The Story so far part Three

Episode V all roads lead east

Telec Kalamarian Human Priest of the Wanderer
Aetlred Half Elf Ranger
D’rek Brandobian Human Fighter.
Melias B’Paran Human Mage-Thief
Lalia Halfling Thief
Namless Elven Mage

Heradin- Dwarf fighter mage

Location
Melacs farm – on the eastern border of kingdom of Cosdol, The king’s road east into the kingdom of P’Bapara and A’Rakham Manor over the course of a day.

Events

The company spent a final night at Meliac’s farm and said their good byes after breakfast as D’rek was reluctant to start a long march without first making sure of a hearty meal and seconds if they where to be had.

Resuming the journey they had been on some four or five days before they marched eastwards along the king’s road across the border noting the marker stone then to the turn off to the village of Ettis wall.  pausing briefly when they passed the turn to consider visiting that village and perhaps spend the night there or at least get D’rek elevenses something that D’rek was very much in favour of since he had had nothing to eat since breakfast and felt in severe danger of starving to death on the road long before they reached  A’Rakham manor. However in the end it was decided that as it was still in the fore noon that they should press on intending to reach the Inn before night. 

As it was they came into sight and smell of A’Rakham manor in the mid afternoon. On the approach Telec and Altered noted the splendour of the manor and its surrounding buildings, nestled in a sheltered spot, principally to the north of the road, surrounded by rolling scrubby woodlands and D’rek catching the scent of the days stew put on an unexpected turn of speed. On the approach Telec and Aeltred that the inn and its ancillary buildings save for the expensive Laggosa slate panties seemed to be built of reused stone and that even the most modest of buildings where of stone with slate roofs unusual in a region where most of the other buildings they had seen where timber or timber framed with the gaps in filled with mud and wattle and roofed with thatch or less commonly wooden shingles.  Lalia noted that she really needed to speed up as the big folks where walking her into the ground with their long strides.

D’rek had reached the inn and had begun his first bowl of stew by the time his travelling companions did. His companions tarried to discuss the reused stones in the buildings and to compare them with those they had seen at Meliac’s farm or those which young Evie had told them about in such detail. Lalia just tried to keep up in a dignified manner.

It being past lunch time in the inns great common room was largely empty as the inns still relatively few residents had retired to conduct there own business else where, having eaten. The only apparent guests where D’rek well into his first plate of vegetable stew and seriously thinking about a second and a cup of small beer, and a dwarf.

The dwarf appeared vaguely familiar to Lalia but then again she had only ever met one dwarf and had no idea how similar one dwarf might appear to be to another. Lalia was considering what to do when the Dwarf recognised her. The Dwarf turned out to be Lalia’s adventuring companion of last autumn.

They had a brief chat about old times and Heradin spoke of a letter he had had written to Lalia before he left suggesting that they meet up here, a letter which he had sent before he had moved on after he recovered from his wounds, and which he had used a scribe to write. This latter lead Telec and Aetlred to believe Heradin was illiterate, but he is a wizard and all wizards can read at least in one language. The problem being that he can only read and write Dwarvish a tongue and a script likely to be very unfamiliar to a young Halfling whose native tongue was Brandobian and in any event any scribe would have a fairer hand.

Lalia introduced her old companion to the rest of the company and there was some discussion of what both had been doing Lalia and Heradin spoke of the adventure they had had under Rose Bush hill, and the company spoke of the adventure they had had in the apparent dwarf mine.  The company showed Harare the coins which they had found and he was unable to say much about them except they where not dwarf work and seemed mannish if any thing at all. Lalia showed the company the “perfume flasks” she had found under Rose bush hill and the company could where unable to add to what she had deduced save that the symbol on them was likely to be religious rather than arcane. However Telec who said that had no ideas as to its meaning or the religion to which it might belong and the flasks remain a mystery. During this chat Aetlred helpful as ever provided translation services as required and the conversation switched tongues with the ease of a practiced swordsman moving his footing. The company ordered a small beer, Heradin buying Lalia’s for old time’s sake and those who had not eaten had a plate of the vegetable stew. D’rek it should be said here was well into his second or possibly third by this time The conversation turned back to the announcement the magical voice had made when D’rek had attempted to push open the inner gates and in an inspired move Aetlred who though the doesn’t speak the language is a gifted mimic managed to mimic the sound of the words apparently spoken in Dwarfish perfectly. Heradin confirmed that the words where indeed in Dwarfish but the ones he took to be proper names where not.   

At some point during this conversation the lord of the manor approached D’rek half way through his current plate of stew, and having ascertained that D’rek was a blacksmith the innkeeper or as he would prefer the lord of the manor offered D’rek the job as black smith at the inn as his previous one had returned over the pass to P’Bapara last autumn to take over his late fathers business.  D’rek who had been becoming increasingly aware that this adventuring lark seemed to involve going hungry far more often than he would like decided to take the job

After dinner the company rented out the unused common room in the foreigner’s house as it was the cheapest option by far, stowed their meagre kit.  Telec went off to find out what had happened to D’rek and then every one retired out the back of the in and spent a pleasant afternoon gently sparing and swapping tips for skills at arms.

In the evening things became interesting. After supper when the common room was a bit more crowded with a couple of apparent sell swords, here for the same reason the company had originally intended to come, a woman in striking embroidered padded    armour who Telic recognised as hailing form on of the eastern plains tribes of Drejii and a couple of men a tall one with braded blonde hair and a shorter brown haired one who seemed to be friends There was also group of four men at arms  armoured and liveried but not armed beyond their habitual daggers. These where drinking freely and seemed to have quite a bit of coin about them. Aetlred stood up and started to sing   attracting a few trade coins form the customers as he had a fine voice and Elvish, in which he chose to sing, is rather a beautiful language off any ones tongue

With every one distracted Lalia decided that the men at arms should pay for her stay at the inn sidled over to one slipped out her knife to cut his nicely bulging purse  all very easy till sliding her hand around the bag to catch it as it fell she inadvertently made contact with her targets thigh. He turned as she tried to slip away and realised what she had intended. His companions and Telec did not, but the sharp eyed Aetlred did.  So he changed his song to something to draw every one else attention. Lalia bolted for the door and the man at arms gave chase catching her just on the threshold with his longer stride.  His dagger drawn he slashed at her as she turned cornered to defend herself he missed a little drunk perhaps and Lalia tripped him as he recovered to strike again he stumbled she scampered back pushing the back door to the inn open with her back as she did so. His stumble turned into a fall he fell full length in the open doorway onto his dagger hilt which turned the blade up into him its point caught a gap between the studs on the thickly studded leather and being honed to great sharpness it cut through the leather as if it was not there wounding him deeply as the Halfling turned and ran into the night. In the common room all hell now broke lose.

The other men at arms realised something was afoot and moved to aid their fallen friend Telec who had been as lost in the song as every one else moved to help cursing quietly that he had used his healing magic on Aetlred that morning. However Aetlred go there first and managed to stop the man at arms bleeding out which incidentally allowed Lalia to reach the safety of a hiding place under the very, very drunk half Orks bed. Then with the aid of Telec and the other three men at arms carry there wounded and fortunately unconscious friend to the bed in one of the other dormitories in the foreigners house all the while trying to hide that he knew any thing of how the man at arms Alegh had come to harm. Telec mean while managed to engage the men at arms in conversation and discovered that they where not in fact caravan guards waiting for employment. But worked for the very sage which the company where seeking and where able to give detailed directions to the place adding that they where waiting to collect some documents and other materials which should be on the first caravan form Cosolen the capital and was due to be here in a few days. They chatted a bit about the location of the Sages tower and how best to get there with Telec whilst Aetlred worked, extremely nervously on their wounded colleague. Then having stabilised the wounded man Aetlred gratefully left saying little after the apparent leader of the men at arms flipped him a gold coin for his work, and the company retired to the adjacent dormitory where Telec slept but Aetlred remained awake to confront Lalia when she returned.

Lalia eventually crawled out form under the drunken half orcs bed when she thought the coast was clear and tried to slip into a spare bed in the adjacent dormitory which the company had hired. Here she was confronted by Aetlred who said that he had seen exactly what Lalia had done earlier in the great common room and he expressed his views on what she had done in the bar and how to be frank he disapproved. However was not going to do any thing else this time as he liked Lalia enough as a comrade that he had not wish to see the consequences of any one else finding out what he knew and suggested that the company was likely to move on in the morning and it would be a very good idea if Lalia left good and early before any one else was about and they met up out of sight on the road. 

Eventually every one slept, until that is there was the sound of horse’s hooves on the paved yard between the inn and the sound of some one shouting form help. Rousing themselves Telec and Aetlred went out to investigate and found a girl; dressed only in a bloody under tunic slumped over the saddle of a much lathered and blooded  horse several of the Inn servants and Heradin, who had run from the stables, had also been roused form sleep by the commotion. The source of the blood was an arrow broken off but imbedded in the girl’s thigh

Aetlred moved to help the girl down off the horse and realising he could not manage this alone he had Heradin, who had been attending to the horse to  help him .