Long Live the King - On the Road - In Character Discussions
1/11:
Shurkural leads the group to the blacksmith's place so they can seek shelter for the night. "So, Indigo, honey. What's the plan for tomorrow? How early do we want to get out, and which direction do we go?"
Thinking for a moment, Indigo looked up at Shurkural. “We should leave as soon as we have eaten our breakfast in the morning. I think we should stay on the road as long as we can until we have to start making our way south. It seems to be safer. But I am not sure about this village. Something doesn’t seem quite right here. I think we should stay together and probably take watches unless this blacksmith seems friendlier than Olren was. But I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” he said as Shur had taken them around the corner into the smith area.
The door to the house in front of Shurkural and Indigo bursts open and bright candlelight floods the doorway. A young girl squeals "I TOLD you it is a KNIGHT!!!!"
Indigo starts to look around and then realizes who they are talking about. He straightens up even further and opens his mouth to speak.
An older man comes to the door, "Ophiela! Stop that screeching and see to our guests." He turns to the group. "Thank you for coming to our humble home. You must be Sir Indigo. I imagine you get that all the time from people. Our neighbor's daughter heard you and ran here to tell my daughter the horrible news that her father had turned away a Queen's Knight. When I asked what he looked like, well there can only be one Sir Indigo." Looks at the group, spotting Qui. "A dwarf! A real dwarf, wow. Um Sir Indigo what shall I fetch for him? Iron? Rocks? what would please our guests the most?" Then shaking his head, "Oh silly me rambling here on the steps. Come in come in. We will of course turn out the best rooms for you. Sir Indigo you will take our chamber and... stares for a moment as the group starts to enter. Then he falls to one knee in front of Miranda. "Marquessa Branwyn the Mysterious. We are fortunate and blessed to have you in our humble home. I will set you in our own room, unsuitable as they are. I hope that you will look kindly on our little hamlet." Standing up he ushers everyone into the front room. " Bradlee! Take the horses out back and make sure they are taken care of."
Jilly stood in the back of the group with a smile on her face looking at Indigo.
Indigo grinned and looked up at Miranda to see if she wanted to begin.
Miranda winks at Indigo and speaks softly to the common people. "Now now, please. While we all serve the Queen, tonight please treat us as regular travelers.For tonight, this halfling is a simple fighter and I am just another mysterious Mage with a few odd traveling companions. We do not want to put you out, only to stay in your stables overnight. if you wish to believe you do this for the Queen, then you must also tell no one of whom you believe us to be. If you must tell a story, tell of the importers pretending to be someone they are not. simple weary adventures spent then night as they traveled to the other side of the world.
Indigo shuffled his feet a bit. "Yes, the stables are fine or just one room where we could all bed down. We really don't need a big fuss, but we thank you very much for your kindness," he gave a bow with a flourish hoping the little girl would like it. "But, errr, if we could be obliged for a hot meal, we would gladly pay you for your trouble as well as for the place to lay our heads," he gestured to QuiFon and continued, "Our friend, QuiFon, he eats just like you and me do. Regular food. You don't need to get rocks or anything."
Ophiela gasped at this new information. "A secret mission! Wait until Ceace hears about this. She will be so upset with her father for not taking them in." Ophiela ran down the street to Orlen's house.
Her father shook his head bemused. "I am sorry Sir Indigo, Marquessa Branwyn. We rarely see anyone of significance here in Joff. I will accede to your wishes and put you in the stable if you really wish to but I think you will be much more comfortable up in our rooms. For the other problem of your "secret mission" perhaps there is a suitable story that Ophiela can tell her friends about so that people do not bother you on your real journey?"
As the group is settling in his wife brings out trenchers filled with stew. "It's not fancy food you see but it it warm an fillin".
Shurkural smiles warmly as she receives her platter. "Thank you, ma'am. I wasn't expecting such generosity."
Unconsciously, Indigo rose on his toes to get a better whiff of the tasty stew that was being brought out. “But we’re …. we’re not on a secret mission! We’re on a hunting expedition. And I may be Sir Indigo, but that’s not Branwyn,” he said still laughing to himself a bit. “Branwyn doesn’t even like hunting. This is Miranda the … Miranda the … well, anyway, this is Leatherus, Shurkural, QuiFon and Brother Foto. We are all on a hunting trip and we will be heading northwest from here, most likely, in the morning. What Miranda meant is that we are just people looking for a meal and shelter and we don’t need a big fuss. Besides, if we took your rooms, where would you sleep? We don’t want to put anyone out of their beds. Honest, we don’t.”
Leatherus leans his sword against the wall and takes out his pipe to smoke. Indoors...outdoors...he could care less where he sleeps. But that stew is making his mouth water...
1/18
Qui Fon clears his throat. "I must say, I am still learning to read the future. When I senced your presence, Imari, It felt as a shadow, a darkness, like a comming storm. But now it feels more like when you are in the scorching sun, and pray for a little relief and a cloud passes overhead with a little rain, or hanging out under your favorite damp cave. Welcome back"
Shurkural grumbles and shuffles her feet. "You had me spooked there, sugar. Doomsayin' and then someone asking for me made me more than a little bit jumpy."
1/19
Miranda looks arround when we are finnaly alone.m"yea, yea Qui was a little off. It still bothers me that someone sent you here looking for Shur and Indigp. I mean, why her, but more importantly who knew we were here?
1/19
Imari smiles at Miranda patiently. "You should know that Partik's wings guide his followers where they are supposed to go."
1/20
Shurkural turns back to Imari. "Oh yeah, honey. So, why were you looking for me, anyways? Surely I ain't got any sort of reputation as a great hunter or anything. But I'm pretty sure I don't owe nobody any money." She thinks for a minute. "Oh. Is everything okay back home? No one was sick when I left, but I did kinda leave pretty sudden."
{BOB feeding more roleplaying lines for Mike to use} Imari gives Shurkural a careful measured look. "Partik has guided me to you, now I must use my own wisdom to see if you are truly who I was sent to find. We are looking for a special kind of warrior from the other lands. I will travel with you for a while to see what I see. Once I know who you really are I will be able to know if I should tell you of our need." Imari smiles at Indigo, "You are already traveling with a mighty warrior and one touched by Partik."
Shurkural opens and closes her mouth a few times, trying to come up with an adequate response. Finally she gives up. "Well, I guess it's your time to waste as you want, sugar. This is Indigo's trip, so if he's okay with you coming along, I got no call to say you can't." She digs back into her meal, trying to finish it while it's still warm.
Qui smiles at Indigo as they make it back to the road. "it is true, I am not from arround here, and I love to hear your stories. I think you have just said something that is being shrouded from your brain like the Mist. If www could take the Mist out of the terrain, what would we most liklely see first? Unless this was designed to be a hidden temple, I venture to say we would see a path. you are wise to come back to the road little one, you just have to trust your inner Procog and you will stay on the path.
Glad that QuiFon was also happy with the decision to return to the road, Indigo nodded.
He tried to think if he had an inner Procog and what that meant and if someday he was going to get into trouble. If he had an inner Procog, would Cahus be upset? Indigo liked Cahus as a god of warriors. Their temple and crypts in Vilmar were impressive and if he should ever fall in battle, it would be nice to be buried as a warrior of Cahus. But who had been protecting him all these years? He still wore the talisman with the raven feather under his shirt that Imari had given him long ago. He had been afraid to bring that up with Tristan in case he thought that would be a bad thing. He had always hoped that Partik had been looking out for him like Imari said. It seemed like it since he was still here. Can you have three gods looking out for you? He hoped that they liked each other and wouldn’t mind very much.
Cautiously he asked, "How do you know if you have an inner Procog?"
Qui smiled, thinking he had never really preached to such an experienced traveler."the best way to know is by the inner peace, even when you don't know what you are doing with all the chaos arround you. It like when what you are doing is more of a memory of what is to be and not a wondering what do I do next. You just know."
On the road home
The morning of the 20th, Qui Fon pulls Indigo aside, away from the stranger and whispers. "I have sorted out the mixed signals I have received due to the mist and after praying for guidance I can tell you for sure this stranger has evil intention. however, the person we see maybe an innocent pawn being possessed by who we know is after us. I did not know for sure how we can deal with him, without endangering her."
Indigo put his hand on Qui Fon’s shoulder. “Qui, I think the Mist has really messed up your omen reading. Oriel is a good person. When I first talked to her, she was angry because she thought we were the ones who made the zombies. She is against all that so how could she be possessed by a necromancer? And after you had gone to sleep in the house, she came out and went with Shur to get our horses back. She’s been alone with both Leatherus and Shur and she didn’t hurt either of them. She could have even stolen one of our horses herself if she wanted to! You should talk to Shur and Leatherus. They’ll tell you how wonderful she is. Besides, I think Oriel is going to continue travelling on her own way anyway,” he said, and waved over at Shur so she could come and tell Qui he didn’t have to worry. Indigo walked over to see about the horses and hoped that Leatherus and Oriel would join them soon as well.
"if you do not trust me and no longer want my help, I can accept it. It must be nice to always be right." Qui Fon walks away, shaking his head.
Indigo heard Qui’s parting shot and sighed. “Qui, you know it’s not like that. It’s just that you say things and give no recommendation for action. What would you have me do? Bid her good morn, thank her again for help and then kill her? Tie her to a post and interrogate her? I have seen no evil action from her and she said she preferred to be on her own. I fully expect that we shall never see her again after we leave this cursed village.’
‘That is why I said you should speak with Shur and Leatherus about this. They have spent time alone with Oriel and they should be able to either confirm or be able to put to rest your fears about this woman. Or maybe you should confront her yourself. She’s right across the way. If she moves to harm you, I shall protect you with my life, but I shall not just run up and attack a lady who has helped us only the night before.”
Leatherus overhears Indigo's shout at Qui and approaches him. "Is everything ok Sir Indigo? I overheard you shouting at Qui. What troubles you? Can I be of any assistance?"
Indigo replied, "I didn't mean to shout. Maybe you can talk to Qui about Oriel. He think she has evil intentions, but I don't see any and if she does I don't know what we're supposed to do about it. I mean, I don't want to hurt her or anything ... unless we have a really good reason to. Do we have a reason to? Unless someone does something bad, I want to think people are good. And I have even known some supposedly evil people that aren't evil all the time. Like vampires! Qui said maybe Oriel got possessed but I don't know how people who get possessed act like. Wouldn't they kind of be like zombies? I dunno, but Qui seems mad at me and I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Can you talk to him? You spent more time with her than anybody."
"I will talk to him. It is concerning as most of Qui's omens are accurate but my visit with Oriel was...quite pleasant. Though I am quite ashamed as it appears I fell asleep and was not there to assist you in your time of need Sir Indigo. Had anything unfortunate befall you, Tristan would never have forgiven me..." Shaking his his head he adds, "I must have been incredibly tired and not realized it because I barely remember falling asleep. I hope you can forgive me"
Leatherus headed out to find QuiFon. Once he was located Leatherus began his questions "Forgive my intrusion Qui but I couldn't help but over hear your conversation with Indigo. Your omens are most often true and the one about Oriel troubles me. Though I do not doubt your ability in reading the signs from your god, Oriel, though spirited, doesn't seem to pose much danger and never did me any harm.." He smiles as his mind wanders to the previous night. "Can you please tell me what it is Procog has revealed to you? Though I do not have the blessings of any God as you and Tristan do, I am wise enough to heed the advise of those whom the Gods favor..."
Shurkural steps up next to Indigo and watches Leatherus and Qui walk off talking. "Hate to tell you, sugar, but I don't like her much neither. Don't know why not, just a feeling. She had Leatherus trussed up like a goose on the floor when I went to get him last night, and he was sound asleep that way. With all his clothes on. I guess that could be his kink, but she didn't waste much time finding it if so. I dunno, you're the boss. She ain't done anything to us, yet. And maybe she won't." She shrugs and rests her hand on one of his shoulders. "Wonder if there's any way to sneak our prize out from under her or Red Cloak, wherever he is? Hah! Wouldn't it be funny if it's the Cloak that's really Red Cloak, and it could take over any body who put it on? She does have a red cloak on, right?" Shurkural giggles at her silly scenario.
--- Meanwhile Qui Fon lowers his voice to Leatherous. I did not say anything about an omen. Magic reveled evil intent, but "she" is posing and a good priest. It is a dispicable ploy but that is what evil does. It is our challenge to defeat evil without harming innocents.
Indigo’s eyes got really big as he listened to Shur. “All tied up like a goose? Like she was going to cook him? Why would she do that? Why would he let her do something like that? That is not good at all,” he shook his head, completely baffled at the whole scenario. Taking a moment to peer around the horse he had been brushing, he took a long look at Leatherus who was speaking with Qui across the way. Looking back at Shur he said hesitantly, “He looks all right this morning, though. Maybe … maybe we should ask him to tell us what happened. Do we want to know what happened? It all sounds too strange to me.”
As Shur continued on about the cloak and giggling as she spoke, Indigo’s brow furrowed as he tried to think about how that would work. “I never thought about it that way. I thought he must just like his cloak. Though it isn’t really a good color for hiding. The man that wears it has been wearing it for a really long time so if Oriel took it off him then she would have to be really strong. Or … or maybe she did to Red Cloak what she did to Leatherus and tied him up. But then maybe she really did cook him like a goose instead of just letting him sleep. But would the cloak want what the man wanted after the man was gone or does it tell whoever wears it what they should want even if they don’t know why they would want it? But after all that, I’m just not sure how someone can be really evil and then help us in the middle of the night when she didn’t have to. I dunno. I’m going to go back in the house and open and close the scroll to lock it up again and then maybe we should just get going. I think it just might be best to leave quickly and forget this whole thing.”
