Making the journey while building a proper trail at the same time would slow us down, wouldn't it? I don't know" Building trails and roads isn't something Ash has done before "Would it be worth making the trek first before building a road? We may find obstacles as we go that we need to steer around. Once we have determined the best route we can go back over it making it a proper trail."

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Thursday August 27th, 2020 11:33:14 PM

Zazu favors paying a decent wage for a decent engineer.

"And I was convinced that we should stick with our people in case they run into problems, like those bugs. It may be slow, but that's ok."

So Zazu suggests hiring an engineer, buying the tools the expert recommends, buying some extra food too, teleporting back to our refugee band, and getting to work on a road!

"Also, Naithi, if all you did was prepare goodberries, how many people can you feed per day?"

Zazu spends the needed hours putting Unseen Servant, Rose's Temperature Control, and Floating Disk into mystical runes. [OOC: Okay to update spell book? Any extra costs?]

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Thursday August 27th, 2020 11:44:35 PM
'Yes, on second thought, the land route sounds like the best idea. And,' Náro ducks his head, 'even though it makes sense to order a flute instead of a lyre, because one of us can play it, I must say that I'm flattered. I do quite enjoy playing the flute and would like to do so to benefit the company.'

He paused. 'I also think that even though we don't necessarily have to build the road as we travel, we should, at least, try to forge some sort of path that we can go back through-- because we'll have to build a road at some point, anyway.'

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Friday August 28th, 2020 12:11:28 AM
I'm not sure what your planning, but that spell doesn't work well for large groups. Each spell makes between 2 and 8 berries and will keep a person fed for three days. I suppose I could casts it three times per day.

DM Mitch
Friday August 28th, 2020 8:06:02 AM
Niall agrees on the land route.

Lothlo suggests going cheap with respect to their hireling as they aren’t planning to construct a full road right away and if they had someone who had a little bit of knowledge would be able to tell them if their trail would need more work to support trade wagons.

Ash doesn’t like the idea of making a proper trail while making their journey. She wonders if it would make more sense to make the trek first and then build the road so that they could find the best route and know which obstacles to avoid.

Zazu favors paying a decent wage for a decent engineer and to stay with the caravan at its slow pace in case further issues come up. He also asks Naithi for her goodberry preparing capacity per day. Lastly he updates his spell book.

Náro agrees that the land route sounds like the best idea. He is also flattered by the suggestion of getting a flute of building instead. He thinks that they don’t necessarily need to build a road as they travel but it might not be a bad idea to create some sort of path.
Naithi tells Zazu that goodberry doesn’t work that well for large groups as it makes between 2 and 8 berries that will keep a person fed for three days and that she could cast it three times per day.

It sounds like the team has some decisions to make before concluding shopping and teleporting thanks to the Emissaries back to the caravan.

Minimum wage trail blazer or experienced engineer
Making the down payment on the flute of building now or later?
Strategy for moving the caravan by land (ie make road as you go, minimal work needed to travel to river site? Something in between?)

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20 d20+2=8 ;
Friday August 28th, 2020 9:02:20 PM
I think we are all on the same page regarding what we want to do as far as making our initial journey from the starting town to our new home and how much work to put in, but have different understandings of what the initial journey will require and what we are describing as the initial "road". But we all seem to be of the opinion that the main goal on this trip is to get our people and wagons through. And the thought is that if we can make the trip, so can others when we are ready to become a trading center even if the route we take isn't an actual road and may be a bumpy ride.

I suppose the real question is whether hiring someone to assist with this initial journey would be a waste or money well spent.

knowledge (engineering (roads?))=8

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Friday August 28th, 2020 9:08:53 PM
Ash may not know a whole lot about building roads, but she does know about geography. She considers how long it might take a wagon train to travel from Kovri to the new settlement.

"How about we get the experienced engineer to help us take the best path and give us instructions along the way, but we use them to get us there quickly. Minimal work along the way would mean getting us to the new location sooner and use up less supplies. Once the people are set up we go back over the trail to develop it into a proper road"

Ash will also call up her coven friends on the cauldro-phone to let them know the updates: the party have secured a location and will be arriving soon to escort the people there. She also checks if there are any urgent supplies the people need or would help them make the journey.

--------------
Knowl Geography: 20 (Take10) to determine approximate travel time
Knowl Engineering: 20 (Take10) to consider whether the party have all they need to make a trail

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16 d20+9=16 ; d20+8=22 ;
Saturday August 29th, 2020 9:25:12 AM
For what it's worth, Camalayaas and I can help identify edible plants along the way and help to identify natural hazards. I can also give you an idea of what the weather will be like.

Survival = 16
Knowledge Nature = 22

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Saturday August 29th, 2020 9:07:18 PM

"What's that, Boyo? You love it when a plan comes together?" says Zazu. "Well, me too, I guess."

Zazu does what is possible to make ready, helping with shopping and making sure all the details are finalized with the council. Is there a deed or document giving us the right to make the settlement?

"I still think an engineer would be good. And yes, all we need is a trail that the wagons can get through. I figure we need the engineer to help plan the route, and we'll just need to fell trees and chop out stumps. And maybe use some trunks to make a few bridges over little streams and gullies, nothing wider than a dozen feet, let's hope."

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Saturday August 29th, 2020 9:51:56 PM
'I agree that we shouldn't build the road as we go along. Ash has a point; construction work would take a lot longer and the company would use up supplies. It would also increase a chance for anyone to get hurt or lost. As for the flute, I think we should make the down payment now; even if we don't actually get it for a year, even, gold has a tendency to be used up and if we don't put an investment in now, we might lose our chance.'

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Sunday August 30th, 2020 10:36:17 PM
"Maybe hire an engineer and get their opinion on how to handle the road and travel. Not my area of knowledge" Niall suggests.

DM Mitch
Monday August 31st, 2020 7:21:57 AM

Lothlo surmises that everyone is on the same page regarding making the initial journey. He says he thinks there are differing opinions about what sort of main goal of the initial trip is. He asks if hiring someone to assist with the initial journey would be a waste of money or well spent.

Ash doesn’t know a whole lot about building roads but she does know geography. She figures a caravan is as slow as their slowest mode of transport which would be a cart or wagon which could travel 16 hours in a day given the best conditions but considering they are offroading / trail blazing they’ll probably get 4 to 8 miles per day with them max on an area of land without trails or highways. That also doesn’t account for any creatures, hazards or obstacles they might have to overcome. She figures that Kovri to their settlement is between 24 and 30 miles away.

As for what they’ll need specifically for their journey they’ll likely need machetes or hatchets, shovels or pickaxes, saws or axes for wood cutting, caulking in case they have to float the cart or wagon, and rope.

She suggests they hire an experienced engineer to help them take the best path and get to the settlement as quick as possible reducing supply consumption.

She also calls up her coven on the cauldron and lets them know the plan.

Naithi and Camalayaas volunteer to identify edible plants and possible hazards. She also tries to predict the weather.

Zazu tells his bunny companion that he agrees with him about the allure of plans coming together. He makes sure all the details are finalized and helps with the shopping. He says that an engineer would be a good idea as said engineer can help them move the wagons.

Zazu is given the deed to their plot of land and a writ of safe passage for the caravan.

Náro opines that they shouldn’t build the road as they go as he agrees with Ash’s reasoning. He also thinks someone could potentially get hurt or lost. He also thinks they should put the down payment on the flute of building while they have the chance.

Niall likes the idea of an engineer to help.

It sounds like you have 2 positive opinions as to the subject of finding an experienced engineer (Zazu and Ash)

1 opinion questioning if it is worth the money (Lothlo)

It also sounds like you have 3 positive opinions about trying to help the wagons get to their destinations as quickly as possible (Zazu, Ash and Náro)

You also have one opinion that wants the down payment on the flute paid before you leave (Náro)

Murzush says, “I think having expert help in moving the wagons could be useful. I also think we should try to get to our settlement as soon as we can. However, I think we should wait on a flute of building till we have more resources.”

It looks like the strategy of trying to get the wagons to the settlement as fast as possible has a majority.

About half the group likes the idea of an engineer.

You also have one strong opinion about putting the money down on a flute of building before you leave but Murzush is still against that idea at this time.

Since about enough are interested in the idea someone makes the suggestion of consulting with an engineer to get an idea of the project. A grumpy older woman is quickly found and agrees to consult with you on the job.

”New town huh? With a road to it. Well there are roads and there are roads. It will be hard work but anyone can clear a basic path through the woods for the wagons to get through. It’d be a sorry excuse for a road though. A proper road levels out the ground, cuts through terrain to shorten the path, and takes months of hard work. Even a dirt road requires leveling of things and removing roots. Even a dirt one requires that much. You want to get where your going just find the easiest way through the woods as you go along. Maybe hire someone to go with and look at things for a road later.”

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Monday August 31st, 2020 1:44:38 PM
I wonder how he will know the best route as we are going. Do you think it would be a good use of money to purchase a fly scroll or two and have someone get a good visual of the land to map out the best route? It are there topographical maps available that would let us choose the best path that way? Any other suggestions? I imagine with all of us following the same path the dirt will get pretty compacted making a good temporary path and starting foundation for a more permanent road. We may as well put out foot work to good use.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Monday August 31st, 2020 3:50:39 PM
I don't think we are looking at anything near a "proper road" at this time, or even root clearing if it's not a requirement to get the wagons there. It sounds like we'll be able to get there fine without assistance... on a side note, once we have the lyre it would likely be helpful for building the road. Once our settlement is established, we can use it once a week to improve the worst remaining stretches of road... but that would be only after we have completed all major projects in the town itself.

That said, I don't think it's worth putting even a down payment on a lyre yet, we have too many things that could come up before it's ready. We should wait until we know the settlement doesn't need the money before we commit it to a future item.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Monday August 31st, 2020 9:40:19 PM
"I think Lothlo has the right of it. We do the bare minimum so as to get to the site as quick as we can."

Ash shares with the others her thinking around the distance and travel times.

"If things go really well, we'd be looking at a 3 day trek. That's if they go really well. Worst case we'd be looking at 8 days. I think it's more likely going to be 4 or 5 days. That all changes if we come across creatures or other obstacles. If we want to take a top of the line engineer with us - even if it's just to provide advice along the way - it might cost somewhere in the 20gp range, which really isn't too bad. We might even be able to hire a cartographer or surveyor to come with us to properly map the terrain and area as well. We could get a proper topological map created like you're talking about, Naithi."

She's happy to go with the majority regarding the plans for the flute.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Monday August 31st, 2020 10:27:41 PM
Zazu likes the idea of having an engineer or experienced surveyor, and to make a trail-to-dirt-road quality passage to get everyone, including wagons, to Freedom.

The elf agrees with Náro about putting the gold down on the flute, but will go with the majority.

Zazu shows off the deed and a writ of safe passage. And looks up Delilah or whatever authority is available ... "What kind of government is it that other towns have set up in the Kingdom, and are there are rules about what we can do at Freedom's Landing? Mayor? Ruling Council? And are there any other rules or laws we have to obey, like taxes and do we have to make regular reports and who can come in and boss us around and are there any obligations, like providing or feeding troops? And are there any scouts or rangers or sherriffs who roam the area? Or are we on our own to provide local law enforcement? What do we do with criminals?"

"Basically, we need to know how to run the place."

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Tuesday September 1st, 2020 12:16:26 AM
"flute is a good idea. Investment for the future" Niall agrees.

DM Mitch
Tuesday September 1st, 2020 9:40:37 AM
Naithi suggests buying a fly scroll or two in order to get a good visual of the land to map out the best route? She questions if there are topological maps available and suggests that if they are all following the same path to get to their settlement it might make sense to put their footwork to good use.
Lothlo suggests they aren’t looking for a proper road at this time or even a root clearing if it isn’t required to get the wagons there. He suggests they could use the lyre in the future to help with road construction but that would be after the settlement’s projects were completed. To that end he is against putting the downpayment on the lyre at this time.

Ash suggests that Lothlo has the right of it and they should do the bare minimum to get to the site as quick as they can. She says if things go really well it is a 3 day trek and if things go really wrong it would probably be closer to 8 days. Otherwise it will probably be closer to 4 or 5 days. She suggests they could get a top of the line engineer for around 20 gold and that they might even want to pick up a surveyor and cartographer too. As far as the lyre goes she’s okay to go along with the majority.

Zazu likes the idea of having an engineer or experienced surveyor and to make a trail to dirt road quality passage to get everyone to Freedom.

Nial votes to put the downpayment for the flute.

The elf agrees with Náro about putting a deposit down on the flute but will go with the majority.

He then proceeds to show the writ of safe passage and asks about stipulations on running the settlement.

Delilah says, “Well when it comes to the structure of local governments in the Emerald Kingdom the Council is rather willing to recognize local sovereignty and let the locals organize themselves. As a homestead you have a 2 year grace period from the time you break ground before you have to worry about taxes. If at this time you still aren’t operating at a decent enough profit there are tax break incentives you can apply for that would lower your tax burden and incentivize growth. The Council still runs things at a federal level and they have the ability to draft an army in times of war should they arrive but things are relatively peaceful now. Similarity in times of war the requisitioning of housing or food from your settlement for food could happen. As for who can boss you around well the council and its emissaries represent the national authority so State visits from the council or emissary dispatches could potentially alter how you run things but the council typically doesn’t dispatch emissaries without good reasons. You are rather remote so as for criminals it would rather depend on the crime. Most petty crime can be handled by yourselves. Depending on the severity of the non petty crime you may want to ask for an emissary representative to pass judgement or escort the criminal to the Emerald City. As for roaming the area it is unlikely that any of the counter-orc patrols will roam your way but on the off chance they do and they request aid you are required to give them it.”

It would seem like the plan to have the initial journey get to the settlement as quickly as possible is the one most people are on board with and furthermore the help of an accomplished engineer, cartographer or surveyor can be arranged.

3 of 7 are for putting a downpayment on a flute, with only Murzush against. Of course the actual money is with the caravan so you’ll have to drop by the city later to actually start it.

With the flute mostly agreed on and the grumpy engineer ready to join the group it seems the party might be ready to go unless they have any further questions or decisions that need to be made.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Tuesday September 1st, 2020 1:59:02 PM
Zazu says, "Thank you Delilah. That is very informative. And yes, after we make the trail and get the people to Freedom's Landing, soon after that we need to come back here to buy boats, other stuff we need, and put money down on the flute."

Zazu is sure to write nice notes of thanks and farewell to all the people we have met, telling them of our new site, and inviting them to come for a visit in a few months, when we have settled in. That's to Delilah herself, of course, and her friends Kaylin and Ona; the Council collectively; Commander Shadowstep from the fort; Wyrran Valar the Bloodwitch; Masters Thomho, Thwarg, Glumly, and Crowley; Greenmage Nelly, and anyone else anyone can think of. Tailored to each one so it is nice, not a form letter.

"We have to keep on building relationships and deepening friendships," Zazu gently opines. "Plus, good manners."

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Tuesday September 1st, 2020 8:47:20 PM
'I like the idea of being able to govern ourselves, to an extent,' Náro says, 'it makes me glad that we chose such a remote location after all. As for the flute-- I won't press the matter if most of us want to wait, but I do think it's a good idea to put down the down payment now.'
He also likes Zazu's idea of thank you notes-- he decides to write some himself.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Tuesday September 1st, 2020 9:03:49 PM
Hiring a guide would almost certainly may for itself ten fold with a group our size. With the range in time for the trip, if we can cut one day off the total travel time we would save that much in food alone, not to mention decreasing the risk of being attacked and being less likely for our wagons to get stuck or damaged.

I still don't think we should put a down payment on the lyre, but I'll go with the majority on that one.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Tuesday September 1st, 2020 10:38:20 PM
"It would be foolish not to hire a guide," Niall agrees

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Wednesday September 2nd, 2020 12:18:58 AM
Camalayaas chitters and I scritch her ear lightly. I suppose we need to discuss what type of government we wish to install. Do we have the right or authority to send their money in the lyre?

DM Mitch
Wednesday September 2nd, 2020 8:59:49 AM
Zazu thanks Delilah for the information. He plans to come back to get additional supplies after the people have been safely guided to Freedom’s Landing. Zazu then writes a bunch of letters to the various people the group met along the way, tailoring them to each person and inviting them to visit Freedom’s Landing in a few months.

Náro likes the fact that the town can self govern and its remote location. Náro, inspired by Zazu, starts writing thank-you notes of his own. He also continues to advocate for the flute downpayment.

Lothlo is on board with hiring a guide but still opposed to the downpayment on the Lyre. He’s willing to go with the majority on that one.

Niall thinks it would be foolish to not hire a guide.

Naithi suggests they talk about what kind of local government they want to install. She then brings up a poignant point about the funds earmarked for the settlement. Does the party alone have the right to use those funds to purchase a Lyre of Building without consulting the rest of the caravan first?

As Zazu suggested the party has to first get the funds from the wagon back to the Emerald City the party can discuss the morality and ethics of the purchase on their way to rendezvous with the wagon and even on the metaphorical road to Freedom’s Landing.

With Engineer Parvati in Tow the party checks out of their temporary home away from home and moves to the teleportation room in emissary HQ one last time. Delilah gets the teleportation staff and gets you safely back to where the caravan is based in a few trips before returning back to the Emerald City alone.

Hopefully one day in the future she can visit Freedom’s Landing.

So with things mostly settled the party is soon back at the caravan and Kovri. You’d think it had been months instead of weeks since they’d last seen you from the impromptu party they throw. Of course the news that you’ve secured a new home probably has a lot to do with it as well.

It’s not really much of a party, just them buying what sweats they can afford and are available and making some of their own. After everyone’s eaten the main group of friends and leaders that have sort of unofficially formed gathers to get all the details from you. They share that there have been a few problems but nothing they couldn’t handle.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Wednesday September 2nd, 2020 9:02:10 PM
Lothlo joins in the celebration and enjoys a couple of *sweets* with the others. Upon hearing of problems his mind immediately goes back to that groups us not so legitimate businessmen they bumped into earlier.

What kind of problems did you have, nothing too serious I hope.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Wednesday September 2nd, 2020 10:23:24 PM
Niall only has the sweats.

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Wednesday September 2nd, 2020 11:04:17 PM
It's amazing to be celebrating like this-- having our own settlement finally seems real. Náro celebrates with the rest of the group, and decides not to really worry about any problems right now-- in any case, they were handled, and this is more of a light-hearted event.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Wednesday September 2nd, 2020 11:12:50 PM

Zazu enjoys the festivities, but natural shyness lets the elf have a good time by watching from a corner.

Privately already thinking about getting the refugees on the road ... "How many days they will need to pack and prep for the move? Will they be happy with the site when we see it? We need more rope. Can't have too much rope."

Zazu seeks out the new surveyor, Parvati, and quietly tries hard to put the professional at ease.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Wednesday September 2nd, 2020 11:55:15 PM
It feels so good to be back. It doesn't take long before the children come up and start clamoring around Camalayaas, Fizzgig and Cuddle Mule. After letting them pet every inch of fur I join the others in discussing events.

I imagine our speed will be faster than normal since the caravan is used to traveling long distances.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Thursday September 3rd, 2020 3:57:33 AM
Ash checks in with the mayor to let her know whats happened but also to get the view from the town as to whether there were any incidents. What the unofficial leadership of the freed people thought were problems might be viewed differently by those in the town.

She goes to check in on Mike and Briana to see what they've been up to and to catch up on any local gossip. Ash makes sure that they take a break and enjoy the party too!

DM Mitch
Thursday September 3rd, 2020 9:53:07 AM
Lothlo joins the celebration and enjoys some sweets with the others. He asks the others about what problems they encountered.
Niall has some sweets

Náro celebrates with the rest of the group but doesn’t really worry about the problems right now as this is a light-hearted event.

Zazu enjoys the festivities from the corner. He starts thinking about getting the refugees on the road. He also makes sure that more rope is on his list to get before going to talk to Parvati.

Naithi points out the caravan is used to traveling frequently so they should be able to get moving and get where they’re going quickly.

Ash checks in with the Mayor and with her two apprentices.

Parvati says to Zazu, “I think I understand what you want. You want to find the easiest path for your wagons with the way the road is now and not take too much time this time out to make said path more road like as you want to make good time en route to your new settlement. When we make the settlement though, what then? Care to engage my services for an extended period of time if you are satisfied with the path that gets you there? You’ll need a lot more advanced engineering feats than just a simple trail if you are going to make your settlement hospitable.”

As Ash tries to track down the mayor but its a bit more difficult then expected. It seems she’s incredibly busy, about as busy as you’d expect from dealing with so large a caravan. When she does get a chance to talk to her it’s a short conversation - yes, there weren’t any serious problems, no, she doesn’t have any more extra supplies to give (even though Ash didn’t ask), and please tell me you’ll be moving on soon we’re expecting another more reasonably sized group in a few days. Almost a soon as Ash answers another person comes up and pulls the mayor’s attention away and her bodyguard waves Ash off while keeping the irate citizen from getting in the mayors face.

The group also finds that the caravan knew this would only be a short stop so they only unpacked what they had to and will be ready to go in hours if that’s what is decided.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Thursday September 3rd, 2020 10:34:47 AM

First off, Zazu recalls the last time he talked about plans without consulting everybody. So he makes sure that everybody is on board before he answers the engineer.

Zazu was under the understanding that we intend to make a straight-shot-as-the-crow-flies-brand-new-dirt-trail from Kovri northwest to Freedom's Landing. Just a trail, but the wagons have to be able to use it, so there will be some surveying and planning the best route, and some tree-felling and maybe a few log bridges across little streams that are in the way.

Is that what everybody else thought?

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Thursday September 3rd, 2020 9:15:13 PM
Lothlo responds to Zazu
That would depend how loosely you define a new dirt trail. I am sure that between the size of our group, the wagons, and a number of animals, that we are going to naturally pack down and clear a bit of a path, and that we will have to clear an occasional obstacle so the wagon wheels can get through. Maybe set up an occasional marker if it would be useful. But that's about all I'm thinking for now, our goal is a safe and quick trip and start building the settlement.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Thursday September 3rd, 2020 9:28:49 PM
I think there should be a few curves in the road, though I suspect several of those will occur naturally due to the terrain and obstacles. That will allow the trees to cut down in the wind and keep the rain from forming a giant river if there is an elevation gradient. It will also allow us to more easily connect with the fort.

Ooc: I also think a straight road will look wrong on the map. Blame my OCD.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Thursday September 3rd, 2020 10:10:48 PM
Ash is in agreement "I think we try and take a naturally direct route. There may be hills or obstacles or some such that the engineer recommends we divert around, but the path will be more or less direct form Kovri to Freedom's Landing. I don't think it can be a perfectly straight line - there will be a few naturally occurring small curves. Whatever route we travel we will inevitably be compacting the ground anyway, as Lothlo said."

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Thursday September 3rd, 2020 10:44:31 PM
'That route looks good to me as well, though it's like you all said-- we'll need to make some allowances for obstacles in the path.'

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Friday September 4th, 2020 12:32:05 AM

Zazu grins. For once, finding a consensus is not too hard.

The elf cocks a pointy ear and listens to the familiar's mental voice. "Oh no, Boyo!" Laughs. "I'm not the leader of this group! Leading this bunch would be like herding baby bunnies!"

DM Mitch
Friday September 4th, 2020 10:13:09 AM
Zazu remembers the last time he made plans without consulting the others so he says he’ll get back to Parvati later as he queries his friends. His impression was a dirt trail that was a straight shot as the crow flies from Kovri to Freedom’s Landing. He figured it would be a trail that the wagons will be able to take so maybe some surveying and planning and some tree felling and some log bridges.
Lothlo replies that it would depend on the definition of a new dirt trail. He figured they would end up with a natural sort of dirt trail due to the natural packing down that occurs from a large group. As such they may have to clear an additional obstacle but that is it. He also suggests maybe creating an occasional marker.’

Naithi suggests that a few curves in the trail would be a pleasing aesthetic and that there may be opportunities for naturally occurring curves due to terrain and obstacles. She thinks there are opportunities to cut down certain trees and prevent potential flooding and that this would allow them an easier way to connect to the fort.

Ash is in agreement with the others about favoring a naturally direct route with some minor curves or obstacles around

Náro also likes the route and says they’ll have to make some allowances for obstacles in the path.

Parvati hears Zazu’s reply after he talks it over with the rest of the group. She’s agreeable to the route, though still wants to know if they’ll want her services afterwards. The rest of the caravan are eager to set off so in just a few hours they’ve done so.

It’s a bit of rough going for the wagons. They’re meant for open plains not uneven forest terrain with brush and scrub everywhere. Still it’s not too terrible, there’s plenty of strong hands to clear things out and the trees are mostly separated enough to not be huge roadblocks. The woods are pretty peaceful, almost curated. Those who’ve been in the active culverwood know that this trip would be impossible there due to the thick growth and large trees. These are more… curated almost. LIke a public park that’s been a left to overgrow. Wild, but still fairly open and easy going.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Friday September 4th, 2020 11:25:41 AM
"Keeping You on would be best I think" Niall chimes in to the engineer, "so long ss you're willing to stay"

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Friday September 4th, 2020 6:42:16 PM

"Well sure," says Zazu to Parvati. "You know we plan to get our hands on a Lyre of Building, right? That gives us a set number of construction-worker-hours. But we want to make the best use of lyre-worker-equivalents by doing the grunt work before playing the instrument. For example, say we're building a bridge of stone and logs, right? We don't want to use the lyre to haul logs and stone! We can do that ourselves! We want to do the grunt work ourselves, then let the lyre go to town on the more skilled and harder and more dangerous stuff, like building a bridge foundation in the middle of a wide stream, and putting logs in place and erecting arches with keystones."

"Anyway, we need you to direct us to do all that grunt work, like cutting the logs to the right length, and putting all the pieces of the puzzle in place before we bring in the musician. And we need you to explain the desired result to the musician, so that the lyre makes the right kind of bridge, and so that it is strong enough and sturdy like."

"The same goes with buildings and roads and stuff. And we'll be building things without the lyre too, seeing as it will be months before we get it, and we can't sleep in the rough that whole time."

"So no worries, you've got a job with us for a while, my new friend! We'll need your support and direction and advice for a while. Like first off, we need to survey the river, find the best places for clay, and build a kiln. We want to use wood sparingly, and clay bricks are probably a lot better than trying to quarry stone, especially on the river like we are."

Boyo hops over and snuggles Parvati.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20 d20+7=20 ;
Friday September 4th, 2020 9:03:28 PM
My assumption is that yes we will want you, doing things efficiently and correctly the first time is important, and with the specific environmental challenges we don't want to see our hard work washed away.

Lothlo marches along, keeping an eye out for any dangers that might be waiting for them along their journey
perception = 20

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Friday September 4th, 2020 9:13:01 PM
Hmm... keeping a senior engineer on long term could get expensive. That 2 gold a day of pay could instead go a long way to feeding the community. She can't imagine the people would feel too good about it. Especially since it was only a day or two ago the group were discussing buying second-hand, broken equipment to repair and save a gold or two. Perhaps there's another way to get her assistance without having to spend all the gold.

"So, Parvati..." Ash has a hint of a smile on her face as she looks to the engineer "... like Zazu said, there's a lot of work to do here. We'll be busy for a while trying to get things into place and all. Any chance you were looking to move? I mean, we have all of this land available now. If you wanted, I'm sure there would be enough space for you to build a home, or start a farm, or set up a holiday house just to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Emerald City"

"What do you think? Want to join us?"

Ash herself isn't entirely useless when it comes to engineering and construction. There's probably a lot she could do without the need for a senior engineer. She tries to work out what tasks would be too complicated for her that she would need a senior engineer to show her what to do, and what things she could do for herself.

--------------------
OOC: Taking 10, Ash can hit DC20 Knowl checks, including Engineering, Local, Nature and Dungeoneering. She can also hit DC15 Raw Int checks. Knowing the right length to cut a piece of wood seems doable

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Sunday September 6th, 2020 10:31:20 PM
Náro had his own concerns about keeping on a senior engineer for a long time, and so he notices Ash's intentions and attempts to aid her. He looks between her and Pavarti. 'Well, I for one would certainly be honored to have a talented member such as yourself in our establishment,' he said with a smile.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Sunday September 6th, 2020 11:20:44 PM
I listen to the others as they encourage the engineer, but an unsure how I might contribute.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Monday September 7th, 2020 1:44:40 PM
Niall abides.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle) d20+9=23 ;
Monday September 7th, 2020 7:31:14 PM

As the refugees make their slow steady way through the forest towards their new home, Zazu stays alert, scouts around stealthily, and, when not on sentry or watch duty, chats with people about what they learned about their new home.

Perception 20 (Sorry, messed up the die roll. Zazu is +6 not +9!)

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Monday September 7th, 2020 9:07:42 PM
Lothlo is pretty sure the engineer would be a beneficial part of the city design, and considers a different approach to making sure everyone can agree on his roll when they arrive... actually asking the expert.

Parvati, you're familiar with the project that lies ahead of us. Any chance that you can provide us with an overview of the benefits your skill set will bring to this project as a whole? Things like how it will affect the overall cost and build time, increased protection against flooding for our buildings and crops, things like that? I think we have a general idea of what things you can assist with, but not so much a firm grasp of how it will affect the big picture in the end. I feel like the first time we see flood waters your services would likely pay for themselves ten fold, but having actual numbers for planning the settlement would be helpful.

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16)
Monday September 7th, 2020 10:17:10 PM
Náro stays attentive during the journey as well.

DM Hugh - Want to join us?
Monday September 7th, 2020 11:49:19 PM
Niall suggests keeping Parvati on as long as the engineer is willing to stay.

Zazu explains to Parvati about their plans for the lyre of building and where her expertise would come in. He suggests the first task is to set themselves up with a kiln where they can make clay bricks so as to conserve wood. Boyo snuggles Parvati.

Lothlo is in agreement that they want to keep Parvati on so as to do things the right way the first time around. He marches around keeping an eye for dangers.

Ash reasons that keeping a senior engineer on long term could get expensive as the two gold a day so she offers Parvati the chance to join their community offering her a plot of land in exchange for her services. The bloodwitch also tries to figure out what tasks she could do based on her knowledge and raw intellect.

Mulling it over Ash realizes that a lot of what she knows is theoretical whereas Parvati has engineering knowledge she also has the skills of someone trained in the engineering profession. There are probably many tasks that Ash could attempt and she may get them right on the first try or it may take her multiple attempts to do so as being familiar with the theory doesn’t always work out as one would expect in practice. The things Ash knows for certain she can do is be able to determine if anything they are constructing is unsafe or if it has any weak points so if her theoretical knowledge didn’t serve the way she hoped it would she would at least be able to identify what was wrong with what she did. She could also probably get the length of wood right the question is would she remember to measure twice and cut once?

Naithi and Niall listen attentively to what is going on.

Naro tries to help Ash’s efforts.

Lothlo asks about the many benefits of having an engineer long term.

Zazu and Naithi also keep an eye out for threats.

Eventually the wagon train breaks to take lunch for the day. You have time to take some refreshment. It is during this time you have a conversation with Parvati about the future.

Parvati says to Lothlo, “Well I know how to use the tools of the trade. I can build safe structures and direct others in their efforts. I know a number of design patterns for different types of situations. As far as your floodplain situation is concerned I can think of a number of ways to deal with it. We could look at damming, we could look at elevated buildings, we could look at diverting the river, it all depends on how you want to approach it.”

Parvati thinks about Ash’s offer and says, “Your offer of a plot of land is most generous but I have a few concerns. The first is if I accept my fortunes are inexorably tied to yours. While I wish you folks the best and would do everything in my capacity to help you folks succeed sometimes things don’t work out so I would like assurances that if I do take your offer of a plot of land I can sell my plot back to you at either its appraised value or 1 gold and 9 silver multiplied by the number of days I’ve spent in your employ, whichever is higher. The second concern is I’m not an adventurer. I still need to be able to earn money so if you do give me a plot of land with the buy-out clause I would be willing to discount my rate to 1 silver piece a day in the employ of the town, but I would also like the right to be able to freelance at my normal rate. Does this sound fair?”

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Tuesday September 8th, 2020 12:07:59 AM
She can't see the need to have Parvati at hand every hour of every day, especially if there are tasks she can work out for herself, so doesn't really like the thought of paying her a full daily rate.

Ash sighs in consideration.

If Parvati wanted a plot of land to call her own, that would be fine. If she wanted to sell it in the future at fair value, of course that would be fine. It would be the same as anyone else here. To try and make it higher than fair value by applying her daily rate PLUS trying to add in an extra silver per day? That's effectively a pay rise.

What Ash think would be reasonable would be Parvati being able to sell the land at fair value, and to be paid her normal rate when called on. That would be the same as a smith selling his wares or a minstrel providing a service. The same would apply if she wanted to freelance. Those conditions are all the same that would be asked of anyone else in the town.

She doesn't say all this mind you. It's something she would discuss with the party first.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Tuesday September 8th, 2020 5:01:14 PM
Niall isn't one for numbers. "yes, I think that all sounds fine"

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Tuesday September 8th, 2020 9:13:22 PM
That sounds good to me, I'm assuming we'll need to do a mix of solutions to keep both buildings and farmland safe. Buildings probably can be elevated for maximum safety, but we'd need to divert flood water to make sure our crops aren't lost in a bad rainy season.

DM Hugh - I was wondering if you guys could maybe run on ahead to check it out...
Tuesday September 8th, 2020 11:52:23 PM

Ash is a little miffed by the counter offer and doesn’t think she likes the deal. She stays quiet until she can discuss with the others.

Niall has no such qualms and says it sounds good to him.

Lothlo also thinks it’s fine and talks about flooding and options to minimize damage from it.

Parvati seems pleased by the quick acceptance of some but clearly notes Ash’s expression. ”There’s no need to jump right into things. Talk about it, think about it, and we can hash out the details later if need be.”

Just then Codru comes up to the group. ”Oh good your all together. I was just thinking none of us have actually laid eyes on the place. No telling how out of date your info is on it, I was wondering if you guys could maybe run on ahead to check it out. Make sure it’s pretty much as we expect and hasn’t been turned into a sahagin village or overgrown or washed out or whatever. You guys seem the most qualified if there is some sort of trouble there.”

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Wednesday September 9th, 2020 12:05:28 AM
That makes a lot of sense. We could probably get there in a day (8 hours), spend the evening exploring and return the next day with the information. That way we could more quickly order any supplies we need.

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle)
Wednesday September 9th, 2020 12:06:39 AM

"That goes for Parvati! Let none of us buy a pig in a poke. I like the idea of riding ahead. The woods here seem safe enough."

Ash (RobC) -- AC 17*/13*/14* -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Wednesday September 9th, 2020 5:00:20 AM
Ash still isn't keen on hiring Pavarti indefinitely nor agreeing to her housing terms. It's not something to worry about now though. Those are long term concerns. They need her for the short term, and that's all there is to it.

"Hey Codru" Ash greets her bovine friend "What, you don't want to come too?" She elbows him in jest. She knows he's no doubt been busy acting the part of leader and keeping things under control

She reminds the others of the distance. She'd anticipated the total trip would take around 4 or 5 days. That's with the wagon train though. Things would no doubt be quicker without it. She tries to 'best guess' how long it would take for the party to reach their destination without the wagons.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16
Wednesday September 9th, 2020 1:42:36 PM
"If you feel that the wagons are protected enough.. we can scout ahead." Niall agrees.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20
Wednesday September 9th, 2020 9:18:19 PM
Split up the group, there is no way that could back fire on us. I suppose it does make sense for a small mobile group to check things out before the entire caravan arrives. I have a signal whistle I can use if things go bad, hopefully you will be able to hear it and get a heads up that there is trouble waiting ahead.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16
Wednesday September 9th, 2020 10:53:46 PM
ooc: My wife and I are expecting a baby sometime in the next week, so I might miss a post or two at some time.

DM Hugh - If a tree falls in the woods... d20+14=23 ;
Thursday September 10th, 2020 12:16:41 AM
Naithi thinks a scouting trip makes sense.

Zazu likes the idea riding on ahead.

Ash asks Codru if he wants to come and reminds the others of the distances involved.

Ash realizes that the relative speed of being on foot versus the reduced speed of the wagons means that it would probably take them only 2 to 3 days to reach their destination.

Niall agrees to the scouting mission.

Lothlo comments on splitting up the group. He mentions a signal whistle they can use to warn the others.

Sure I’ll come along, why not? Codru responds to Ash’s jest. I doubt the 8 of use won’t be missed out of a group of 130 and it’s not likely anything will happen here while we’re gone.”’

The party plus Murzush and Cordru make good time and it isn’t but 2 days that you reach your destination.

The first thing you notice is a huge stench. Upon further inspection you see the decaying corpse of a dire bear that has apparently been hit by a falling tree.

Perception 23 Highlight to display spoiler: { There appears to be a mass of tiny creatures with pointy teeth and red eyes swarming the carcass...RATS!!! A whole swarm of them }

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 18/18 , CMD = 16 d20+9=20 ;
Thursday September 10th, 2020 9:49:43 AM
Am I the only one a little worried about the likelihood of a tree falling in and killing a dire bear?

Perception = 20

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16 d20+6=13 ;
Thursday September 10th, 2020 8:29:15 PM
"Hmm.. if a tree falls in the forest and no one saw it are we sure it really fell? Or was pushed?" Niall questions as he peers at the scene.

--

Perception: 13

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 28/28, CMD: 20 d20+7=8 ;
Thursday September 10th, 2020 9:01:53 PM
Lothlo looks and sees something under a tree and hears Naithi metion the unlikely hood of the tree landing on a dire bear.
Oh, that's a dire bear... I thought it was some sort of man...bear...pig...thing. Whatever it is, it stinks. We should dispose of it before the others get here.

Perception = 8 (nat 1)

Zazu (AC19, HP18/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP9/9) (Cayzle) d20+9=16 ;
Friday September 11th, 2020 12:48:38 AM

Perception 16.

Zazu's nose wrinkles. The bunny's, twice as much!

"Boyo boy! This is stinky! Are we here yet? Maybe we want to put Freedom's Landing a bit out of smelling range."

[OOC: Have we reached the river?]

DM Hugh - RATS!!! d6=1 ; d3=3 ;
Friday September 11th, 2020 2:53:07 AM
Naithi is worried about the likelihood of a tree falling and killing a dire bear

Niall questioned if no one saw the tree fall did it really fall or was it maybe pushed.

Lothlo looks and sees something under the tree and hears Naithi mention the unlikelihood of events. He says he thought it was a man bear pig thing and that it stinks and that they should dispose of it before the others get here.

Zazu and Boyo’s nose wrinkles. He asks if they want to put Freedom’s Landing out of smelling range.

(OOC: you have reached the river)

Several rat swarms burst forth from the carcass of the dire bear

There are 5 rat swarms in all. Everyone takes 1 damage from the various swarms swarm attack. Everyone also needs to make 2 DC 12 Fort Saves. Failure on 1 means you are nauseated for 1 round failure on the other means Highlight to display spoiler: {you have contracted filth fever the onset of which will occur 3 days from now} Remember when casting a spell while swarmed you need to make a caster level check of DC 20 plus the spell level. The rats also take half damage from piercing and slashing weapons due to their size.

(OOC 2: Sorry there is no map for now I’ll add one tomorrow)

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 24/25 d20+5=7 ; d20+5=6 ; d20+5=15 ;
Friday September 11th, 2020 5:00:36 AM
Ash shudders. Ugh. Rats. She can feel them crawling all over her feet "I think I'm going to be sick" She cups one hand over her mouth and moves as far away from the swarms as she can.

--------
Fort Save vs DC12: 7, 6 = 2 Fails. So basically I rolled a 1 and a 2. Hero point reroll: 15. So failed 1 save. Ash is nauseated

Zazu (AC19, HP17/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d20+3=19 ; d20+3=13 ; d20+2=8 ; d20+2=9 ;
Friday September 11th, 2020 9:50:25 AM

DC12 Fort Saves
- Zazu: 19, 13
- Boyo: 8, 9

Zazu makes sure Boyo is safe in a messy pocket. Poor Boyo!

Then Zazu steps out of the swarm to a spot from which the elf can Color Spray as many swarms as possible with the 15 ft cone. Zazu tries to pick a spot that will target as many swarms as possible.

With Spell Focus and Int 19, that's a Will save DC16 to resist.

Niall (JonL) HP: 18/24 AC: 17/11/16 d20+7=21 ; d20+7=25 ; d20+6=22 ; 2d6+5=12 ;
Friday September 11th, 2020 4:14:50 PM
Niall curls his nose up as the ears burst out but draws his sword and steps forward. he seems unbothered by the rush of vermin around him and swipes his blade down at the ground and the rats.
----
Fort save: 21, 25

Attack a swarm!: hit ac 22, 12 slashing (6 damage)

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (Nauseated) d20+2=7 ; d20+2=16 ;
Friday September 11th, 2020 9:02:34 PM
The archer feels his stomach start to turn as a pile of the rats run up and start trying to turn him into their next meal.
I knew we should have set that stupid thing on fire!
Not being in any condition to take a steady shot at the moment, Lothlo looks for a spot that will give him some protection from the rats, or an advantage when shooting his bow. If the river looks safe he will head for that about knee deep where it won't affect his aim, hoping the current will sweep some of the the much lighter rats away giving him at least a little relief (but will NOT go far enough in where he's in danger out losing his footing if the current is strong).

Fort save 1 = 7 (nauseated)
Fort save 1 = 16 (not affected)

***Active spells and abilities***
Spells and Conditions in effect on self:
Nauseated -
Sharpshooter Skills
Can shoot ranged weapons at opponents in melee without penalty, +1 bonus on attack and damage with ranged weapons at ranges up to 30 feet, can ctake a –1 penalty on all ranged attack rolls to gain a +2 bonus on all ranged damage rolls (increases at +4 bab),
-Trick shots available: Disarm Trick, Ricochet Trick, Staple Trick
Consumables Tracking:

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16 d20+5=20 ; d20+3=19 ; 3d6=13 ; d20+3=10 ; d20+3=8 ; d20+3=12 ; d20+5=15 ; d20+3=11 ;
Saturday September 12th, 2020 12:51:53 AM
Camalayaas takes a quick step away from the swarm as I cast flaming sphere and direct it towards the swarm. The putrid smell of burning great fur fills the air as the flames scorch the wiggling mess. Camalayaas then tried to attack the swarm, but cannot seem to land a hit.

Fort saves Naithi 20, 15
Fort Saves Camalayaas 19, 11
Damage from flaming sphere = 14
Camalayaas attacks 10, 8, 13 (2 claws and a bite, I believe all miss)

DM Hugh - RATS!!! Rnd 2 d20+2=16 ; d20+2=5 ; d4=4 ; 3d4=9 ; d20+5=24 ; d6=6 ; d6=6 ; d6=5 ; d6=2 ;
Saturday September 12th, 2020 1:06:57 AM
Ash shudders and becomes sickened by the rats she moves as far away as she can.

Zazu makes sure that Boyo is safe in a messy pocket. Zazu then steps out of the swarm to a spot where he can get multiple swarms with a color spray.

One Swarm passes and the other succeeds.

Swarm 1 is blinded and stunned for 4 rounds then stunned for 1 round

Swarm 2 is fine

Niall attacks the nearest swarm doing 6 damage with his blade.

Lothlo heads for the safety of the river

Cordru follows suit

Murzush gets into position to hit the rat swarms that Zazu did with a burning hands

The swarms attack. 1 goes after Zazu, 1 goes after Murzush and the other 2 go after Niall.

Zazu takes 6 damage
Murzush takes 6 damage

Niall takes 5 damage and 2 damage

Zazu, and Murzush need to make 2 DC 12 Fort Saves. Failure on 1 means you are nauseated for 1 round failure on the other means Highlight to display spoiler: {you have contracted filth fever the onset of which will occur 3 days from now}

Niall needs to make 4 DC 12 Fort Saves twice for each affect

Swarm AC 14

Swarm 1 blinded / stunned for 4 rounds, stunned 1 round + 12 damage

Swarm 2 6 damage

Swarm 3 6 damage

Swarm 4
Swarm 5

Map

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 24/25
Saturday September 12th, 2020 1:17:08 AM
Ash has overcome her initial nausea and wants to get in on the fight. Despite a little nick on her leg, Ash is in good health. Certainly better than Murzush. "Fall back behind me, Murzush!". Ash fishes out a potion for her just in case.

------------
Move action: Move closer to the fight
Move action: Retrieve CMW potion for Murzush to take

Zazu (AC19, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d20+3=22 ; d20+3=21 ;
Saturday September 12th, 2020 9:03:05 AM
DC12 Fort Saves
- Zazu: 22, 21

Zazu is not nauseated, which is good because those multiple rat bites are nasty!

Zazu flees! The elf takes a double move to end 40 ft to the north, at the top row of the map.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16
Saturday September 12th, 2020 10:44:57 AM
Naithi looks to see if her flaming sphere had any effect.

Náro (Violet) HP: (16/16) AC: (16) d20+3=7 ; d20+3=17 ;
Saturday September 12th, 2020 11:25:07 AM
Náro was nauseated by the rats - but fortunately didn't catch a disease - and for the first round, all he did was run away. In the second round, he decided to cast his Summon Monster I spell and started preparing it.

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16)
Saturday September 12th, 2020 11:28:53 AM
OOC: Updating header for damage.

Niall (JonL) HP: 29/36 AC: 17/11/16 d20+7=26 ; d20+7=9 ; d20+7=8 ; d20+7=11 ; d20+7=27 ; d6=1 ; d6=6 ;
Sunday September 13th, 2020 12:12:41 AM
Suddenly nauseated by all the rats around him, there isn't much Niall can do other than slap his hand on himself for a wee bit of healing.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (Nauseated) d20+11=12 ; d20+11=22 ; d20=12 ; d20=5 ;
Sunday September 13th, 2020 8:54:05 PM
Lothlo starts to feel better as the cool water washes over his rat bites.
Cordu, If you need a weapon I have a sling in my backpack you can take. Should be plenty of stones in the river. It may not be the greatest weapon, but better than nothing.

Lothlo takes his bow and aims at the rat swarm farthest south on the East side and rapidly sends out two arrows at the swarm.

Attack 1=12
Damage 1=12

Attack 2=22
Damage 2=5

***Active spells and abilities***
Spells and Conditions in effect on self:
Nauseated -
Sharpshooter Skills
Can shoot ranged weapons at opponents in melee without penalty, +1 bonus on attack and damage with ranged weapons at ranges up to 30 feet, can ctake a –1 penalty on all ranged attack rolls to gain a +2 bonus on all ranged damage rolls (increases at +4 bab),
-Trick shots available: Disarm Trick, Ricochet Trick, Staple Trick
Consumables Tracking:

Updated 07-10

DM Hugh - Record keeping post d6=5 ; d6=6 ; d6=4 ; d6=2 ;
Sunday September 13th, 2020 10:59:50 PM
(OOC: record keeping post)

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16 3d6=7 ; d20+3=23 ; d20+3=17 ; d20+3=16 ; d20+3=7 ; d6=4 ; d6=1 ; d6=4 ; d20+10=27 ;
Monday September 14th, 2020 12:55:41 AM
Camalayaas and I keep 5ft from the rats as I move the fireball to stay on them while Camalayaas swipes get claws at the swarm

Flaming sphere = 7 dmg
Camalayaas claw attack hit ac 23, confirm crit 17 for 6 dmg
Camalayaas claw atk 2 hit ac 16 for 5
Camalayaas bite , miss

Ride check = 27

DM Mitch d20+5=24 ; d20+5=17 ;
Monday September 14th, 2020 7:16:39 AM
Ash overcomes her initial nausea and wants to get in on the fight. She moves closer and instructs Murzush to fall back behind her getting a potion ready, just in case.
Zazu is not nauseated. He flees and takes a double move north.
Naithi observes her sphere do half damage while Camalayaas’s attacks miss.
Náro starts casting summon monster 1
Niall slaps his hand on himself for a wee bit of healing.
Lothlo starts to feel better as the cool water washes over his rat bites. He offers Codru his sling as a weapon. He starts firing at the rats and hits once and misses once.
Naithi presses the attack on the swarm next to her and manages to kill enough the rest flee.

Codru starts giving a rousing oratory performance. (inspire courage; you get +1 morale bonus to saves against fear and +1 competence bonus to attack and damage.

Murzush moves behind Ash.

Swarm 2 moves to attack Ash. Ash takes 5 damage and has to make 2 DC 12 fort saves or become nauseated and/or diseased.
Swarm 4 and 5 continue to attack Niall. He takes 10 damage and must make 4 DC 12 fort saves.

2 more rat swarms climb down from the trees near Zazu.

Swarm AC 14

Swarm 1 blinded / stunned for 3 rounds, stunned 1 round + 12 damage

Swarm 2 6 damage

Swarm 3 dispersed

Swarm 4: 0 damage

Swarm 5 5 damage

Swarm 6 : 0 damage

Swarm 7 : 0 damage

Map

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d100=29 ; d100=44 ; d20+4=22 ; d3=2 ;
Monday September 14th, 2020 8:29:27 AM

[OOC: Ugh I forgot to roll my 5% spell fail chance for the color spray. It was a 29. For today's Ray, 44. Both = A-OK]

Zazu shouts at the two swarms nearby. The wizard casts Ray of Frost at RS6, hitting touch AC22 for 2 hp damage.

Hopefully having their attention, Zazu tries to lead the two swarms away, moving north 30 ft.

The elf looks back to see if there is a clear path for moving north, leading these swarms away. Zazu's strategy is to keep on using rays and move actions to keep enough away that they cannot catch up, but close enough that they can be rayed each round. We'll see if they take the bait and follow.

Niall (JonL) HP: 25/36 AC: 17/11/16 d20+7=13 ; d20+7=21 ; d20+7=15 ; 2d6+6=11 ; d6=6 ;
Monday September 14th, 2020 7:51:09 PM
Niall fights through the disgust and lashes out at the rats around him with his sword in broad arc downwards.

----

Save 13, 21. Niall is immune to disease so didn't bother to roll that save.

Attack swarm 5, hit ac 15, 11 slashing reduced to 5 damage

Lay on hands for 6 hp

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and to attack/damage.) d20+11=21 ; d20+11=23 ; d8=4 ; d8=3 ;
Monday September 14th, 2020 9:06:29 PM
Lothlo notices more of the hairy rodents descending from the trees.
Tree Rats? Back home we had adorable little chipmunks, but of course out here it just has to be tree rats!

Raising his Bow, Lothlo sends another volley of arrows (Rapid Attack) towards RS5 (if they should fall, then RS4, followed by RS2)

Rapid Attack 1=21 (+1 Inspire Courage)=22
Damage 1=4 (+1 Inspire Courage)=5

Rapid Attack 2=23 (+1 Inspire Courage)=24
Damage 2=3 (+1 Inspire Courage)=4

***Active spells and abilities***
Spells and Conditions in effect on self:
Inspire Courage -
Sharpshooter Skills
Can shoot ranged weapons at opponents in melee without penalty, +1 bonus on attack and damage with ranged weapons at ranges up to 30 feet, can take a –1 penalty on all ranged attack rolls to gain a +2 bonus on all ranged damage rolls (increases at +4 bab),
-Trick shots available: Disarm Trick, Ricochet Trick, Staple Trick
Consumables Tracking:
4 arrows

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 19/25 d20=12 ; d20+5=11 ; d20+5=11 ;
Monday September 14th, 2020 9:58:37 PM
Ash seems really susceptable to these rats. She takes another nasty bite and then feels the all too familiar nausea return. "Murzush. R...run. I'll cover you"

She waits until Murzush makes a move and then imposes herself between the orc and the rats. "Try and make it to the river. I'll be there soon"

"Hopfully" Ash draws her dagger and prepares to defend herself.

--------------------
Fort Save vs DC12: 11,11. 2 fails. Ash is nauseated again and diseased.

DELAY action. After Murzush has moved...
Free action: 5ft step to keep between Murzush and the rats
Move action: Draw dagger. If the rats provoke an AoO, hit AC12=Miss

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16) d20+3=15 ; d20+3=12 ; d20+3=4 ; d4=3 ; d4=3 ; d4=4 ; 2d4+2=4 ;
Monday September 14th, 2020 11:41:59 PM
The eagle shows up right next Swarm One; it's blinded and stunned and Náro thinks that his eagle will have quite a few chances to attack without being swarmed. He stops paying as much attention to his eagle and decides to cast the Magic Missile spell into that swarm's midst as well.

--------------------

Eagle: AC15, AC12, and AC4 for damage of 3, 3, and 4.
Magic Missile: 4 damage.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16 3d6=7 ; d20+3=20 ; d6+1=7 ;
Monday September 14th, 2020 11:53:29 PM
In surprised the fire only does haha damage, but seeing Niall caught in a pincher, I move my flaming sphere (last round of duration) and attack rat swarm4 (or RS5 if 4 dispersed).

Camalayaas then charges RS2 (if alive, if not RS5 it other available) swipes at it with her claw.

Actions
____________
Naithi's mine Flaming sphere to atk RS4 (or RS5 or other if unavailable) for 7 dmg

Camalayaas charge and claw attack hit ac 22 for 7 bludgeoning dmg

DM Hugh - Record keeping post d20+5=22 ; 2d4+2=6 ; d20+4=13 ; d6=3 ; d6=6 ;
Tuesday September 15th, 2020 12:56:29 AM
(OOC: record keeping post)

DM Mitch
Tuesday September 15th, 2020 7:31:04 AM
Zazu shouts at the 2 rat swarms he casts ray of frost at one of them as he tries to lead them away to the north.

Niall fights through the disgust and continues to attack one of the swarms attacking him.

Lothlo notices the tree rats and sends another volley at R5 damaging it for 4 points total as arrows do piercing not bludgeoning.

Ash is really susceptible to the rats. She tells Murzush to run and she’ll cover the orc. She imposes herself between the Orc and the rats.

Náro’s summoned eagle shows up and divebombs the blinded and stunned rat swarm hitting once. The sorcerer’s magic missiles finish it off and it too disperses.

Naithi moves her flaming sphere against RS 4. RS 4 is able to avoid some of the damage (passes reflex save) like the previous target of the sphere. Camalayaas attacks RS 2 and hits with a claw

Murzush moves towards the river firing off her own magic missile at swarm 2 dispersing it

Cordru keeps giving an inspiring performance while retrieving that sling that was offered and attacking with a stone but he misses.

Swarm 4 and 5 continue to swarm Niall. Niall takes 9 damage total and needs to make 2 saves against the nauseau.

Swarm 6 moves towards the larger group.

Swarm 7 follows after Zazu

Swarm AC 14

Swarm 1 dispersed

Swarm 2 dispersed

Swarm 3 dispersed

Swarm 4: 5 damage

Swarm 5 14 damage

Swarm 6 : 0 damage

Swarm 7 : 0 damage

Map

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16 d20+7=12 ; d20+7=22 ; d20+7=23 ; d6=6 ; 2d6+6=15 ;
Tuesday September 15th, 2020 5:05:18 PM
Surrounded by rat, Niall continues to draw fortitude from his divine connection and staves off that feeling of revulsion as he swings his sword through more of the vermin and passes a hand over himself to heal some of the little bites.

---

Fort save 12, 22

Attack hit ac 23 for 15 slashing. 7 damage

Lay on Hands (3/4) for 6 hp

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Tuesday September 15th, 2020 5:05:37 PM
Niall Attacked swarm 5

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.) d20+12=30 ; d20+12=21 ; d8+1=5 ; d8+1=3 ;
Tuesday September 15th, 2020 9:01:01 PM
It figures we see no rats until we get to the plot that's ours. At least that indicates that it's that stupid bear corpse that attracted them, we'll need to dispose of it when this is over.

Lothlo pulls out another two arrows and sends them flying in quick succession (Rapid Attack) towards RS5 (if they should fall, then RS4, followed by RS7)

Attack 1=30
]Damage 1=5

Attack 2=21
]Damage 2=3

(half damage for piercing)

***Active spells and abilities***
Spells and Conditions in effect on self:
Inspire Courage -
Sharpshooter Skills
Can shoot ranged weapons at opponents in melee without penalty, +1 bonus on attack and damage with ranged weapons at ranges up to 30 feet, can take a –1 penalty on all ranged attack rolls to gain a +2 bonus on all ranged damage rolls (increases at +4 bab),
-Trick shots available: Disarm Trick, Ricochet Trick, Staple Trick
Consumables Tracking:
6 arrows

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 19/25 d4+1=4 ;
Tuesday September 15th, 2020 9:07:25 PM
Ash takes a few steps west to interpose herself between rat swarm 7 and Naithi. She may be hurt but she can still act as a blocker.

She casts a magic missile at the swarm, finally dealing some damage to the things

---------------
Cast MM at Swarm 7. 4pts force damage

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d100=33 ; d20+4=16 ; d3=2 ;
Tuesday September 15th, 2020 10:44:19 PM

Zazu casts a Ray of Frost, (arcane spell fail 33) hitting AC16 for 2 damage ... then backing up another 30 ft.

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16) d20+3=12 ; d4=3 ; 2d4+2=7 ;
Wednesday September 16th, 2020 12:04:57 AM
Náro notices that his eagle has dispersed the first swarm; he smiles slightly, looks around, and notices that the seventh swarm hasn't been attacked at all. Using the telepathic link, he tells his eagle to go and attack the swarm. The eagle only gets one attack due to it's move action.
Náro can focus on himself now; he's closest to the fifth swarm and casts another magic missile into their midst.

----------------

Eagle: AC12, 3 Damage
Magic Missile: 7 Damage

DM Hugh - Record keeping post d6=1 ; 2d4+2=7 ; d20+4=17 ; d20+4=22 ; d20+4=5 ; d20+4=7 ;
Wednesday September 16th, 2020 4:33:14 AM
(OOC: record keeping post)

DM Hugh - RATS!!!!
Wednesday September 16th, 2020 9:30:17 AM
Niall continues to draw fortitude from his divine connection as he swings his sword through the vermin and heals himself. He manages to disperse rat swarm 5.

Lothlo pulls out more arrows and continues to fire arrows into the swarm hitting rat swarm 4 twice.

Ash interposes herself between rat swarm 7 and Naithi. She casts magic missile at swarm 7.

Zazu continues to lead swarm 6 away hitting it with a ray of frost.

Náro smiles as his eagle disperses a swarm. He directs his eagle to attack the 7th swarm while he fires another magic at swarm 4 (OOC: swarm 5 was dispersed)

Murzush fires off her own magic missile at rat swarm 6 dispersing it.

Cordru continues to give a stirring oratory performance while slinging a stone at a swarm and misses.

Rat swarm 6 continues to follow after Zazu

Rat swarm 7 swarms Ash for 1 damage and she must make the DC 12 fort save against the nausea. (OOC: pretty sure you can’t catch the same disease multiple times while afflicted)

Swarm AC 14

Swarm 1 dispersed

Swarm 2 dispersed

Swarm 3 dispersed

Swarm 4: dispersed

Swarm 5 dispersed

Swarm 6 : 4 damage

Swarm 7 : 7 damage

Map

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16 d20+9=16 ; d4+4=8 ; d20+7=18 ; d6+1=4 ;
Wednesday September 16th, 2020 5:21:37 PM
Ooc: no baby yet, just a busy night dealing with getting quotes from contractors for some repairs.

Seeing Zazu taking on one of the swarms (RS6) by himself, I quickly spur Camalayaas forward to help him. Hang in there Zazu, the exterminator if on it's way. . As we charge forth I think back to my days as "The Murder Muppet" in the orc camp, and wonder if I can tap back into those primal animalistic instincts now that I recall my druidic training.

As I swing my arm I feel my claws absorbing some of the rats life's blood...I...Waited...Too...Long.
Not now. Not rats. Something stronger... Smarter...

A warg rider and a rat swarm.... I cannot help but wonder how this will effect my psyche... But I can already feel myself giving into the wild of nature and my bond with Camalayaas growing. If it doesn't stop, could be become a two person swarm...

Actions
-----------
Charge attack
Naithi hit ac 16 for 8dmg (bludgeoning with club)
Camalayaas hit ac 18 foot 4 dmg
(+2 for charge naithi has +1 for Maab's bleeding t)

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.) d20+12=14 ; d20+12=21 ; d8+1=9 ; d8+1=4 ;
Wednesday September 16th, 2020 9:05:16 PM
Lothlo notices that one of his companions is moving farther and farther away.
Zazu, try circling back and heading towards the river.

Two more arrows are removed from Lothlo's quiver and in a flash are sent flying towards another rat swarm.
(Rapid Attack) towards RS4 (if they should fall, then RS7)

Attack 1 = 14
Damage 1 = 9

Attack 2 = 21
Damage 2 = 4

(half damage for piercing)

***Active spells and abilities***
Spells and Conditions in effect on self:
Inspire Courage -
Sharpshooter Skills
Can shoot ranged weapons at opponents in melee without penalty, +1 bonus on attack and damage with ranged weapons at ranges up to 30 feet, can take a –1 penalty on all ranged attack rolls to gain a +2 bonus on all ranged damage rolls (increases at +4 bab),
-Trick shots available: Disarm Trick, Ricochet Trick, Staple Trick
Consumables Tracking:
8 arrows

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d100=12 ; d20+4=13 ; d3=1 ;
Wednesday September 16th, 2020 10:07:43 PM
Zazu keeps on keeping on. Casts a Ray (12% arcane fail is fine), hits touch AC13, inflicts 1 damage. Then moves 30 ft away.

The elf shouts to concerned friends, "It's ok! They can't catch me, so I can shoot and move, shoot and move, forever!"

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 18/25 d20+5=15 ; d4+1=2 ;
Wednesday September 16th, 2020 10:45:14 PM
Ash is getting used to being bitten by the rats by now and doesn't notice the nausea any more.

She takes a step back from the rats - keeping herself between them and Naro - and casts another magic missile.

--------------------------
Fort Save vs DC12: 15 = Pass!
Free: 5ft step SW
Standard: Cast MM at RS7 for 2pts force damage

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Wednesday September 16th, 2020 11:05:34 PM
Niall looks around for more rats, none being reachable from his currently position

DM Hugh - RATS!!!! - conclusion
Thursday September 17th, 2020 9:57:14 AM
Naithi spurs Camalayaas forward to help Zazu thinking back to her days as “The Murder Muppet” in the orc camp as she tries to tap back in to that animalistic instinct. As Camalayaas and Naithi hit the swarm chasing Zazu they do just enough damage to break it up.

Lothlo notices Zazu getting farther and farther away and tries to encourage his friend to circle around. He hits the last remaining swarm with 2 arrows

Zazu keeps on his game of cat and mouse er elf and rat. His ray is actually a little off target.

Ash is getting used to the rats and doesn’t become nauseous for once. SHe fires off another magic missile that slams into rat swarm 7.

Niall looks around for more rats, considering all the ones near him had been driven off.

Murzush fires off another magic missile at Rat Swarm 7, dispersing it too.

The last of the rat swarms have been broken up and your new prospective home is at least free from vermin for the moment. You probably want to do something about that dire bear carcass though.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16 d20+10=17 ; d20+11=26 ; d20=12 ; d20=5 ; d20=15 ;
Thursday September 17th, 2020 12:01:51 PM
ooc: What time of day is it? Curious about preparing more spells.

Camalayaas and I quickly run over to the tree and examine it carefully in hopes of determining if this was a trap or natural coincidence (and if it is a coincidence assume it was intentional anyway :).

Oh... This is some good stuff! I say as I examine the dire bear corpse. The pelt is damage, but I can save some scraps to make leather strips and the rest to make raw hide for Camalayaas.

The meat I can start preparing and cleaning now, but I have to wait until morning to prepare and cast purify on it. Oh, you will love it! Best meat has such a sweet savory taste! It is sweeter than venison, refer than beef and has the texture of fresh pork!

There should be enough meat here to make everyone pelmeni (Russian dumpling). It is the ultimate comfort food. Sweet minced meat wrapped in a delicate pastry served hot, and since the dough is unlevened it will be ready quickly.

My mouth is already watering at the thought.

Actions
----------
Perception = 17 to determine why the tree fell and if it hitting the bear was intentional

Prepare bear hide for leather and meat for cooking.

Survival to help with field preparations of meat and leather

Leather craft for leather = 12
Leather craft for raw hide = 5
Cooking = 15

ooc: anyone able to use aid another?

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Thursday September 17th, 2020 3:33:12 PM
Niall seems unsure about eating old rotten bear and instead suggests they take a look around the proposed site to make sure there aren't any other more immediate dangers than food poisoning.

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d20+5=24 ;
Thursday September 17th, 2020 7:25:30 PM

Zazu (kinda) liked the bug meat, so if Naithi says old rat-chewed bear is good, it's worth a try.

"Boyo says he'll try it too." (The rabbit actually does not look eager.)

"But maybe cast Purify Food and Drink on it first! Can anyone do that?"

And before any of that, first make sure there are no more rats in there!

Zazu looks for enemies, and Boyo tries to sniff them out.

Perception 24

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Thursday September 17th, 2020 9:03:05 PM
Lothlo sniffs the air.
Uh, Naithi, what exactly are the limits of purify food?
This isn't exactly moldy bread... this is a decomposing corpse.
I'm worried that all purify food will do is give you a decomposing corpse that won't poison you, though I've never heard of someone trying this so maybe it will work.
In any case, I vote we destroy it now. We need to sleep here tonight, and as good as your pelmeni might be, they aren't worth having this stench in our camp overnight.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 18/25 -- Diseased
Friday September 18th, 2020 1:07:16 AM
Ash has no intention of eating rotten bear right now. Just the thought makes her feel sick again.

She checks about to make sure there are no other rats nearby

"You ok, Murzush?"

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16 d3=2 ;
Friday September 18th, 2020 1:43:22 AM
You waste to much. In many places this is considered a delicacy. Have you never heard of aged beef? Beside, bears always smell bad. If this had been here too long those rats wouldn't have left it recognizable.

I'll spare you the details, but once it is field dressed and cleaned the smell will be fine, especially if I treat it with some salt and vinegar. I can make it safe enough to eat naturally, but come dawn I'll cast purify, which will completely remove any remaining smell and chance for disease.

Also, this is a large sized dire bear. They are 500-4,000 lbs. How are you going to destroy it? Do you know how bad that much burning hair will smell or how big a fire we would need to get rid of it? Better to save the hide, claws, and parts that can be used for crafting and save the rest to purify and feed the tribe. (It an orison, so I can cast it as often as necessary).

(There is a long history of finding ways to use spoiled meat if you Google it.)

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16)
Friday September 18th, 2020 7:05:46 AM
Náro wrinkles his nose, but recognizes that although he finds the thought distasteful, he can agree with Naithi's arguments, and besides, he knows he's not an expert in this field anyway.

DM Mitch
Friday September 18th, 2020 8:17:04 AM
Naithi examines the tree and tries to determine if it was a trap or coincidence. From what Naithi gathers it looks like a coincidence. She examines the bear corpse and plans to save some of it for leather strips and the rest for rawhide. She also wants to prepare and clean the meat as she reasons it is sweeter than venison, rarer than beef and has the texture of fresh pork. She wants to make dumplings too with it.

Niall is unsure about eating the rotten bear and suggests they look around their site for new dangers.

Zazu kind of liked the bug meat so he is willing to go with Naithi with respect to rat-chewed bear. He suggests casting purify food and drink and making sure there are no more rats. He too keeps an eye out for enemies.

Lothlo asks Naithi what the limits of purify food are and explains a decaying bear corpse is different than moldy bread and asks if she is sure it will work. He suggests destroying it

Ash has no intention of eating rotten bear meat and checks to make sure there are no rats nearby. She asks Murzush if the orc is okay.

Naithi argues the party wastes too much and says once she field dresses and cleans the remains the smell will be fine and she can make the meat safe to eat naturally but tomorrow she will purify it with magic removing any risks. She says there is hundreds if not thousands of pounds of meat there that would go a long way to resolving their food concerns for the caravan.

Naro doesn’t like the idea but find the arguments convincing.

None of you find any more rats or other threats in the vicinity.

Murzush laughs at the debate over the bear and says, “Aged meat is a delicacy among my people. If the rest of you are not interested in what Naithi is suggesting the remnants of my tribe will eat fine for a good while off the bear, especially if someone does magically treat it and the noble races can have the rations. We could probably make it last for a good long while too.”

To Ash she says, “I am only slightly wounded, and I didn’t even end up nauseous or sickened by the rat’s bite. They seemed to take a shining to you though. How are you holding out?”

Cordru says “I think regardless of what we do with the bear dealing with the smell is our top priority. It sounds like Naithi can take care of that without destroying it. If she can make it completely safe to eat by waiting a day, where is the risk in letting her handle the remains of the bear? I mean the rest of the caravan is still a ways away. Was our plan not to get here, scout things out and do what we could to make it more hospitable to the rest of the group? Wouldn’t it be a nice surprise to have them show up and be able to treat them with Naithi’s dumplings? ”

Sounds like the party has a decision to make as currently not everyone is on board with Naithi’s suggestion.

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle)
Friday September 18th, 2020 12:46:14 PM

"Ha! Them what don't like well-aged bearmeat don't have to partake!" says Zazu. "We can't be too picky, with all the people we gotta feed."

When there is a chance, Zazu approaches Cordru and compliments his oratory. He asks about that. [OOC: Is Cordru a bard? Were we supposed to be getting Inspire Courage bonii or something?]

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16
Friday September 18th, 2020 3:11:32 PM
I thank Murzush for her support. I'm glad there are people that can appreciate good food, even if it doesn't come from a stand. I can cast purify food and drink, but if anyone knows prestidigitation it would help with the cleaning of the meat more thoroughly while preserving the outermost layer.

The way I see it, this Dire Bear is a good sign. It is an apex predator, so it should be the only major predator in the area as long as it didn't have a mate. And fortunately we have found no sign of other threats.

Now, while I'm preparing the meat can someone set up a communal cooking pit? I think it would be best if we have things somewhat mapped before the others arrive. (Do we have any suggestions for a proposed layout? I can start drawing a rough city map)

One concern I have is the high number of orphans we have due to the the events leading up to our freedom. I'm not sure how orc tribes usually handle such matters, but most noble races either have families adopt the orphans or they become wards of the city and are raised in am orphanage.

I would like to set up a tradition of gathering anyone considered a master in their trade together once a year to introduce the orphans who have come of age and let them formally request apprenticeship. They could also spend some time telling the younger orphans about the various occupations and what they look for in an apprentice.

It would also be a nice tradition for all hunters to donate at least a part of their meat to a communal soup/stew that will be available to those in need.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 23/25 -- Diseased d20=20 ; d20+4=12 ; d8+2=5 ; d8+2=7 ; d8+2=8 ;
Friday September 18th, 2020 8:11:02 PM
"I'm fine" Ash smiles to Murzush "Just glad that we're all still here". She checks over everyone and looks for any cuts or bites that need tending to. She gives Codru a slap on the back "Aren't you glad you came along?"

Ash looks over the corpse a little more closely now. She wants to make sure they are right about the cause of death: was it killed by the tree or something else? She also looks about for tracks to determine a few things: was it alone, and which direction did it come from.

"Prestidigitation is something I can cast. I can use it to clean off the pelt, and also to clean the meat. For those not sure about the taste, I can also flavor it too. It's possible a mending spell might work on the pelt to make it into one piece again. I imagine a whole dire bear pelt would be worth more than pieces of one"

She nods along as Naithi puts forwards some proposals "They sounds like fine ideas. If this settlement is going to last then everyone needs to work together - young and old"

It's a pity they didn't have some sort of ceremonial flag to plant, signifying their claim of the land. You know what... Ash looks for a small branch that could easily be cut from the fallen tree, and then with some canvas from within her backpack she makes a very crude flag and pole.

She grabs hold of the pole and prepares to stake it into the ground. "Anyone else want to get in on this?" she offers. This is the land for the people after all. If a flag is to be planted they should do it together. When all who wish to are holding the branch they can give a combined thrust to plant it.

"Welcome to Freedom's Landing. Current Population? 8"

---------------
Perception: 20
Survival: 12

Cast CLW: Ash is healed for 5pts, Niall for 7, Zazu for 8.

FYI... Codru's sheet can be found on the wiki page. He's a 3rd level bard.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Friday September 18th, 2020 10:10:32 PM
Well, this is much larger than I'm used to back home, and I never had access to magic to try these things. If Murzush and Naithi are saying that their spells can keep it safe and delicious I'll try it... I probably won't be the first to try it, but I'll try it.

I can start on the fire pit, I have had lots of experience making those after a hunt... though this one will need to be quite a bit larger.

ooc:Will I have some time to work on crafting a new bow while we wait for the group to arrive?

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Sunday September 20th, 2020 2:07:31 PM
"I cannot get sick but could still be poisoned. I do not truly understand the difference.. but I am happy to try what is prepared" Niall adds in.
He'll help gather some works to surround the branch with so it doesn't topple over.

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16)
Sunday September 20th, 2020 6:33:59 PM
'I can cast Prestidigitation as well, if you need the help,' Náro offers. He also agrees with Naithi that forming some kind of community service could be helpful-- he's not experienced in politics or anything of this sort, though, so he doesn't speak up.

DM Mitch
Monday September 21st, 2020 7:27:38 AM
Zazu suggests that those that don’t like well-aged bearmeat don’t have to partake. He asks about Cordru’s oratory (OOC: yes I said you get the Inspire Courage benes during the fight)

Naithi Thanks Murzush for her support and asks if anyone can cast prestidigitation. She reasons the Dire Bear is a good sign. She asks if someone can set up a communal cooking pit. She also asks after sketching out some sort of layout for the settlement. She suggests they form an apprenticeship program for the orphans and a communal stew pot the hunters could donate to for those in need.

Ash tells Murzush she is fine and slaps Cordru on the back asking if the bard is happy he came along. She examines the bear corpse and volunteers she can cast prestidigitation which can also be used for flavoring. She reacts favorably to Naithi’s suggestions and that they all need to work together to be successful. She creates a makeshift flag from a stick and some canvas and asks if the others want in on the flag planting action.

Lothlo remarks that the bear is much larger than he is used to back home and he never had access to magic. He says if the magic can make it safe, he’ll try it, he just won’t be the first to do so. He volunteers to help on the firepit.
(OOC: yes you do have time to work on your bow)

Niall volunteers that he can’t get sick, but could be poisoned, though he’s still happy to try what is prepared.

Náro points out that he too can cast prestidigitation and is agreeable to Naithi’s suggestions, though his support remains unvoiced.

At least Murzush and Cordru join Ash in planting the flag she made to commemorate the founding of Freedom’s Landing.

Murzush says to Naithi, “I too think that your ideas are worth pursuing.”

Cordru says to Zazu, “I am a bard trained in a strong oratory tradition. My words can inspire others to perform to new heights in battle.”

Lothlo starts working on building a communal fire pit toward the center of the area.

Naithi starts trying to sketch out where everything is going to go.

Ash examines the dire bear corpse. As unlikely as it seems, it seems like the dire bear was crushed by the tree. The bear was alone and it came from the North. The bloodwitch is right about how mending could be used to repair the damaged pelt. There’s probably less meat then hoped though - the rats had mostly hollowed out the thing from the inside.

Is there anything else you want to start building besides the firepit before the other group gets to Freedom’s Landing?

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle)
Monday September 21st, 2020 11:31:13 AM

"We'll have to wait for the engineer to lay out the site better," Zazu says, "But we should scout the area here and make a place for the wagons to park, anyway."

Zazu looks for a natural clearing or meadow nearby in which to set up a camp. "I am hoping we do not have to start off by felling trees," the elf says.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Monday September 21st, 2020 9:32:41 PM
Since there are dire bears around, we should probably also set up some simple alarms to warn us if something is approaching tonight. I have some rope we can run around camp, we can tie some metal to it to make noise if something hits it. I doubt any will approach if we have a good fire going, but an advance warning would make a big difference if one does approach.

Oh, and I'll set up a quick hitching post and trough for the animals before I set up my tent.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 23/25 -- Diseased
Monday September 21st, 2020 11:27:32 PM
Ash will do what she can to mend the bear pelt once it has been de-beared. She has a think about whether there is anything else she could, for lack of a better word, 'salvage' from the bear. Would dire bear teeth be worth anything?

She casts a Toros's Taur Try spell and looks around at the sky, trying to get a feel for what weather might be coming their way. If rain looks likely, and knowing this is a flood area, it might be best not to camp too close to the river

Based on what she knows, Ash will try and provide suggestions for how the camp could be laid out.

She'll then call up Mike on the cauldron to see how the group are tracking. She'll also warn them to be on the lookout for rats and bears.

--------------
Cast Mending to keep the pelt in one piece
Cast Toros's Taur Try to get a +2 to survival checks for 10mins.
Survival check to determine the weather for next 24hrs: 16 (Take10).
Knowl Engineering: 20 (Take10)

DM Mitch
Tuesday September 22nd, 2020 8:01:22 AM
Zazu suggests waiting for the engineer to lay out the site better but before the wagons get there they should find a place for them to park.

Zazu finds a natural clearing perfect for the purpose of a wagon park.

Lothlo suggests building some simple alarms to alert them as to the presence of other dire bears as well as building a large file to discourage them from approaching in the first place. Prior to pitching his tent he sets up a hitching post and simple trough in the clearing Zazu found.

Ash mends the bear pelt once it is removed from the meat. She tries to think of other uses for the remains. The fat of the bear could be rendered into grease that could be used for cooking, a type of hair product or a face paint. The bear bones could potentially be fashioned into utensils, snowshoe needles, awls or arrow points. The leg bones in particular look like they could be turned into skinning knives with a little bit of work and the scapula could be trimmed to make spoons. The canine teeth could be turned into toggles for fastening articles. If you dried the stomach, you could probably use it to store things in.

(OOC: Looked up what the Indigenous did with bear parts)

She casts Toros Taur Try and tries her hand at predicting the weather. Rain does not appear to be likely but the river seems a little low right now with respect to the difference between the high water mark on its banks and the current water level so if it did rain you’d probably have some leeway before it would flood.

She calls up Mike on the cauldron to find out how the caravan is tracking and to warn them of rats and bears.

Mike explains that the caravan is still two to four days away based on the distance they currently traveled and how far away they believe the settlement site to be.

It looks like you have some time to prepare for the wagons, how else do you want to proceed?

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d20+10=15 ;
Tuesday September 22nd, 2020 12:08:54 PM
"That's a great idea, Lothlo !

Zazu gets out trapping tools and gear, improvises from whatever goods and resources one can find (maybe some bear sinews?), and rigs triplines and other traps to ring out alarms when any creature size medium or larger comes around the wagon meadow.

Craft Trap 15

The wizard watches Ash talk remotely with her followers. "Wow, I'm so glad you can do that. It's been really great that we can communicate with our people."

Zazu wonders aloud ... "Should we build a dike around our village? Or put the houses on stilts? Or both?"

The elf asks Naithi to help scouting out places to plant crops, set up rice paddies, and find and protect wild berry bushes, wild fruit and nut trees, wild onions, etc etc. Also, maybe do some fishing and find the best spots for fish, without over-fishing.

Finally, before the caravan arrives, Zazu suggests that the entire group should spiral out and scout the lands within a mile or two, just to make sure there are no suprises.

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Tuesday September 22nd, 2020 1:55:36 PM
Niall suggests the same spiral scouting, but the first day and will do so wirh whoever is around to make sure the immediate area is safe and to gain some familiarity with it.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16 d20+8=25 ; d20+8=24 ; d20+11=31 ; d20+11=15 ;
Tuesday September 22nd, 2020 6:41:15 PM
I can help with scouting and crop placement, however I suggest we send some people to travel the river. I recall a note about mischievous sprites and would like to have that dealt with before we build a bridge or make crossing on boats a regular thing.

Does anyone about such things? Could we negotiate with them or appease them with an offering? Perhaps setting a small table of food out for them to enjoy?

Knowledge Nature to know where to plant crops, where to set up orchards, identify local edible/medicinal/useful/toxic plants and how to use plant growth spells to greatest effect = 25

Knowledge Nature to know about sprites = 24

Survival to know about land, water levels/patterns, obstacles and weather = 31

Survival to predict weather for next 24hrs = 15 (success)

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.) d20+3=15 ;
Tuesday September 22nd, 2020 9:29:08 PM
I would suggest we avoid splitting up and going down river looking for the sprite.
First off, I don't think we have any reason to believe they live down river. As far as we know, they actually live right here.
Second, if you are worried about them doesn't it make sense to wait for them here where we have our full group and supplies? We don't want them to see a party armed to defend themselves against dire bears and get the wrong idea of why we are looking for the sprites.

Perhaps the latter is a better strategy to get on their good side We can set up a set out a plate of food for them, maybe a bottle of wine if we have some. I can write them a note in their native tongue. Let them know who we are, that we heard they may be here, let them know we want to be friends.

Maybe the previous visitors did something that upset the sprites we can promise to avoid, or maybe a gift of food will show we are friends and make them more willing to live peacefully with us.

Scouting is a good idea, with a group our size they can get things set up pretty quick, but knowing where they can find food, firewood, good lumber sources, and things like that will make a big difference the first day or two.

If there is time in the evenings Lothlo will also work on crafting his new bow.

knowledge Nature (Sprites)= 15

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 23/25 -- Diseased
Wednesday September 23rd, 2020 12:08:07 AM
Ash nods to Zazu and let's the others know her findings "The wagons are still two to four days away. That gives us time to do a few things before they get here. It doesn't look like any rain is coming, and judging by the water level, we should be safe for a while from any flooding"

Who knew there were so many things you could do with a bear corpse!? Ash apparently. It seems it will become part of the spirit of the settlement right now: nothing goes to waste. It will all go towards helping the settlement. The only thing she wants to keep for herself is a leg bone. She's hopeful that with a little effort Mike might be able to make a knife for her.

There sure are a lot of good ideas. She tries to put all the plans that are being suggested into an order to make sure they all get included.

"How about we do a quick search of the immediate area right now, like Niall said, to make sure we're safe before we set up a small camp. Tomorrow will be a new day. We can do that spiral scouting thing that Zazu said. With a whole day at it we should be able to scout a fair way. If we see any signs of sprites we can try and make it known that we are friendly, like Naithi said.

Most of all, I think Lothlo is right. Perhaps it would be best to avoid splitting up. We just had some trouble with rats. There are worse things out there"

Hopefully that incorporates everything that has been suggested. Ash really doesn't have any ideas about all this so just goes with what the others have said.

DM Mitch
Wednesday September 23rd, 2020 7:17:02 AM
Zazu thinks Lothlo’s idea is a great one and proceeds to help in rigging some triplines and other traps that will cause makeshift alarms to sound if a medium or larger creature approaches the wagon meadow.

He watches Ash communicate with Mike and is happy they have a way to communicate with the wagons.

He has ideas to deal with potential seasonal flooding by either building a dike around the settlement or making sure they build structures on stilts.

He suggests Naithi scout out potential food sources or places where they could grow food or fish.

Lastly he suggests the whole group do a spiral search pattern tomorrow before the wagons get there looking for immediate threats in the vicinity.

Niall agrees with the spiral patterned scouting but thinks that it should be done sooner rather than later.

Naithi remarks she can help scout for food sources and crop placement but is concerned about the note about sprites in the area impacting bridge or boot travel.

Lothlo advises against splitting the party to look for sprites. He lists a couple reasons why that wouldn’t work. He advocates instead to make them an offering of food or wine and leave them a note in their native tongue asking for friendship. He speculates maybe the previous visitors to the area did something to upset the sprites. He also thinks the scouting is a good idea and suggests they do an informal scout of their immediate area first and then the next day do a more involved spiral pattern like Zazu suggests. He also takes the time in the evening to work on his bow.

Ash lets the others know there is still at least a couple of days before the wagons show up and that they are safe from flooding at least for now with the unlikelihood of rain and the current water level. She wants to make sure that all the useful things she found on the bear gets used for the settlement but she wants to keep a leg bone for herself so that Mike can make her a knife later from it hopefully. She agrees with the plan to scout the immediate area today and the spiral pattern tomorrow. She agrees with Lothlo against splitting up the party.

Naithi finds a variety of edible and medicinal plants in the area though none are particularly abundant save for gooseberries.

She also finds some poison ivy patches.

Naithi could encourage the gooseberries further if she wanted or she could encourage whatever plant their greenmage brings in the future to grow to even greater heights.

Naithi and Lothlo know that Sprites could refer to a variety of fey creatures with some being mere pranksters, others being helpful if treated correctly while others still in rare cases could be violent or cause harm. If the sprites still do exist as mentioned in the report you would have to find them first in order to figure out what kind you are dealing with. Additionally different sprites like and dislike different things so it might be best to try to find out what type of sprites you have in particular lest you offer them up something they don’t like or insult them. Who knows what a typical prankster or helpful sprite will do if they consider you their enemy?

Naithi knows that it doesn’t look like rain at least for the next 24 hours and that it seems like it hasn’t rained recently for the river is low compared to the high water mark. Still things aren’t that dry where you have to worry about forest fires.

(OOC: wrt to Lothlo’s bow; are you making a mundane bow or masterwork one. Do you want to do progress by the week or day?)

You complete your immediate survey of the area finding different local points of interest to help you with things in the near term.

The first day passes without further threat or combat.

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16)
Wednesday September 23rd, 2020 9:36:50 AM
'I do think that splitting up to search for dangers could be risky, but I like Zazu's idea of completing a spiral search pattern,' Náro volunteers.
He's mostly just excited for the rest of the party to arrive, though.

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Wednesday September 23rd, 2020 6:45:03 PM
"The spiral then" Niall suggests, packed and ready

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle)
Wednesday September 23rd, 2020 8:05:11 PM

Yup, we'll go as a party to scout out the area, at least on this side of the river, spiraling out to see what we can see. Zazu urges Naithi to think about cultivating the gooseberries. "If we can cultivate a lot more, we can make preserves and berry wine! Maybe we can take out all the other weeds and plants that are competing in the berry patch."

"Also, let's clear out all this poison ivy. We don't want kids to wander into it."

That evening, Zazu leaves out an offering to the sprites, with a friendly note written in Sylvan, "Best wishes from your new friends and neighbors."

"Náro, why don't you play your flute? The music is always nice, and if the sprites are listening, maybe they will enjoy it too."

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Wednesday September 23rd, 2020 9:58:55 PM
Spiral pattern sounds good to me, just make sure that someone that can spot poison ivy is in the lead.

I would hold off on that offering until we identify the sprite. If I recall, there are several different kinds of sprites and they tend to like and dislike different things. Since we know they can be mischievous, we don't want to offer them up something they don’t like or worse that would insult them.

With the day winding down, Lothlo gets out his crafting tools and starts working on a new bow that will be a little sturdier than his current one and will have a more impact when the arrows hit something as sturdy as a dire bear.

ooc: Lothlo is making a masterwork composite bow (with a 2 strength modifier). I suppose I'll progress by the week since Artisan’s Gift lets me craft an un-enchanted bow in one week, and it's basic enough I can take 10 on the craft rolls.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 23/25 -- Diseased
Wednesday September 23rd, 2020 10:18:26 PM
Briana is a bit of a herbalist, so Ash is keen to cultivate any useful plants the party find. This also includes keeping some of the poison ivy. It could come in handy after all. She's also pretty good at alchemy herself.

Ash is absolutely horrible though at spotting these sorts of things and would likely only find the ivy after having walked through a patch of it. If someone was to hold up a plant she is confident she could identify it, but chances or her seeing any for herself might be a little low.

As the day draws to an end she takes some of the scrolls she bought in the Emerald City and starts scribing them into her spellbook.

DM Mitch
Thursday September 24th, 2020 8:10:54 AM
Náro thinks that splitting up to search could be risky but does like Zazu’s suggestion about the spiral search pattern. He is excited for the rest of the party to arrive.
Niall is ready to make the spiral pattern
Zazu outlines how the group will scout out the area on the side of the river they are currently on. He suggests clearing out the poison ivy so the kids don’t wander into it. The elf was intending to leave an offering for the sprites in the area with a note written in Sylvan but Lothlo had something to say about that.
(OOC: Did Boyo fail the save against the disease too?)
Lothlo is also on board with the spiral search pattern he just wants to make sure someone who can spot poison ivy is in the league. He advises Zazu to hold off on an offering until they know what kind of sprites they are dealing with specifically. Towards the end of the day Lothlo resumes work on the new bow.
Ash wakes up with a fever, her latent disease from the rats has progressed (OOC: Onset passed; make a DC 12 fort save or take 2 dex damage and 3 con damage; if you pass you are still diseased until you make a second successful save; the next day)
She reasons that since Briana is a bit of a herbalist Ash is keen to cultivate any useful plants the party finds. She isn’t particularly confident in her ability to find the poison ivy though. As the day draws to a close she starts scribing scrolls into her spellbook.

The spiral search pattern enables the party to get a good idea of the area surrounding your encampment at least on this side of the river. You find more poison ivy and gooseberries. You do your best to clear out the former.

You also find in lesser abundances Ginseng, black cohosh, bloodroot, blue cohosh, goldenseal, pedicularis, wild ginger and wild yam but in much smaller quantities than the gooseberries or the poison ivy. As for trees in your area you see oak, maple, birch, ash, hickory and beech.

There are some decent sized trees in the forested areas around your clearing. Some are little more than brush while others are more densely packed with trees.

You see squirrels, rabbits, birds, mice, foxes, and deer.

So passes the second day since you arrived.

The next day new arrivals show up. Some of the arrivals were expected while others were a bit of a surprise.

Around midmorning a young male liontaur with white hair and grey eyes enters your clearing. He is wearing traveling clothes and has a WLA badge. He has a morningstar and sickle at the waist and a composite long bow. (OOC: please welcome John C to the game)

Early afternoon the rest of the wagon train shows up...

Beech (JohnC) AC 14(18)/14/14,HP 16/16, Character
Thursday September 24th, 2020 8:29:27 AM
Beech, has been staying near the river as he traveled up stream, He found the clearing and people in it.
"Ho!, I'm hoping you're friendly?" he announces from the edge of the underbrush, He knows his pure white fur and mane doesn't offer any concealment like his mothers, but he's lived with it for a few years, so he may have the bow in his hand, but there is not a arrow nocked, and he just carefully enters the clearing, looking about as he does.

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d20+2=22 ;
Thursday September 24th, 2020 4:03:36 PM

Zazu smiles and greets the newcomer. "Welcome, friendly ... lion ... person!"

A handshake follows. "Watch out for the triplines here and here and over there! We set them up to alert us if any creatures approached." The elf looks a little sheepish at just how badly they have worked so far.

You see a small slight elf, medium length mousy brown, and a mediterranean olivine complexion. Zazu wears a green tunic with pockets and belt pouches, no armor or weapons. Something is wriggling in one of those pockets, and it sneezes!

"Oh, yes," Zazu says, "This is my familiar, Boyo, the cutest bunny in the Wold." The wizard takes a bundle of fur out of the pocket. "He's getting over a cold."

[OOC to DM: Rolled a nat 20 on Boyo's disease check!]

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Thursday September 24th, 2020 7:55:13 PM
"welcome to our new settlement" Niall offers to the liontaur after eyeing the WLA badge a moment. "More settlers will be arriving soon. what brings you here?"

And... detect evil on the new fellow. Never too careful.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 23/25 -- Diseased d20+5=12 ; d20+7=14 ;
Thursday September 24th, 2020 8:01:07 PM
Ash is a little surprised to see someone out here on their own. It's only normal he'd be carrying weapons, but it does trigger a warning. She gets to her feet and dusts off her hands. She's feeling a little better than yesterday, which is good. When she sees his WLA badge she relaxes.

"Well met! I'm Ash". Her WLA badge is also displayed "What brings you out this way, stranger?".

When the wagons arrive Ash helps get them arranged into some sort of order or layout, then works to help people unload and set up camp. She checks to make sure there aren't any urgent matters that require attention (noone dying!). Ash seeks out Parvati and looks to get her opinion on things right away. They are paying her good gold after all. What are her suggestions and advice for a camp layout? Best to get that all worked out before people get too comfortable.

Ash is glad to see Mike and Briana again and briefs them on what the group has seen. She lets Briana know of the different types of plants the group have found and their general location. She lets Mike know about the fauna. As a hunter he should be able to collect some deer, especially if he does so by casting sleep spells on them first from a distance. He's also a pretty good trapper. Ash provides one of the bear leg bones to Mike and asks if he'd be able to fashion a dagger from it when he gets the time. No rush. There's plenty of other things to do here.

-------------------------
Fort Save vs DC12: 12=Pass. Phew.
Check to recover BW spells vs DC11: 14=Pass

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Thursday September 24th, 2020 9:18:21 PM
An archer in a crimson cloak walks up and lowers his hood, revealing the short cinnamon hair beneath.

It looks like we have another archer on our hands, and a fellow WLA member at that!
It's a pleasure to meet you, I am Lothlo Windwood the sharpshooter.
That's a nice composite bow you have, I'm in the middle of crafting on of those myself.
Lothlo points towards his tent where a partially finished bow is starting to take shape.

We've got a lot of work to do before the rest of our caravan arrives if you want to lend a hand.

Before the group arrives Lothlo packs up his makeshift alarm to prevent anyone from tripping, it would be too small to protect the entire caravan anyway. He makes sure that there are a few cooking fires ready for people and a place for all the animals. He will get advice from the engineer what to do when they arrive, but he knows how hungry you can get waiting for a fire to be ready to cook on and figures that will be a nice surprise for them.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16
Thursday September 24th, 2020 11:41:55 PM
I finish prepping the days food when see the liontaur approach. I feel myself in my hide armor and in my natural environment of the forest. Still, to him I must look like a child or fairie, or some cross of the two. People always mistake my race's facial features for youthful innocence. It also doesn't help that I come up to most of their thighs and weigh less than their armor. Heck, I weigh less than my armor (3'6" and 8lbs).

My name is Naithi (N-eye-thee), better known as Murder Muppet, a nickname I earned as a slave in the orc gladiator pits. You can probably tell by my appearance that I am one of the beastfolk. Specifically I am a Sloth-kin, which you would lump in with the Ursine or Bearfolk.

Camalayaas, my dire rabbit (reskinned large cat), and I are hunters and adventures along with my guard dog Fizzgig. I also have a trusted cuddly mule crawling behind me.... She's very well trained.

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16)
Thursday September 24th, 2020 11:58:32 PM
Náro eagerly welcomes the rest of the company and the people he's missed-- he likes being around the group but it's still nice to see other people, and everything seems a lot more permanent with them. He, along with the others, politely welcomes Beech to the party.

DM Mitch
Friday September 25th, 2020 7:48:33 AM
Beech introduces himself calling out to the group.

Zazu welcomes the friendly lion person. He offers a handshake and proceeds to show Beech where the triplines are so the wemic won’t get caught up in them. The elf introduces the taur to the Boyo.

Niall welcomes Beech to the settlement and asks what brings the taur to Freedom’s Landing. Beech does not detect as evil to the paladin.

Ash is a little surprised to see someone out their way but she relaxes a little when she sees Beech’s WLA badge. She introduces herself and asks Beech what brings him their way. She seeks out Parvati for help with the camp layout and gives Mike and Brianna the info about the plants and animals in the area. She requests Mike make her a bear leg bone dagger when he has time.

Lothlo greets the newcomer, noting their shared interest in both the WLA and archery. He asks if Beech would like to help out and packs away his trap lest someone get hurt by it.

Naithi continues to work on the food prep when she sees Beech approach.

Náro eagerly welcomes the wagons when they arrive as he has missed them. He likes the smaller group the party has become but things seem permanent with them. He also welcomes Beech to the settlement.

Time passes and the caravan arrives. There is soon much hustle and bustle as tents are erected as temporary shelters and people try to figure what they should or shouldn’t unload. By the end of the day the immediate tasks are mostly done and there is much discussion and planning on where to start building more shelters for those who won’t fit in the few tents the group has.

Beech (JohnC) AC 14(18)/14/14,HP 16/16, Character
Friday September 25th, 2020 11:57:50 AM
As things are received Beech watches and contemplates the divinations he was told about. With only temporary shelters currently being used, he decides to make sure things don't get lost.
"I brought a tent of my own, I prefer to sleep at least somewhat comfortably. Oh, when the Permanent structures are being built, a catch net should probably be set up down stream to keep building materials from floating down to Black Bird Lake. Although I may float a message down to my mother."
Beech sets up his tent where indicated and lends a helping hand where needed, keeping his bow handy...

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle)
Friday September 25th, 2020 7:25:39 PM

Zazu is not sure Beech has the right of the geography of it. "I think the river flows east to Emerald City, not west, right Boyo?" master asks familiar. But he is not sure enough to say so out loud.

Zazu works hard to set up the camp and secure shelter for all the people. Some can sleep in the wagons; some under; some in tents; some, like Zazu and Boyo, in hammocks under the stars.

The elf seeks out Engineer Parvati. "So, good sir, have you had a chance to look around? Where do you think the best place is to found our town? Do you have any questions about our needs? Any advice as we start to get established? What resources do we need? What can we get locally? What do we need shipped from civilization?" Zazu mentions the clay and brick idea, seeing as wood is something to be conserved and treated well. And none of the elder and beautiful healthy trees are to be felled without excellent reason.

After dinner, Zazu looks for all the company. "We really need to go back to the Emerald City to buy a couple boats, more gear and resources, and stuff like that. I think some of us want to train at this W-L-A that Beech belongs to. And we have to get word to Greenmage Nelly so we can get ouyr agriculture going. And also important, we need to check in with the friendly witches to let them know we would still very much welcome a witch or cleric to settle here."

In the morning, Zazu looks to the engineer to direct all the people in working on the founding.

ALSO, we need to have a foundation ceremony and lay a foundation stone for the occasion.

"Naithi, can you shape stone? We want an impressive foundation stone, and maybe you can help find and shape one?"

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Friday September 25th, 2020 9:22:24 PM
Lothlo looks around camp and is shocked how fast things are going up.
Things seem to be moving along pretty well. I'm looking forward to having solid walls around me again, not that I'm complaining. I was lucky enough the orcs didn't destroy my tent when I was captured, I know others weren't so lucky.

I agree, it will be nice to get my WLA training in and some shopping. And I can't wait to see what crop suggestions we get when our friend arrives.

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16)
Saturday September 26th, 2020 8:32:50 PM
Náro doesn't particularly mind not having permanent lodging-- he grew up with it, yes, but his most recent memories involve traveling with the orcs, and he can only be glad that he isn't shaken awake anymore, doesn't wish that he would wake up somewhere else before he goes to sleep.

Though he does help the others with planning the lodging set-up; even if it isn't necessary for him, he guesses that a lot of the rest of the company would appreciate it, especially those with children.

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Sunday September 27th, 2020 9:59:08 AM
Niall will check the incoming settlers for any injuries that may have occurred while travelling and lay on hands to heal them before resting for the night.

DM Mitch
Monday September 28th, 2020 6:56:55 AM
Beech watches and contemplates the divinations he was told about. He decides to help make sure things don’t get lost as for right now the caravan is just using temporary structures. He suggests they set up a net downstream on the river once the permanent structures are built to prevent flotsam from reaching Blackbird Lake.

Zazu isn’t sure about the flow of the river. He helps in setting up the camp and secure shelter for everyone while things are still in their transitionary phase. The elf seeks out the human engineer and asks her if she’s had a chance to look around, where she thinks the best place to find the town, if she has any questions, advice, or resource requests. He brings up the idea of using clay and bricks as the healthy trees shouldn’t be felled without an excellent reason.

After dinner the elf gathers his companions and suggests they go back to the Emerald city for boats, more gear and resources and WLA training for those that want it. He also points out they need to send missives to both Nelly and the friendly bloodwitches.

The next morning Zazu looks for the engineer to direct the work and suggests the need for a foundation stone questioning if Naithi can shape stone magically.

Lothlo is shocked to see how quickly temporary shelters are being erected and looks forward to the day they can actually have solid walls again. He agrees with Zazu and is excited to find out about what kind of plants Nelly will suggest and also wants to do WLA training and do some shopping

Náro doesn’t mind not having permanent lodgings as he grew up with it traveling with the orcs. He is happy to not be shaken awake in the middle of the night anymore. He still helps in planning the permanent settlement.

Niall checks the wagoners for injury and lays on hands away any injuries that may have happened on the trail before bedding down for the night.

Parvati says to Zazu, “Yes, I’ve taken a look at your fledging settlement. I think the clearing you are housing the wagons in could prove a good place to start building permanent structures. Also what would you like to pursue with the river to protect against potential floods? If we are to build on stilts that affects what kind of materials we can use as they can’t be too heavy for the stilts. Alternatively we can look at building a levee or even diverting the flow of the river a little so that it doesn’t come so near to the town.”

With respect to the material question Parvati asks “Are you open to repurposing some of the wood from the wagons for building? If we repurpose the wagon wood we wouldn’t need to ship as much from civilization if you are against felling trees here. As for the clay and brick idea, that could work but we are going to need to build an oven and will likely need metal and other materials for it as well. ”

You spend your first week determining a rough layout of your settlement. You hold a founding ceremony that seems to improve the morale of both the non orcs and orcs.

You send a note to Nelly and the Blood witches and get replies from both. The witches want to know what sort of guide they can provide the settlement (blood witch or votary cleric) and what type of person they are looking for (experienced, young, etc).

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16
Monday September 28th, 2020 2:50:09 PM
I regretfully tell the others that I am unable to shape the stone magically without a scroll as the spell is beyond my current capabilities. As for the direction of the water, I point out that the mountains are in the East and the ocean in the South West, so the river should floor West, away from the EK. Map

Before we proceed to far, I would like for us to have someone devoted to the Culverwood (priestess?) attempt to gain it's blessing, and for us to make contact with the sprites. Offending either at this point might cause us problems in the future.

As for the river, we will need to look at the geography to determine for far out from the river the flooding goes. We can elevate the buildings, but we cannot elevate all of our crops, although having gardens might be an option.

A levee would help us, but it can cause problems up stream, and we do not want our neighbors flooded because of something we did.

On the other hand, we could create a series of canals and waterways to disperse the water and route the excess water around the city. (Think either a moat around the city or canals through the city like in Venice.).

We could also try dredging the river to make it deeper, but we would want to communicate with the sprites before doing that. Actually, any change to the water way should be consulted with them first.

A third option would be an entirely elevated city in the tree tops. We could have hanging gardens in addition to the land based crops, and it would offer us a tactical advantage from invaders and provide a unique balance with our natural surroundings.

OOC: Most important decisions I see

Lay Out
1: How to deal with flooding
2: What type of housing
3: What type of crops
4: What goes where? Any difference North and South of the river?
5: What supplies are needed?

Government
1: How do we rule ourselves
2: Taking care of orphans & Widows
3: Crime and punishment
4: Invaders / orc retaliation

Other
1: Relationship with Culverwood
2: Relationship with Sprites
3 Thieves Guild?

Fluff
1: We are former Dragons, we should make this place unique and stand out. How? Embrace the arts? Research of the Culverwood? Unique architecture? Abundance of fluffy rabbits hopping everywhere and people obsessed with the fluffy things?

Festivals and Holidays?
Traditions?
Local slang? (I really want to create our own slang and dialect)
Local food, drinks, games, etc.

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Monday September 28th, 2020 7:40:57 PM
Niall certainly didn't forget that they already have a cleric of Gargul among them in his old friend what's his name. He helps him establish a spot for their temple too.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 23/25 -- Diseased
Monday September 28th, 2020 8:57:21 PM
Ash helps Briana get a tent set up to be used as a medical clinic. Briana is quite skilled in healing and can spend some time gathering medicinal herbs to further assist her. With the camp starting to get up to speed there will no doubt be minor injuries to tend to.

Mike for his part gets to hunting and trapping. His first kills of the day are fairly easy (casting sleep spells and coup-de-grace), but he has to work for the rest. He tries for deer when he can, but beggars can't be choosers. His main focus is on making sure bellies are full.

Ash spends a lot of time with the mothers and children. This whole situation is no doubt a huge disruption for the kids. She wants to start getting to know them on a first name basis and make sure they know they can come to her for anything - even just a hug.

During the week she also tries to take stock of what skills the settlement has. Are there any other casters? What trades and professions are people skilled in? Are there any that consider themselves unskilled? Her thinking is that even unskilled, a person could be quickly taught how to fell a tree.

--------------------
Assuming they can, you can earn half your Profession check result in gold pieces per week of dedicated work.
- Briana could earn 9gp per week as a herbalist, possibly trading herbs with the city
- Mike could earn 10gp per week as a trapper, possibly trading furs/bones with the city
- All will be invested back into the settlement

OOC: Should we take those questions to email, James?

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Monday September 28th, 2020 9:07:28 PM
It seems to me that a levee would be the best option if that would be sufficient to prevent flooding. That would not only protect our buildings, but the roads, crops, and animals as well. You're the expert, would that be sufficient, or would we still want stilts?

I assume we are open to using some of the wood, as long as we still have a wagon or two we can use to make supply runs to the established cities.

Lothlo spends the days helping to construct the new buildings and prepare the fields for whatever crops their friends thinks best suited. In the evenings work on his new bow progresses.

It is a week of hard work, but the buildings are going up and their plot of land is looking more and more like a town. To celebrate the founding of the city Lothlo makes a yam and gooseberry pie and brings his Masterwork Rhinoceros Horn Lyre to the festivities

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle)
Monday September 28th, 2020 9:30:48 PM

Zazu likes the idea of levees and dams. But we may need a quarry for stone to hold the earthworks in place, right? "How do we find a quarry," the elf asks the engineer. "And would levees and channels and dams be enough? Can we make rice paddies too?"

Zazu asks Naithi if it is the right climate for rice? "And by the way, I really like your questions and organization! We need to think about these things. And I agree that getting on the good side of the sprites is a top priority."

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25 d20+5=13 ;
Monday September 28th, 2020 10:02:49 PM
OOC: Edit, forgot Fort Save vs disease. DC12: 13=Pass.

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16)
Monday September 28th, 2020 10:37:14 PM
Náro turned to Naithi. 'We have neighbors, you say? I believe it would certainly benefit us to get to know them, both for the possibility of trade and for some information about the climate that we might not have. Maybe, after we're a bit more settled, we could send an envoy?'
Náro is pretty sure it's a good idea, but he doesn't sound especially sure of himself, still waiting on others to give their opinions before he makes any more statements.

Beech (JohnC) AC 14(18)/14/14,HP 16/16, Character
Monday September 28th, 2020 11:43:36 PM
Beech, takes time and tries to get to know the others better. He'll help hunt if needed Entertain the children if required, basically doing whats needed to be done.

(ooc:)

Lay Out
1: How to deal with flooding : Answered already (levees)
2: What type of housing : The Tree House suggestion gets Beech's intrest
3: What type of crops : things easily store-able, root veggies and grains
4: What goes where? Any difference North and South of the river? North, south would leave restricted means of evacuating if needed for any reason.
5: What supplies are needed? Everything, still

Government
1: How do we rule ourselves 11 person council, with 5 as life long the rest are elected 2 each year.
2: Taking care of orphans & Widows still to be decided
3: Crime and punishment still to be decided
4: Invaders / orc retaliation train a local militia?

Other
1: Relationship with Culverwood ??
2: Relationship with Sprites ??
3 Thieves Guild? no opinion

DM Mitch
Tuesday September 29th, 2020 8:16:09 AM
Naithi explains to the others that she is unable to shape a stone magically without a scroll.

She suggests before they get too far down their path they attempt to communicate with the Culverwood or the Sprites.

With respect to the building option Naithi is concerned with the food supply as it is possible to elevate the buildings but not all crops can be elevated, but gardens could be an option to help with their food supply.

Naithi is concerned with the levee potentially flooding out any neighbors your settlement might come to have so she suggests alternatives involving canals and waterways or a treetop city.

Niall reminds the others they have a Cleric of Gargul in Brother Matthew and he works with the acolyte to make sure they get a spot for the temple set aside

Ash helps Briana set up a medical tent. She tries to help Briana gather herbs as the camp will likely have minor injuries from the business of building. Mike gets to hunting and trapping. He tries for deer when he can but he is not above taking smaller game in the interest of feeding the town. Ash spends time getting to know the mothers and children and tries to do an informal survey of what kind of skills the people have.

Lothlo likes the idea of a levee but asks if the buildings would still need stilts even with a levee. He is ok repurposing some of the wagon wood into building materials but thinks they should hold back a wagon or two for transportation purposes. He works on buildings during the day and his bow at night. He makes a pie and carries his lyre with him to the founding celebration.

Zazu likes the idea of levees and dams, asking follow up questions to Parvati about quarries, if the levee and channels would be enough and if they could have rice paddies. He asks Naithi if the climate is right for rice.

Náro is surprised that they have neighbors and suggests they send an envoy once things get more settled.

Beech tries to get to know the others better, helping out where he is needed.

When Parvati hears Naithi’s idea concerning a tree top city with a series of canals she gets a sketchpad out and starts drawing.

She says, “Why didn’t I think of this? This could be an elegant solution. We work with the land instead of seeking to dictate terms. If we build in the trees we get elevation without having to use the wood for stilts and if we select the right trees to house buildings they could hold more weight than mere stilts. Depending on what type of buildings we want the trees not be able to hold all of them but we could always put the larger buildings at ground level amidst the canals and put the smaller buildings in the trees. I admit this is a little ambitious but with the canals we could have kind of an easy way to navigate the city and it would be easy to divert some of the canal water for agricultural irrigation”

She shares her design for a community with mostly larger buildings laid out at ground level amidst a network of canals in the center with some irrigation ditches leading out from the city and into the fields.
She even sketches some alternatives to fields involving rice paddies or cranberry bogs. The canals and buildings are drawn in a clearing with smaller tree top buildings spreading out around it.

“We could still take some precautions with a levee if we wanted to, to be safer than sorry and yes to answer your question we need stonework for a levee and maybe even a canal. As for where we can get stone do you have any information on what is in the area mineralogically speaking? Stone is expensive to ship though as it is heavy. I don’t suppose we could purchase some spell casting? We could make some 2 10 foot cubes of sandstone per the caster level of a casting of Transmute Mud to Stone and we could transform the soft stone to hard stone permanently using Polymorph any object. In this way we could make our own quarry. For 1,950 gold we could get 300 cubic feet of hard stone in 30 ten cubic foot cubes. Alternatively if we wanted to get the most out of the casting of polymorph any object we could get 1500 cubic feet of stone created but it would take 5 castings of Transmute Mud to Rock and it would cost 4750 gold to do this.”

Ash refreshes her memory on the skills of the group. They had done a survey shortly after the group had formed. The adult orcs are all experts of some sort covering a wide variety of professions having to do with surviving as a nomadic tribe. They can make weapons, armor, clothing, treat wounds, prepare food, and generally have a high level of skill (at least 5 ranks with feat at stat support, if you can argue why a skill would be needed then some orc will have it).

The non-orcs are mostly unskilled labor with a smattering of experts, some in overlapping fields. A few notable skillsets are a fisherman, already making plans to maximize their fishing success, and an engineer, though they were only an apprentice when captured and seem happy to leave it to Pavati as long as you’re hiring her.

As for neighbors, aside from the Culverwood, the border of which is still a little way away from your settlement site and the supposed sprites which have yet to materialize you guys are pretty much on your own out here.

You try to communicate with the sprites the documents suggest are in the area but nothing ever makes their presence known. Either the sprites have moved on, they were never there or something is preventing them from appearing.

It seems like it has been ages since you fought those Locusts and salvaged an egg. With everyone so busy nobody remembers to check on it until suddenly there’s a raised alarm about a giant locust getting into the food store.

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle)
Tuesday September 29th, 2020 9:38:22 PM

Zazu likes this vision: Levees, dikes, and canals to manage water, a few solid brick buildings on the higher ground, smaller treehouses for individual houses. Watery places for cranberries and rice.

"What will the treehouses be made of? wood? canvas? something else?"

"The idea of making a quarry out of magic is a great idea, but that magic is beyond us for now."

When it is time to shepherd the locust, Zazu uses color sprays to incapacitate it.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Tuesday September 29th, 2020 9:42:19 PM
We are planning on saving up for a lyre of building, with the initial precautions perhaps it makes more sense to put in the levee once we have purchased that. Do you think we have some time before we need to start the levee, or do we really need to put that in now before we get the lyre?

It's odd that we haven't seen any sprites yet, but I doubt was a mistake. Perhaps the previous group did something that made them angry? In any case, probably best to keep the note out for them in case they return.

ooc: letting those with plans for the egg address that part first.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Tuesday September 29th, 2020 10:50:01 PM
Ash still isn't too pleased that the party are keeping a pest as a pet. The people of the settlement need to feel safe, and keeping something that had previously attacked them probably isn't the best way to keep them calm.

"Wasn't it supposed to be put in a harness or on a leash to prevent it from running amok?"

Ash wants to make sure that everyone in the settlement has something to do. They all need to pull together to get this thing up and running. She checks in with some of the gnomes and asks if they can Speak with nearby Animals. Perhaps they can get a better idea on the surrounds, dangers, and whether any sprites have been seen nearby lately. If they're really persuasive perhaps they can get some of the animals to even help us in some way.

Surface drow generally have great night vision. They'd be excellent to place on nightly watches.

She runs these ideas past the others.

"Yeah, the lyre still looks to be the way to go. That 4,750gp is more than a third of the cost of one"

As for the sprites "The information we had for some of the areas was quite old. It's possible the sprites aren't around any more"

--------------
OOC: Taken that list of topics to email to keep the board clear

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16)
Tuesday September 29th, 2020 11:44:57 PM
'I hadn't considered having the village made of treehouses, but I like the idea; aside from the practicalities, it's... rather enchanting. I like the idea of having a quarry too, even if we can't create it right away-- especially because it could be a source of revenue once we're gotten all the rocks we need.'

Beech (JohnC) AC 14(18)/14/14,HP 16/16, Character
Wednesday September 30th, 2020 1:34:38 AM
Things are going great until the locust starts eating everything....
"Might I ask whose brilliant idea this was?" The sarcasm is thick enough that you might need a two man saw to cut it....

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16
Wednesday September 30th, 2020 8:09:03 AM
I look at the others... We can discuss blame later. Let's wrangle that locust before it eats everything.

Camalayaas and I then charge in that direction.

DM Mitch d4=3 ;
Wednesday September 30th, 2020 9:06:31 AM
Zazu likes the vision that is starting to shape up. He asks what the treehouses would be made of and agrees that using magic to create a quarry is a good idea but they can’t afford it for now. The elf helps shepherd the locust using color spray when the hubbub occurs.

Lothlo points out they are saving for a lyre of building, he asks if they really need to put that in now before getting the lyre. He questions if they need to make the levee now or should they get the lyre first. He also notes the absence of the sprites.

Ash isn’t too pleased about the party keeping the pest as a pet. She doesn’t think keeping something that previously attacked them is the best way to keep everyone calm. She asks if there was supposed to be a harness or leash employed on the locust.

Ash wants to make sure everyone in the settlement has something to do. She suggests having the gnomes talk to animals and have the surface drow serve as a night watch. She suggests the lyre is the way to go as the 4750 gold for the quarry is still more than a third of the cost of the lyre.

Náro also likes the idea of treehouses and suggests a magically created quarry could be a revenue source after they have all the stone they need from it.

Beech asks whose brilliant idea it was to keep a giant locust for a pet.

Parvati says “Flooding is unlikely for now. It isn’t the usual season for it. So we can wait on the levee and canal for now but we should still try to space things out so we can add these structures later without having to move things. As for what the tree houses should be made out of, well we have options. I guess it depends on how durable we want them to be. I mean given the right tree we could start by using wood to build a level platform on it. From there we could use canvas or those clay bricks you suggested or even additional wood. ”

The locust is successfully stunned for about half a minute, long enough for them to tie it up. It struggles mightily, hissing and chewing on any bit of rope it can reach.

There are a few gnomes and drow happy to use their skills to help the settlement. You learn that there were once river sprites here, but the conflict with the previous settlers caused them to move further upriver. They still come to visit from time to time. No one can get much out of the locust - it’s an infant acting on an instinctual need to eat and grow until it can’t anymore.

DM Mitch
Wednesday September 30th, 2020 9:16:39 AM
Jigger joins the conversation. "These are lovely plans, but two things. The advantage of the river is the trade it might bring, so if we want to take advantage of that then we'll need facilities by the shore. Also these big plans are nice, but we need an immediate plan to get everyone shelter. Unless you have all built treetop cities before it'll take time to figure it out and we should start with something simple on the ground."

Beech (JohnC) AC 14(18)/14/14,HP 16/16, Character
Wednesday September 30th, 2020 9:42:35 AM
"Well, from the sounds of the plans, why don't we build two or three large building, near to the river, but with plans to make canal cuts next to them in the future. We can use those building now as housing with curtain walls for individual and family privacy. After we get more permanent housing built in the trees, and I suggest a variation of what my mom and a few other superior magic users did back home. They shaped stone, can't wood be shaped in a similar way with magic, it would make the walls and walkways part of the living environment, right?
We are going to eventually want a sheltered place for boats or barges to moor so leaving room to cut eddies out of the main flow of the river would make it easier for cargo handling as well as a place to repair those same vessels."
As to the rest of the week, Beech avoid the locust, not because he hates it, he just doesn't understand animals. He continues to help supply food and also helps out teaching the children, he may not have a formal skill in teaching, but his cheery nature should help, it'll also give parents or guardians time to do other things to help out.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16 d20+9=18 ; d20+5=7 ; d20+8=22 ;
Wednesday September 30th, 2020 2:30:20 PM
Once the locust is subdued I feed it and begin talking softly to it. It is a slow processes, but I know I can win it over eventually.

(I failed the first wild empathy check to calm it with a 7, but I get to try once a day, so eventually I could take it from hostile to helpful... And I'm guessing it has a negative charisma modifier and am hoping it is not in the most hostile category)

Slowly I begin the process of training it. The going is slow, but I make progress. (Handle animal check = 19 using Maab's blessing to influence animals. If for some reason that doesn't work I'll use a hero point to boost the score)

After a few hours of training I joint the others and we discuss the housing scenario. We need to determine when the floods occur and when the next one is due. (Knowledge Nature= 22) If another food will come before the canals and levee are finished we better put the building on stilts.

As for shaping living wood, I never thought about it... Let's give it a try.

I then try shaping a small living plant to see if it will work. (I'm not risking running a big tree)

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle)
Wednesday September 30th, 2020 3:51:10 PM

"If we are serious about tree buildings, we should go visit the Tree of Parting. It's not all that far away, and they know from building in trees." [OOC: not right away, per se, but maybe in a module or two. It really is very close.]

"I like the idea of using wood shape spells to shape living trees!" [OOC: brilliant idea! The spell actually does not say that the wood to be shaped has to be dead!]

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Wednesday September 30th, 2020 4:06:11 PM
Niall helps however he can but he's a paladin, not a city planner.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25 d20=4 ;
Wednesday September 30th, 2020 8:17:21 PM
Ash still has concerns about having a locust around, however she can see that Naithi is growing fond of it. That's enough for her to want to help. She does what she can to support Naithi, but despite Ash's best intentions she doesn't really do much. It's the thought that counts hopefully. She points out that Codru is a pretty good tanner and might be able to help craft a harness or leash.

Ash spends some time with Codru just walking around and speaking to people. She wants to be familiar with as many as possible and wants to keep spirits high. If someone in the settlement needs something, however small, she'll do what she can to obtain it.

After all that, Ash also goes to check in with Murzush to find out how the orcs are feeling. Hopefully the rest of the settlement is becoming more accepting of them.

---------------
Aid Another for Naithi: 4 = Fail

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.) d20+3=10 ; d20+3=23 ;
Wednesday September 30th, 2020 9:02:17 PM
River sprites? That makes sense considering where we are. I'm sure I've heard some tales about river sprites before, perhaps if I think about it I can remember something about why they might have not liked the previous group and how we can stay on their good side. We should also make sure that we always treat the river with respect to keep them happy.

Lothlo runs his fingers over his lyre, slowly thinking of the various songs and tales about he knows that might mention river sprites.

knowledge (nature)=10
knowledge (local)=23 (natural 20)

DM Mitch
Thursday October 1st, 2020 8:17:38 AM
Beech suggests erecting two or three large buildings near the river with plans to make canal cuts in the future. He suggests using the large buildings for shelter in the near term with privacy curtains and as far as tree top buildings go he suggests using magic to shape the living wood like others did with stone back home. He also suggests eventual eddies in the river in the future to support cargo handling. He largely avoids the locusts but helps out with the food and children.

Naithi begins the process of training the giant locust and is able to improve its attitude from unfriendly to indifferent. She joins the others in the discussion about the settlement and realizes based on the difference between where the water level currently is and where the banks are that at least for now you appear to be in a dry spell. It is hard to tell when the next flooding danger will occur but everyone who attempted predicting the weather has not predicted rain yet.

She tries to shape a shrubbery and can see the trunk of it twist a little at her direction.

Zazu suggests they visit the tree of parting at some point if they are serious about building in the trees and he says he likes the idea of using tree shape to shape living trees.

Niall helps however he can but darn it Jim, He’s a Paladin not a City Planner

Ash still has concerns about the locusts but puts them asides when she sees how fond Naithi is becoming of it. She does what she can to support Naithi but despite Ash’s best efforts it doesn’t amount to much. She points out that Codru is a pretty good tanner and that he might be able to craft a harness. Ash goes around the settlement making friends and helping people. She checks in with Murzush to find out how the orcs are doing.

Lothlo starts thinking about River Sprites and what he knows about them that may have caused the surveyors to cause them to leave.

The children take a shining to the Lion man who gives them food, entertains them with minor magic tricks and teaches him what he can and the parents are grateful to have a respite to be able to focus on their work in peace.

As Ash and Cordru tour the settlement she comes to know the people living there. The requests they have are minor as everyone is cognizant of the fact that they are pioneers out here on the frontier of the Emerald Kingdom and they don’t really have time for trivialities.

When she reaches Murzush the Orc says, “I think my people are happy that they have found a purpose again. The skills we learned are starting to come in handy and hopefully when we are done building shelter we can find time to craft other things as potential trade items.”

Lothlo thinks about what he knows about sprites and remembers that they tend to be distrustful of most people and even animals. He also remembers that some sprites are cursed and can’t live out in the open or in buildings and are relegated to eaves, porches and stairwells. He wonders if the sprites were perhaps one of these so accursed and tried to make their home under the outer layer of canvass the surveyor’s tents had or if it was some other incident that caused the falling out.

With a plan made and the founding ceremony done construction gets started. A few trees are felled (After carefully confirming they aren’t home to anything fey) to use as lumber and a big expedition to Emerald City is sent off to sell the vast quantities of goods that represent the communities wealth. It’s a good time to take care of any business in town for the group as it takes most of the week to sell off everything and multiple trips back and forth to drop off the cash earned and pick up more stuff to sell.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Thursday October 1st, 2020 9:13:45 PM
Ash writes out a list of all the minor things that people in the camp need (and in some cases just want) so she doesn't forget.

She helps load any pelts or herbs that have been gathered and ready for trade.

"Do we still need Parvati?" she asks the others "She has helped with the major things - the town layout, plans for tree houses, the levees, and so on. The smaller scale things the other engineers and I can work out. I'm just conscious of her daily rate."

Ash tries to frame it in terms of trade goods.

"Parvati's daily rate of 2 gold could instead provide 10lbs of iron, 20 chickens, 20lbs of flour, AND 20lbs of wheat every day. That's a lot for a new settlement."

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d20=2 ;
Thursday October 1st, 2020 10:18:09 PM

"Ash, you have a good point! Let's ask!" ...

"Parvati, is your work here done? If not, what do we need from you, and how can we expedite it. Honestly, I think we should hire you back when we get our Lyre or Flute of Building, because you can help the musician figure out what to build where, but that won't be for months."

...

Zazu also talks with Ash about spells. "We'll be casting second level spells pretty soon, so we should get our wish list together. The top four we can learn on our own, but if we want more, now is the time to buy scrolls and save them to put in our books, right?"

Zazu wants to be able to cast the following second level spells: Invisibility, Levitate, Rope Trick, Scorching Ray, Minor Image, Whispering Wind, and Make Whole.

"Oh, and there are some zero and first level spells I need too." Floating Disk, Unseen Servant, Rose's Temperature Control, Taurs Try, Barnum's Appraisal, Elf Vision, Alarm, Animate Rope, Expeditious Retreat, Jump, Feather Fall, and Identify.

Zazu has over two grand gold burning a hole in a pocket, so that's cash for scrolls, but OTOH, the wizard is saving up for permanent spells costing say six grand at level 5, coming sooner than you might think!

OOC to Rob: Highlight to display spoiler: {Rob, did you ever figure out whether the "put witch spells in your wizard book" sleaze was legal?}

...

That makes Zazu think about magic stuff, and so talks with Beech and Náro about what spells they like to cast, and what scrolls they might want to buy, and other arcane stuff. "I love illusions," the elf says, "so you always gotta watch out with me not to get tricked! If I say the special illusion word -- let's say 'argle-bargle' -- then you know it is an illusion! But we gotta change the illusion word every so often so that enemies don't catch on."

Zazu talks to all the fellow adventurers so they know about "argle-bargle."

...

And Zazu helps with training and taming Buggo. If an untrained Handle Animal check is allowed, Zazu's is a 2. Not that helpful!

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Thursday October 1st, 2020 11:04:24 PM
Lothlo remembers a tidbit about the sprites.
If I remember, some sprites are cursed and can’t live out in the open or in buildings and are relegated to eaves, porches and stairwells. Perhaps we can construct some dedicated "fairy porches" for them to enjoy and build in a place for them in the eaves so that if they return they have a place they can stay and live harmoniously with the town.

Also, Parvati's has been invaluable, especially when we are building things by a river that can flood. I was under the impression we didn't have the needed level of skill that they are providing. I believe we are still early in the town's construction, are we already at the point where their skills aren't needed?

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16) d20=7 ;
Thursday October 1st, 2020 11:29:35 PM
Náro doesn't have much, if any, experience with animals, but he's always been intrigued by bugs, and so when Zazu helps with training the locust, he tags along. Unfortunately, he isn't much help either.
He also says that his favorite spell is probably the Magic Missile spell, because it's so utilitarian, or possibly the prestidigitation spell, because he finds it useful to keep up the neatness of his appearance. He also says that he's looking forward to possibly buying some scrolls as well.

Beech (JohnC) AC 14(18)/14/14,HP 16/16, Character
Friday October 2nd, 2020 12:08:01 AM
Beech is happy with his suggestions.... He searches up and down stream for a tree on either side that might work for his idea of a living bridge... eventually.....

Beech also practices with his spells as well, a lot of time using Dancing Lights.... as a humanoid shape, and making it look like it is trying to sneak from tree to tree, miming shooting an arrow, various actions...

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16
Friday October 2nd, 2020 2:59:33 AM
Naithi continues training and gathering lists of plants people want cultivated for food and other production.

DM Mitch
Friday October 2nd, 2020 7:39:39 AM
Ash makes a list of all the things people need. She then restates the case for getting rid of Parvati, phrasing it in terms of trade goods.

Zazu also asks Parvati if her work is done and if not what else they need from her and how they can expedite it. He still thinks they should rehire her once they get the lyre of building. Zazu then talks to the other spell casters about magical things and how today’s secret word for casting illusions is “Argle Bargle” He also attempts to help with Buggo but gets nowhere.

Lothlo remembers some tidbit about sprites and how some are cursed regarding where they can live. He suggests considering constructing “fairy porches” for them or extending eaves in case they return so the fey can live harmonious with the town. Lothlo questions whether it is too soon to get rid of Parvati as it is still early in discussion.

Náro also attempts to help with Buggo but isn’t skilled either. He explains his favorite spells are probably prestidigitation or magic missile. He also is planning to buy scrolls in the future too.

Beech is happy with his suggestions. He searches for trees on either side that might serve as bridges at some point in the future. He also practices with his spells a bit using dancing lights as target practice for his archery.

Naithi continues training and gathering lists of plants people want cultivated.

Parvati smiles and says to Ash and Zazu, “You drive a hard bargain. I don’t suppose it is too late to take you up on your original offer of a plot of land worth fair market value, absent any additional markup, in exchange for my services. While I would appreciate at least a silver a day in addition to this as that is minimum wage for an engineer I can see that I certainly wouldn’t go hungry if I were allowed to join you and considering you have such a thorough accounting of how far 2 gold will go, you probably have just as fine an understanding of how far 1 silver will as well. Don’t get me wrong I have vast respect for someone who knows how to handle their hoard. To be fair when we met in the Emerald City I didn’t know you, your people or your plans but something about this place, your plans, it charmed me. I’d like to work with you to build our city of canals and tree top buildings.”

Back in town the first shipment of building tools arrived. The orcs didn’t have much need of hammers and nails for their tents, at least not the type for building with wooden boards. The locust is starting to become slightly more manageable.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Friday October 2nd, 2020 8:19:00 PM
Ash nods in consideration (though not necessarily agreement).

She gives a look to the others to see what they think. Having an experienced engineer live with the settlement would certainly be beneficial, and the rate cut is significantly better. 1sp a day would be just like anyone else in the settlement plying their trade. Quite a fair deal.

Ash is very much in favor of this new deal but waits to see if that is just her.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Friday October 2nd, 2020 9:08:30 PM
Glad you are staying on with us Parvati.

I think I'm going to hitch a ride with the next wagon heading to the capital to complete my WLA training... I probably owe them some dues if I want to reach Journeyman with them. Probably need to pick up some better armor as well if we are going to be defending the settlement from possible dire bear attacks in the future, or at the very least something to protect me a little better from those rat bites.

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d20+10=15 ; d20+10=17 ; d20+10=15 ; d20+10=22 ; d20+10=24 ; d20+10=28 ; d20+10=30 ; d20+10=30 ; d20+10=28 ; d20+10=21 ; d20+10=21 ; d20+10=21 ;
Friday October 2nd, 2020 10:24:32 PM

Zazu grins widely at the engineer. "I'm glad that the vision we've got going here has become your dream too! Welcome, Parvati, sure, the deal is still good, right everybody?"

At this time, Zazu tries and writes down 11 first level spells. Spellcraft DC16 to do it (DC15 for the Taurs Try):
Floating Disk (15 fail), Unseen Servant (17 pass), Rose's Temperature Control (15 fail), Barnum's Appraisal (22 pass), Elf Vision (24 pass), Alarm (28 pass), Animate Rope (30 pass), Expeditious Retreat (30 pass), Jump (28 pass), Feather Fall (21 pass), and Identify (21 pass).
And Taurs Try (21 pass).

Adding Unseen Servant, Barnum's Appraisal, Elf Vision, Alarm, Animate Rope, Expeditious Retreat, Jump, Feather Fall, Identify, and also Taurs Try at a cost of 10 gp each ... subtracting 95 gp from my wealth.

Also buying 7 scrolls at 125 gp each: Invisibility, Levitate, Rope Trick, Scorching Ray, Minor Image, Whispering Wind, and Make Whole ... subtracting 875 more gp.

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16)
Friday October 2nd, 2020 11:34:23 PM
Náro had always liked the idea of inviting Parvati a place in the village because of the decreased rates, and so he's happy with it. 'I appreciate your faith in us,' he says to her sincerely, and looks around, noticing that the majority appeared to be in favor of her plan, 'And if no one else objects, I'd like to take you up on your offer.'

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Saturday October 3rd, 2020 8:55:49 AM
Niall continues to complain to that Jim fellow but also keeps on doing what needs doing.

Beech (JohnC) AC 14(18)/14/14,HP 16/16, Character
Saturday October 3rd, 2020 4:38:03 PM
"I have a question, why don't we look for 2 trees on each side that we can use as anchor trees. Then we find and transplant a smaller tree next to each., then woodshape / graft them together, we have solid anchors because of the mature trees, and we form our arch bridge across the river, having them meet in the middle. By merging them, we effectively have 4 big living trees forming our foundation, should look beautiful once it gets completed."
Other than the continued discussion about the bridge, he keeps entertaining the children,

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Sunday October 4th, 2020 12:02:31 AM
"Let's grab a couple of those Plant Growth scrolls too. We could use one or two to create a thicket between us and the Culverwood to keep any nasties at bay. We could create one 200ft quarter circle, then leave say a 10ft or 20 ft gap and create another 200ft quarter circle. That way there is a safe passage between the two but still a good sized wall of sorts.

We could also use one or two to enrich the plants surrounding the settlement. At, what, 375 gold per scroll they'll probably pay for themselves in food and herbs to trade"

During one of their stops at the Emerald City, Ash will see if she can find someone willing to sell some.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16
Sunday October 4th, 2020 5:35:43 PM
I continue making the list of plants and scrolls the group would like. In order to make the best use of space, the border to the Deep Culverwood will consider of thickets growing various berries, flowers, and medicinals.

After going to the WLA myself, I will arrange for the various plants and seeds to be purchased and hauled back. Included in the purchase are plants that can be used to construct hanging gardens, plants that can be grown in areas we redirect water to in order to avoid flooding (maybe cranberries and rice) and water flowers.

Ooc: Was there any success in determine when the next food might be?

DM Mitch
Monday October 5th, 2020 8:28:00 AM
Ash nods in consideration of Parvati’s counter. She is in favor of the new deal but waits for the others.

Lothlo is glad Parvati is staying with them. He also ends up heading to the Emerald City to do WLA training, pay his dues and but better armor.

Zazu is glad that Parvati shares their vision for the settlement. He attempts to write some spells into his spell book; (OOC: did you buy those scrolls at the catacombs?)

Náro has always liked the idea of inviting Parvati to stay so with the decreased rate he’s even moreso in favor.

Niall keeps complaining to that Jim fellow but does what he can to help

Beech suggests trying to create some sort of natural bridge using trees and he has a plan for how to accomplish that. He also continues to help with the children.

(OOC: The river is between 60 - 85 feet across)

Ash suggests picking up some plant growth spells to try to form some natural barriers between themselves and the Culverwood or to enrich some of the local herbs / berry plants to produce more.

Naithi continues making a list of plants and scrolls as well as visiting the WLA herself. She arranges for the various seeds and plants to be purchased and hauled back.

(OOC: Looks like with how low the water is currently, you would need significant rain for there to be a danger of flooding so probably not for a while)

Time passes, you look for trees on either side of the banks of the river that you could potentially encourage to form a living bridge. Given the expanse of the river (65-80 feet) you are going to need tall trees. You train and get supplies in the Emerald City. While there the friendly bloodwitches greet you and ask more questions about what sort of Culverwood worshiping person they should send your settlement (OOC: votary cleric or bloodwitch; junior or more experienced)

The buildings start to take shape. Two large ones meant to provide shelter for the people and be later turned to other purposes. It will take another week to finish them but there’s been good progress. There’s a lot of debate about the treehouse idea. The orcs find trees strange and different enough and are not sure about living on them. Others have a variety of reactions, some loving the idea others hating it. The idea of avoiding any flooding is attractive though. Even the orcs have experience with sudden rain flooding the lowlands in the Izen, losing things and having to flee. It takes a lot of work, but most come around to the idea, or at least agree to give it a chance.

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Monday October 5th, 2020 7:05:46 PM
Niall keeps on helping with what needs help, healing those that need healing.

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Monday October 5th, 2020 9:13:03 PM
If there were no objections from the rest of the group, Ash purchases 3 scrolls of Plant Growth. She could take a try herself at casting them, but as a druid Naithi may have more success.

Ash tries to discuss the future living arrangements with the orcs and any others that have concerns. Treehouses are just one approach the settlement can take, but there is no reason they can't have multiple paths. They can have tree houses for those that want it. Ground level housing might be well suited to those who have aversion to heights or just prefer to stand on solid ground. Centaurs, for instance, have a reputation as particularly bad climbers. Some of the settlement might even prefer some underground housing. Surface drow, for instance, might find the above ground daylight overpowering and some of the dwarves may just feel more at home.

Having a combination of the three approaches allows for the strengths of each, while also providing contingency should something happen to one of them. A kind of insurance policy.

Ash checks in with Mike to see how he went with the dire bear bone. She's keen to see if he was able to fashion a dagger from it yet.

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Monday October 5th, 2020 9:48:22 PM
Lothlo comes back with a sack of new supplies consisting mostly of arrows and sling bullets, as well as a strip of leather to craft a masterwork sling. It may not be the most exciting weapon, but after those rats he wants to make sure he has an option for piercing damage and a sling is about the only thing he can manage to wield without making a fool of himself.
I'm not sure it would make sense to put everything in the trees anyway, that's a lot of wasted real estate otherwise. And for now the important thing is to get our initial buildings completed and fields planted.

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d20=4 ; d20+4=9 ; d20=3 ;
Monday October 5th, 2020 9:50:13 PM

[OOC: Catacombs order is pending]

While in town, Zazu not only goes shopping, but buys the materials needed for several traps -- a tripline trap with bells to encircle a camp-site, and a couple tangle-foot bag traps. The rogue looks around town and tries to find a place to buy these kinds of goods.

Untrained Diplomacy to gather info on where to buy these things: 4
Untrained Know Local for the same thing: 9

Oh well.

=====

Who is keeping track of the refugee resettlement funds, the thousands of gold pieces that the community is using to build anew? Half of that is being kept in reserve for future needs, right? Whether a Lyre of Building or whatever. Zazu helps that person to keep track. It's a lot of money.

[OOC: I would hate for that money to go missing or have something bad happen just because nobody mentioned it. Like the way Buggo got loose when we did not pay attention to him. So please count this as Zazu keeping track and looking to make sure there is no embezzzlement or malfeasance or bribery or just incompetence. Also, Zazu has a +8 trained Appraise check, so that should help.]

=====

Zazu tries to poll the party and community as to whether a witch or cleric would be better. When in town, the elf communicates this preference. "Personally, I prefer a high level cleric, because when people get hurt, there's nothing like a cleric to patch you up!

While in town, and in the recruiting mood, Zazu tries to talk up the new community in taverns, guildhalls, and churches. Looking for and encouraging potential settlers, maybe with some result?

Another untrained Diplomacy check: a 3.

=====

Zazu agrees with Ash. "We should have an eclectic and cosmopolitan town, welcoming to everybody, whether a lover of high places or low."

Beech (JohnC) AC 14(18)/14/14,HP 16/16, Character
Monday October 5th, 2020 9:54:18 PM
"I'm used to a Shaman.... namely my mom, but she always said a dedicated holy person puts her healing to shame."

DM Mitch
Tuesday October 6th, 2020 8:15:30 AM
Niall keeps helping with what needs help

Ash purchases the scrolls of plant growth. She suggests maybe having multiple types of housing not just the tree houses. She also checks on how Mike did with that bear bone given to him. To her surprise she finds a finely crafted bone dagger waiting her.

Lothlo comes back with a bunch or arrows, sling bullets and the materials needed to craft a masterwork sling. He offers his 2 cents on the buildings saying tree houses only are wasted real estate and suggests for now they focus on those first 2 ground level structures and farming

Zazu tries to find a place to buy materials to make some traps but sadly he doesn’t find any. He also starts keeping a close eye on their resettlement funding. He tries to recruit potential settlers but no one seems interested at this time. He voices support for having a more experienced votary cleric of the Culverwood.

Beech states he’s used to having a shaman in his mother but she always said a dedicated holy person put her to shame

By and large you take care of your errands in the Emerald City with mixed results.

Parvati is a little surprised to hear about the desire for underground homes too. She says, “We’ll have to think about that one and build them on the outskirts. If the city proper was to be conventional buildings with canals ringed with treetop buildings I’m not sure where the underground buildings would fit in. I mean the canals should help prevent flooding or at least make us better able to manage the flow of the water but I worry if we put underground homes in the thick of things if we are just asking for trouble.”

More time passes and the two buildings take shape. They really aren’t much, just walls and roofs with beds, small chests, and chamberpots, but they’re shelter and a lot of the townsfolk haven’t slept on anything but the hard ground for years if not their entire lives so it’s greatly appreciated. They’re able to vastly cut down on costs by cutting down a few trees and providing all of their own labor but it still costs about 2000 gold for all the tools and items needed to make and fill the spaces. The food they’ve gathered from the orc tribe and their combats also runs out late in the month and they have to start organizing shipments of food - just the food itself is about 48 gold a day, with another 12 or so to get it shipped down to you. That will add up fast over time, though some quick math proves that if you had no other expenses you could last most of a year on your current funds so it’s not a hugely pressing need.

On the bright side the villagers are eager to get their crafts started up again. Some of the orcs are able to do so without much in the way of extra equipment generating a few silver a day to offset the costs.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16
Tuesday October 6th, 2020 12:18:02 PM
As I'm reviewing the scrolls and plants we purchased and preparing to make them into a small jungle a thought pops into my mind. Before we spend all of the city's gold, I have had a thought. When the spiritual person comes to intercede in our behalf with The Culverwood, we should see about arranging a permanent go between. Although it is beyond my ability at the moment, a druid or shaman could cast awaken on a tree to find it sentience. We of course would have to take good care of the tree.

ooc: Does the Wold have any rules about awakened plants and animals?

Cayzle OOC: Some DMs may allow them as free-willed NPCs, but they cannot be cohorts or adventuring companions.

Beech (JohnC) AC 14(18)/14/14,HP 16/16, Character
Tuesday October 6th, 2020 8:36:06 PM
"Building cellars in this place, is just asking for trouble, and that goes double for total underground buildings. Now, if we bury a few building above ground level, that's another thing. Since we are planning on digging canals, that will give us a large amount of fill to make use of."

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Tuesday October 6th, 2020 10:16:47 PM
"I suppose we need to know the difference between what a highly experienced witch or cleric would bring compared to a less experienced one."

Ash gives Mike a pat on the back and examines the dagger. "Nicely done, my friend. I'll treasure this." She makes sure he has enough things to work on and has all he needs to get them done.

"Hmmm..." Ash gives consideration to the suggestions from Parvati and Beech "I think there is still the opportunity to establish underground areas. I'm talking deep underground, not right near the surface. We need to mine for stone after all. An hour or two of lyre music could build all sorts of mines, tunnels and rooms. We wouldn't need to provide any materials either. Quite the opposite in fact. It would be supplying us with materials! There are also ways to construct them to divert water where we want it to go to avoid them flooding." Ash feels confident that it can be done. "We need to take advantage of all the resources at our disposal. Above ground and below." It's certainly not something to do immediately, but something they could look at doing in the medium to long-term.

The expenses though are still a concern. Ash starts running some numbers. The settlement really needs to become more self-sufficient. Since there are some skilled cooks in the settlement she considers how they could be best utilized:

4 gold per day could go towards:
- 80lbs of flour that would make 80 loaves of bread - if the proper ovens and tools were available.
- 80 chickens. They could eat half of them and use the other half to start laying eggs.
- 80lbs of wheat that could go to all sorts of things.

At the very least while the town is developing, if they are going to be buying meals for 160 people then they should at least look into buying in bulk or seeking out a discount. Ash starts enquiring as to what sort of farms are near-ish to the area. Perhaps they could get supplies direct from the source? They could start building relationships with nearby farmers and establish trade with them.

------------
OOC: I created a tab on the loot tracker to record town/settlement assets. Everyone should have edit access to it, because I am bound to forget things!

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Tuesday October 6th, 2020 10:31:49 PM
Did we have any fast growing crops on our list of options that might help us cut down on our reliance on food imported from the bigger cities?

Hmm, and I wonder if the river has good crawfish hiding in it.

Lothlo goes to where some of the villagers are starting to do their crafting again and looks for a basket weaver or trap maker who has started their craft again.
I want to see if in addition to fishing we it is worth trying to catch crawfish. I was wondering if you could build me a trap, I'm thinking something like this.
Lothlo describes a simple trap similar to a small lobster trap that he can put in different places in the river to see if there is a good location to catch crawfish.

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d20+10=11 ; d20+10=24 ; d20+10=12 ; d20+10=12 ;
Tuesday October 6th, 2020 11:33:44 PM
OOH! Zazu loves the idea of trap fishing, and puts Craft Trapmaking to good use:

11, 24, 12, 12

Hmm ... needs more practice!

Náro (Violet) HP: (15/16) AC: (16)
Tuesday October 6th, 2020 11:33:57 PM
'So, we're currently buying most of our food? I agree that we should put more of an emphasis on hunting and agriculture, especially with the cost of the food and that added to any other expenses we might need.' He also says that he's rather impressed with Lothlo's trap; even after having lived out here for a while now, he's still not quite used to acquiring food like this.

'I also like the idea of having some kind of go-between us and the Culverwood, especially as new settlers. And to talking to farmers. If no one objects, I could try and meet local farmers and ask them about their crops,' he suggests.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16
Wednesday October 7th, 2020 2:28:56 AM
I nod as I follow along with all the comments about food. I'm just waiting on an intercessor between us and The Culverwood. Even though we are not in The Deep Culverwood, obtaining it's permission or presenting a petition... or what ever in the procedure with divine powers, would be prudent. It might do nothing, but it might bless us it prevent problems in the future. Once that is done all of our plants they can be effected by the plant growth spell will be planted mixed together. The spell will cause the plants to grow and form a ticket and jungle. We will then transplant the plants where they need to go. Then we will repeat the process as necessary. Once that is done the same spell can be used to increase crop production by 33%.

I will also do am additional casting of plant growth after our seeds have have sprouted and grown large enough.

As for the crawfish, children can catch them with a piece of string and a piece of meat, but the traps we be faster. We just need to make sure we don't fish them out.

Note that the aspect of the spell that creates a spell effects natural vegetation such as grasses, briars, bushes, creepers, thistles, trees, vines, and so on. Crops were picked and will be planted accordingly. Several vine plants were chosen for use in hanging gardens.

As for the crawfish, I have many memories of catching them with just a piece of yarn and some bologna.

DM Mitch
Wednesday October 7th, 2020 8:56:01 AM
Naithi continues gathering the plants and scrolls. She has a thought that a permanent go-between between the settlement and the wood could be established; perhaps an awakened tree.

Beech suggests that building cellars is asking for trouble, suggesting burying buildings at ground level instead to make use of the fill from the canals.

Ash questions what the difference is between an experienced cleric or bloodwitch and a less experienced one.

She thanks Mike for the bone dagger.

With respect to Beech and Parvati’s comments on building underground she argues they have opportunities for building deep underground as they need to mine for stone. She argues that using the loot for a bit will give them all kind of underground rooms and materials too.

She takes stock of the food situation with some of the options of what they can buy and wonders if the price can be reduced through buying in bulk or seeking a discount. She also wants to find any farms near-ish to the area.

Lothlo suggests adding fast growing crops to the list and tries to check the river for crawdads.

He looks for a basket weaver or trap making to help build a trap.

Zazu loves the idea of trap fishing and tries to build one. His first attempt fails but his second attempt produces a tiny crawfish trap. (OOC: can hold 5 crawfish; costs 4 gold 8 silver full price; DC 20 craft trap or basket weaking ) Additional attempts fail too

Náro agrees with the idea of focusing on hunting and agriculture as well as the idea of some sort of go-between and reaching out to farmers.

Naithi is waiting for an intercessor between themselves and the Culverwood before following through on their plans with their plants and spell. She also suggests having the children catch crawfish with string and pieces of meat.

Wyrran Valar, the bloodwitch trying to help you get a votary cleric or a bloodwitch of the Culverwood for your settlement says, “Well a more junior cleric or bloodwitch won’t be able to do some of the things a more senior one can but will likely be more energetic and enthusiastic in working with your settlement. A younger cleric or bloodwitch could grow with your settlement maturing into a pillar of the community, eventually. We’d probably be able to put our feelers out and get at least a few volunteers if you want a more junior member of our faithful.

As for a more experienced bloodwitch or cleric, well they could do more things than a junior cleric but they might not be the most enthused. We might not be able to find volunteers and so the member we send will likely be assigned your settlement as an order by us instead of volunteering. Depending on how well they liked their previous assignment and how different your settlement is there might be a period of adjustment. Additionally a more experienced member is closer to retirement, naturally, so if you wish to keep a member of our faithful among your people they may need to be replaced sooner. A younger cleric or bloodwitch would hopefully have enough time in their tenure to recruit their replacement from among your people and train that person themselves, whereas a more experienced one might or might not be able to do this. It is possible that they would start training their replacement but the training is unfinished and we would have to send someone to complete their training or send for your person to finish training with us while we send an interim replacement in the meantime. I’m not sure what kind of religious folk your settlement already has but a more junior member might be more open to working with people of other religions. Depending on which senior votary cleric or bloodwitch we send they may be more difficult for members of other faiths to work with.”

You also get your letter reply from Greenmage Nelly asking when it is convenient for her to stop by your settlement. She’ll probably be able to help with your food problem.

While there are certainly cooks in the group the problem is cooking for large groups of people with the raw materials. On the plains the orcs mostly cooked for themselves in small groups, but that involved dozens of campfires in a sprawling area and simple foods like fruit and raw meat. Not only do most people not have the skill to turn flour into good bread, that many fires would be dangerous in the forest where you can’t just clear away the nearby brush. The master cooks you do have are perfectly capable of food en mass with the proper facilities, which you don’t have. One could be set up in a few weeks large enough to cook for the entire group.

Investigating farms nearby doesn’t prove fruitful. You’re pretty far out and most farms are on the other side of the main highway. Farther than the city that's for sure.

Training the locust finally sees success. It still likes to try to eat everything it can get it’s mandibles on, but it stops attacking anyone it sees and knows some tricks. Further training can help give it a defined roll.

DM Mitch
Wednesday October 7th, 2020 8:58:06 AM
With some skilled bartering you might be able to reduce the cost to 50g a day to feed everyone. Food is generally a low profit endeavor, so you can't really get a huge discount - a half dozen coper or so per meal that still adds up across 160 meals.

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle) d20+10=30 ; d20+10=18 ; d20+10=30 ; d20+10=12 ; d20+10=23 ; d20+10=28 ; d20+10=18 ; d20+10=24 ; d20+10=13 ; d20+10=23 ; d20+10=19 ; d20+10=15 ; d20+10=22 ; d20+10=28 ; d20+10=20 ;
Wednesday October 7th, 2020 4:31:39 PM

Once the pros and cons are explained, Zazu is in favor of a younger, less experienced volunteer cleric. "We want someone who WANTS to be here, who is excited to help us make a good place."

Heartened by getting one good trap made, Zazu keeps on trying until there are at least nine more good ones. Craft checks: 15 tries, 9 successes, removing total 50 gp from personal wealth. Zazu works with whoever is fishing the river to find someone responsible for setting, harvesting, and checking traps every day.

Zazu congratulates Naithi on training Buggo. "Now we just need someone to ride it and be our scout and messenger. Maybe a couple people, maybe gnomes or halflings. And we should have a Ring of Feather Falling for the pilots to wear when on duty. I'm not good with people. Hmmm ..."

"Náro, people like you, and you have a nice face. Come with me and we can try to recruit a couple pilots to train to fly Buggo, OK?"

"If we get pilots, can we agree to buy that Ring of Feather Fall, either out of community funds or we can all chip in a few hundred gold each?"

"Unless anyone else has a better idea on how to use Buggo?"

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16 d20+10=11 ; d20+11=15 ; d20=12 ; d20=13 ; d20=19 ; d20=19 ; d20+8=12 ; d20+8=9 ; d20+8=11 ; d20=20 ;
Wednesday October 7th, 2020 7:28:41 PM
As plans are discussed I experiment with making an oven, keeping an eye on the weather, training Buggo.

Carefully I climb onto Buggo's back to see how the training is going. As we move slowly, sometime doing a couple inches off the ground, I pass by my first attempt at a communal oven and cooking pit. It's nothing more than a large clay slab to act like a skillet or flat grill with several domed areas for ovens. Although it can be heated by wood underneath, I am currently heating it with a Rose's Temperature Control.

Survival to determine weather = 11
Survival check to build it design an oven = 15
(10 needed to forage and arrived e food. I have no idea what to roll for this)
Handle animal to improve attitude= 22,28,28
(If it's charism if under 27 it should now be the friendlies, most helpful category)
Handle animal at two weeks to train buggo as a mount = 28
Ride = 12,9,11 ( I hope he is well trained enough by now)
Craft leather to make Buggo's saddle = 20

ooc: I thought I read in an earlier post the orcs used a communal fire pit.

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle)
Wednesday October 7th, 2020 7:31:20 PM

Zazu watches Naithi training the dire locust. "Look Boyo, he even has a built-in saddle right between his head and his wings! Buggo is almost as cute as you are!"

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Wednesday October 7th, 2020 10:04:12 PM
Lothlo is impressed with Zazu's traps.
That was some pretty impressive work. Let's put one or two up river a little ways, four close to camp, and four down river. They are bottom feeders, so I'm guessing we will have better luck finding them where they have started finding scraps from when we wash our cooking pots and clean our fish.

Beech (JohnC) AC 14(18)/14/14,HP 16/16, Character
Wednesday October 7th, 2020 11:15:46 PM
"We could probably string a fishing net across the river too and then walk another net to it from either side, I wouldn't do that more than once a week or so.... we don't want to deplete the fish too much.

Oh, I had an idea on the bridge too.... it'll take a while to build it, but we already know that. Here's my latest idea.... String a rope across, with 2 other ropes tied to it, We want the middle of the bridge prolly 15' above the river. So 30' from the shore on both side is where the ropes are tied. We tie them off to the tree we are using as the base so they are tight across, then tighten the main rope to the bottom. We then use the shape wood spell on the live saplings ri graft to the main tree, using the ropes as guides until we make the trees graft together in the middle above the river. We do this for both sides of the bridge, then grafting more live wood we make a base , and eventually with enough castings it'll be thick enough to carry loaded wagons with draft animals back and forth."

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Wednesday October 7th, 2020 11:54:24 PM
Ash grins at the discussion of the bridge as an idea pops into her head "Do you think there'd be any way to make it movable, a bit like a draw bridge? We could raise it when larger boats need to pass through or if we see trouble coming." Obviously the first goal is to get a bridge - any kind of bridge - up and running quickly. After that it can be gradually improved upon. Doesn't hurt to have a long term goal though!

She'll work with Naithi on trying to get some bigger scale, primitive ovens going. With some hot plates they could start using flour to make pancakes, or even just make damper using the fire pits.

Like Zazu, Ash is absolutely in favor of bringing in a cleric or bloodwitch who actually wants to be a part of the community.

------
Knowl Engineering: 20 - to help get some rudimentary ovens going

Zazu (AC14, HP11/18) and Boyo the bunny (AC16, HP8/9) (Cayzle)
Thursday October 8th, 2020 1:22:10 AM
"Ash, I'm all for diversity in our community, but are you sure about dhampirs? Why does it matter if they are using fire pits?"

Niall (JonL) HP: 22/36 AC: 17/11/16
Thursday October 8th, 2020 8:53:02 AM
"I am not sure that the bug is a cute as the bunny" Niall opines.

Naithi (JamesD) AC: 19/14/17 HP: 22/23 , CMD = 16
Thursday October 8th, 2020 8:56:23 AM
He would be cuter with some fur, but just look at his cute black shining eyes. Let's call him skekGree De Buggo. Buggo or Gree for about.

DM Mitch
Thursday October 8th, 2020 9:08:16 AM
Zazu is in favor of a younger less experienced volunteer Culverwood faithful. Zazu is heartened by creating one trap and works to create 9 more. It takes him 8 days to get the traps made. He manages to make at least one trap each day. On the third day he makes 2 traps and on the fifth day he makes none as both attempts fail. Zazu tries to recruit Náro to help them find volunteer Buggo pilots among the community gnome or halfling population and suggests purchasing a ring of featherfall from the community funds to help their volunteers

Naithi experiments with making an oven, keeping an eye on the weather and training Buggo. Naithi carefully climbs onto Buggo’s back and experiments with a test flight.

Her first attempt at an oven is a large clay slab she heats with Rose’s Temperature control.

Naithi fails to predict the weather.
Naithi’s attempts with Buggo go well. She attempts to train the insect to be able to carry a mount

Zazu remarks that Buggo is almost as cute as Boyo

Lothlo is impressed with Zazu’s traps and suggests placing on or 2 upriver, 4 close to camp and 4 downriver. He theorizes that they’ll have good luck finding the crawfish if the traps are in the path of where they wash their cooking scraps.

Beech suggests net fishing the river once a week or so they don’t deplete the river but still supplement their food supply. He also offers another idea on how to make a living bridge.

Ash grins about the discussion on the bridge and asks if there might be a way to make the living bridge movable like a drawbridge.

She works with Naithi on trying to upscale the primitive ovens so they can make pancakes. She also suggests they could build damper now using the firepits. She is able to improve upon the design that Naithi had with her knowledge of engineering.

Like Zazu she is also in favor of bringing in a cleric or bloodwitch that wants to be there.

Zazu makes a joke about Dhampirs using fire pits in regards to her damper suggestion.

You still have the correspondence with Nelly waiting for you to say the word on when you’d like her to visit.

More time passes and the group works to improve their surroundings...

Beech (JohnC) AC 14(18)/14/14,HP 16/16, Character
Thursday October 8th, 2020 9:31:06 PM
Beech runs the ropes across the river and adjusts them until he thinks they are right, not too steep, enough room below to pass and runs a second set about 3 feet above the first and then asks for comments.
"The upper set, are where the sides will top out for safety. With woodshape we can make it fancy after we get the foundation shaping done and we start using it.
As to a draw bridge, I don't know haw we can do that out of living wood. I am open to suggestions though."

Lothlo (WillD) -- AC: 19/15/14, HP: 27/28, CMD: 20 (+1 save against fear and +1 to attack/damage.)
Thursday October 8th, 2020 10:09:05 PM
I'm pretty sure for a river this size we don't need to worry about over fishing or depleting the fish supply unless we start a massive commercial fishing enterprise. We may seem like a huge group, but compared to this river we are but a spec, and cities have been built on rivers for thousands of years because they can provide large amounts of food. But there are other established settlements on the river, I'll send a letter with the next supply wagon asking if this is correct. Even if there is plenty, they may have good advice like something we can plant to keep the water clean provide shade to increase the fish population .

Ash (RobC) -- AC 12/12/10 -- CMD 13 -- HP 25/25
Friday October 9th, 2020 2:01:13 AM
Ash's imagination starts to get the better of her. "Imagine if we had some really big awakened trees that could lower their branches to make a bridge when needed. Like, real living bridges!" She hasn't thought any of the details through, and again, it's not a short term plan. "Or we could even have animated colossal sized constructs for bridges!". Perhaps the lack of good food is making her a little loopy? Nice to dream though.

She'd almost forgotten the token from Nelly! During one of the stops to the Emerald City, Ash will see if she can get hold of Delilah. Delilah seemed to be familiar with Nelly and would likely know how to deliver the token.

"So what's the plans for the Plant Growth, Naithi? How can I help?"

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