Party 5

[Harmon]

Balion makes his way down the stairs. He hadn't been able to get into his trance as quickly as he was used to last night. In fact, it took him quite a bit longer. But he seemed calmer and collected this morning. Making his way to his companions he quietly takes a post about two and three-quarter strides back and to the left of them. His eyes roaming over the patrons. As he acknowledges the lady that Gimble seems to be chatting with he raises his hand slightly in greeting.

As Carwyn speaks and begins to break off from the rest Balion would call after him. "Think you would need my assistance?" His voice even and measured.

 

[roSpEnTo]

As Carwyn reaches the door to pull it open he hears Balion's voice behind him, calm as always. The priest smiles, happy that the elf is awake and seems to be less on edge than the previous night, something was always wrong if he could he the daggers in his companion's voice. He turns back and nods to Balion happily. "When have I ever turned it down?" Turning back to the door he opens it cautiously, preparing himself for the shouting that he was hearing on the other side.

 

[Kanaxe_Ru]

Carwyn's Room:

Edmon listens carefully as Carwyn explains the process of preparation, nodding along. He gasps slightly in surprise as he feels the warmth of the guidance flow through him, and he instinctively balls his hands into fists as if trying to grasp onto the sensation. "Whatever I wanted to do..." Edmon looks down again at his reflection in the rippling waters, then nods and looks up to Carwyn as he begins praying. He tries his best to follow along with the prayers, though he hesitates at times. The one prayer that he does not mess up is the one to Lathander, as if it seemed familiar to him. "Morninglord we invoke your name at the new dawn... give us inspiration for the day ahead, let us improve ourselves with every step." He takes Carwyn's hand to stand up and slowly follows him out the door. For the first time since meeting him in the woods last night, he attempts the faintest of smiles -- though it is uneasy, and lasts for but a fleeting moment as they continue down the stairs.

Blood of the Vine Tavern:

Arik looks at Gimble with a (supposedly) curious expression, before taking the gold coin and then slowly counting out nine coppers and nine silvers from a nearby drawer. Looking over to the others, he nods and pushes forward a platter of brown bread and broth, which many of the others in the tavern seemed to be having along with a mug of water or ale. Most seemed to be minding their own business, or at least trying to actively ignore the loud gnome in the middle of the room.

The woman listens attentively to Gimble, hanging onto the gnome's every word. "Wow~~! You sound like a pretty hardened adventurer indeed, huh? Or a good storyteller at least." She laughs, smiling widely. "Well dear you can call me Mirabel, and unfortunately I'm not nearly as excited as you lot seem to be. I run this place along with my sisters," she says, gesturing around the room with a sweeping arm. "I have a hand in the kitchen baking though Arik here handles most of that. If you've got some extra coin on you -- and it certainly seems like you do -- I can also whip up something special for ya. Eggs, meat maybe? I think we got poultry in today." She taps her knitting needles together and picks back up where she left off, thinking about it. "Hmm I'll have to start prepping for the rest of the week... I guess I should start with the dried fish? Decisions, decisions..."

Edmon give a soft wave over to Gimble as he comes down after Carwyn. "I'm okay," he says, seeming to shy away from the boisterous conversation to sit near Fauntleroy instead after taking some of the food from Arik (along with a small glass of apple cider that he pours for him). When she mentions not getting into trouble he nods awkwardly and starts eating his food quietly, though he does occasionally peek over at the wizard's notes out of curiosity.

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

Glancing outside the door, Carwyn would see another woman just outside the doorway, arms crossed as she taps her foot incessantly on the cobblestone below. "-- and for that matter, WHY is it that our shipments are late when you're the one delivering? The others have no issues but when it comes down to you it is ALWAYS late. Every. Single. Time. This is an insult to our patronage and you ought to be fired!"

"Ma'am, like I've told you before l'm not even a full employee yet," says the other man she's speaking with, standing awkwardly next to a cart stacked with crates. Though he is quite muscular probably from a lot of physical labor and stands slightly taller than the other woman, his relative youth and inexperience shows. "Right now I only help out when they need more hands, which is every time the burgomeister up in Vallaki has another one of those festivals..."

She glares back, completely unamused. "So you're saying that we're not important enough, is that it? We get the rejects?"

"Oh goodness, she's really tearing him a new one isn't she..." Mirabel chuckles amused to herself, closing one eye and squinting as she focuses on a particularly difficult stitch.

 

[LAmPailk]

Fauntleroy looks at the child from the corner of her eye as she catches him peeking. After a moment she clears her throat, looking the child in the face. “Spellwork,” she clarifies. “Are you interested?” She feels more at ease addressing Edmon now that he’s shown some curiosity.

Then she catches an older gentleman sending them looks. She clucks her tongue quietly before leaning over to tap Gimble on the shoulder, inclining her head towards the man. “It seems we are being watched, master Waywocket.”

 

[SlyCooperKing]

Gimble's face peaks with interest. "Poultry? oh yes I would love some of that glad to hear ya new shipment is in." Looking down at Edmond, Gimble gives a contemplative nod "Some for the boy too." Gimble puts down two silver pieces "Thanks for the service Maribel! Ya running a fine establishment."

Looking over at Fauntleroy, and noticing the man Gimble gives a small as he turns back towards Maribel "Do you happen to visit Vallaki ma'am?" not waiting for a response Gimble gets shaking his shoulders a bit in excitement his voice rising slightly "cause I hear they may dabble in what I trade! Jewelry!" Giving a wink to Fauntleroy as he turns. "I'll be right back I let me retrieve my tools! I can't wait to show you!" As Gimble goes towards the staircase he immediately shifts modes and casts an illusionary sound of footsteps going up the stairs. dipping into a crouch he approaches the man feeling good in his abilities, when the mysterious man gives a wink just as Gimble slides next to him. Feeling perturbed Gimble sheathes the half exposed blade back into his belt. "Your an observant one huh? What are you doing spying on me and mine?" Gimble states trying to regain control of the situation.

 

[roSpEnTo]

Carwyn smiles, hearing the conversation behind him and Fauntleroy seeming to take an interest in Edmon. The more people supporting the boy, the faster he would be able to recover. He had even smiled this morning, it had taken Carwyn weeks before he could smile afterwards. He was clearly a strong kid, Carwyn had a worrying feeling that would be needed in the times to come. As much as he felt better this morning there was still something off in the air, something missing from his connection to Eldath that had been so strong since they set out. He shakes his head, he will be able to work it out later he's sure, and steps back inside not keen to involve himself in the middle of an argument that was not about to descend into violence. It seemed like the woman clearly had it in hand but he did feel a little sorry for the man moving the crates.

Instead he takes a seat a polite distance from Mirabel and smiles warmly at her. "You run this place? Thank you for your hospitality it was most needed last night. My name is Carwyn and I am a freewalker, a priest of Eldath, it is lovely to meet you Mirabel. If you are able to make something special, then our boy's favourite meal is chicken pot pie. I feel he could use a treat if you know how to make it." He gestures to the knitting in a friendly way and then to Edmon sitting next to Fauntleroy. "That's a lovely pattern, I hate to ask too much too soon from our hosts but would you know of somewhere around here I could buy some clothes. Edmon's are a little cut up and I want to get him something a little warmer in these new climates. Excuse me for one second." He stands up and moves to the bar, ordering a glass of water and ruffling Edmon's hair lightly as he does so. Looking over to Fauntleroy he smiles warmly, her snappiness earlier not seeming to affect him, and nods his thanks. He takes the water and sits back down next to Mirabel, smiling and keen to talk.

 

[Harmon]

Balion, having followed Carwyn, looks between him taking a seat and the door. His curiosity getting the better of him he steps outside the inn and stands listening to the back and forth for a slight time longer. His calm gold speckled green eyes surveying the two. Stepping forward next to the two of them he gives a slight, if not strange, bow. "I'm sorry for intruding, but it seems like this moment is souring the morning." Looking at the man? Boy? It's hard to tell for Balion. "Are you indeed late with this?" Balion then looks to the woman. "And if he indeed is late has he offered a decreased rate on this shipment as recompense?"

Balion doesn't understand why they resorted to arguing over such a matter. In his homeland, these things were always resolved as such. Arguing left nothing but ash in one's mouth and soured the day. Certainly, these people understand that. It's curious, but something seen as so obvious as not starting the turning of the day with ash in one's mouth seems lost on many he has run into.

 

[Kanaxe_Ru]

Blood of the Vine Tavern:

"Hmmm... pot pie? I miiiight have something laying around, a recipe or somesuch," Mirabel says, tapping a knitting needle like it was a pen. "I usually don't bother with keeping the more involved recipes on hand, it's usually out of most people's price ranges unless they're really looking to splurge. Same with sweets, a bit hard to come by in recent days unfortunately with the burgomeister taking up most of Vallaki's supply of sweeteners... maybe I should get Sorvia or Alenka to look into some other trading partners," she says with a pout, before her eyes glint up at Gimble's offered silver. "Regardless, poultry I can do. Arik dear, if you could be so kind as to prep a few portions of poultry for me~~?" Looking over in the table's direction the bartender nods, wordlessly finishing his current transaction before making his way into the kitchen.

She chuckles, pocketing the silver, before looking over to Edmon and sizing him up and down. "Clothing hmm? I could try to make something for your little one myself, though my embroidery skills are a hobby at most." She says, giggling a bit. "Bildrath might sell some dreary rags at his store but if I were you, I'd see if you can catch one of the caravans going through. Even the Gundarakites might have something," she notes casually. Many of the farmers around look at her shiftily when she says that, but quickly return to their food or other business. She seems to pay no mind to this. "Vallaki has a few good stops as well, sometimes I pick up a little something special when I stop by, though jewelry is a bit much unless I can nab a good deal~~" she looks over to where Gimble was, then seems lost as she finally realized he wasn't there anymore. "O-oh, alright then..."

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

Edmon looks a bit embarassed as Fauntleroy clears her throat and addresses his peeking, pausing halfway through a bite of bread. "...Y-yeah." He doesn't quite seem to know what to say to the wizard, though that doesn't discourage him from sating his curiosity. "... You do magic too? " Perking up his eyes wander in Gimble's direction -- not where he said he was going, but where he was sneaking, and there's a confused expression on his face but he says nothing, merely returning to his food and munching away again. He nods back at Carwyn when he returns promptly from checking out the scene at the front door, continuing to listen into the conversation at hand.

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

"Did it look like spying? My apologies." The older gentleman looks down with a slight smirk at the gnome, taking another sip from his glass. "You're just pretty hard to miss, to be quite honest." Gimble would perhaps notice that the man's accent is a lot crisper, and more understandable than the others they had interacted with so far, almost like he was speaking pure Common. "As a word of advice, I'd reckon that most people wouldn't be as amused by someone sneaking around raising a knife to them. There's much better ways to get someone to talk, maybe with that jewelry of yours."

He gestures over to a third-full pitcher of wine that he seems to have slowly been working through through the morning. "I'd offer you a seat as well but it seems you've already helped yourself. You're certainly already more interesting than the usual riffraff I see when I come through town."

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

"Re...recompense?" the younger man says, seemingly unfamiliar with the word. "Erm... I just deliver the wine, I don't know how to do any of that fancy stuff yet." While he is rather confused at Balion's sudden approach, he seems to be a little relieved that he isn't the focus of the woman's attention at least for the moment. "I... think I might be a day or so late but I can never be sure? It's hard to tell when the weather gets all wonky."

The woman rolls her eyes in response. "That's what they all say, but it always seems to be different for you doesn't it? It's October 23rd, 735 BC and I expected this two days ago. 'Recompense' is one of those Vaasi words, it means you owe me for this piss-poor service or rather your supervisors owe me an explanation."

"...Oh." He frowns in response, seeming to crunch the numbers in his head. "The only explanation that I have is that since the burgomeister put in another rush order, we had to scramble to bottle enough wine for the rest of the orders... at least the others did, I don't know how to do that yet."

"Hmph. I'll let you off the hook this time, boy. But I expect you to come back next time with a written apology from the head of the winery -- and don't you even THINK about being late. Now get out of my face and start loading in those crates, I've got business to attend to." She glares as she watches as the younger man starts to awkwardly heft the crates off the cart and into the kitchen. Meanwhile she pulls out a small notebook and starts to take notes. "Next up, see if the farmers have any surplus... hmm, I wonder if any hunters will come in today with stock...?"

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

In the meantime Iselka makes her way downstairs, her rough and tattered hood covering her eyes as she keeps her head low. As she takes a step into the main room proper she freezes for a moment, looking around at all the people that were here this morning. Eyes darting around she notices the table where Carwyn and Fauntleroy were sitting and quickly walks over, leaning in to whisper. "I'm, um... just going to take a walk outside. I'll catch up with you guys later." Flashing an uneasy half-smile she weaves through the rest of the tables and out the door, nodding at Balion but staying wide to avoid the conversation at hand while she begins to wander off to the north.

 

[LAmPailk]

“Good morning,” Fauntleroy greets Carwyn, though its more cursory than genuine. She turns her attention back to Edmon and nods. “I do. I specialize in the school of Necromancy, but I’ve taught classes on magical theory at an academy before.” She looks at the page she is studying before flipping back to some of the section on cantrips. She pauses, before leaving the notebook open on a page with a spectral hand drawn on it. “Do you have any experience yourself, child?”

While there is a lot of activity going on in the inn, Fauntleroy mostly tries to keep an eye on Gimble and the stranger. She doesn’t fully turn her head their way, but she does tilt it as if trying to catch the words. Hopefully Waywocket will signal if he needs help, she tells herself.

 

[roSpEnTo]

Carwyn listens intently as Mirabel speaks, nodding at all the right times and smiling when she calls Edmon his little one it was probably safer for the boy for people to assume that anyway. "Forgive my ignorance Mirabel but is Vallaki far? Or these Gundarakites? As I am sure you know from your sister, we only arrived last night and we are a little lost as to where everything is." He pauses for a second and looks back to Edmon, sizing up the holes in his clothing, and turning to Mirabel again. "As it may take some time for us to get new clothes, do you think you could patch up the ones he has at the moment. We just need the holes sewn up really, I can get the clothes off him when he is finished eating if you are able to. Also if there is somewhere I could give him a bath, I would be grateful too. Might as well get him cleaned up if he is going to get his clothes fixed up too." He gives Mirabel a warm smile of gratitude.

 

[SlyCooperKing]

Gimble eyes the man up and down "Ya good at it, ain't no need ta apologize" pausing and cocking his ear at the realization of his common accent he asks "Ya're not from around here, like us? No wonder ya're off in a corner looking lonely. Though I only give out my card to those who ask, which as reasonable gentleman like yourself, I am sure ya' would at some point."

Gimble waves off the gesture of wine "I appreciate the offer but I am working off some stuff from last night. Also' ya te second person to tell me that this morning, but the first one to offer me a free drink after i'd pull a dagger on ya". Gimble cocks his eye brow trying to convey with his face 'so what do ya want?'

 

[Kanaxe_Ru]

Blood of the Vine Inn:

Mirabel nods along to Carwyn's words, engrossed by the conversation. "Oh, Sorvia? Unfortunately I woke up a bit late today and missed her, she's such a night owl." She chuckles, before returning to the question at hand. "If you're going to travel by foot Vallaki is probably easier -- just follow the road west out of town. I wouldn't recommend traveling on foot to Gundarak territory though, unless your little one feels like trekking through the Balinok Mountains, oh no~~" She gasps mockingly at this, though it is clear she finds it all amusing. "I think some of them found a decent route through which is why their caravan wagons sometimes pass through the village for trade, but otherwise I think the main route to Teufeldorf is by taking the Ivlis River south from Vallaki. If you plan on going that way, of course."

She shrugs nonchalantly, then glances over to size up Edmon's clothing as well. "Hmm... I don't know what mess you've let him get into, but a few patches I can certainly manage," she pipes up, starting to fish into her large bag which seems to be mostly filled with crotcheting supplies and other scraps. "I don't know what kind of facilities you were expecting but we're no city, most people in this village take a bath by the river south of here if they bother at all," she says with a hint of disappointment. "The only 'proper' bath around here is probably the one installed in the burgomeister's mansion, though I imagine the maintenance on that house must be tough with just the two of them."

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

"Necromancy...?" Edmon looks over at the pages of the spellbook trying to see the whole picture, leaning over his bowl before he realizes how far he is and backs away. He picks up his spoon and takes another mouthful before shaking his head at Fauntleroy's question. "Magic is... expensive to do, isn't it? We never had that much money." He twirls his spoon idly in his hand. "I don't know if I wanted to go to college for magic or anything else, but it did seem... interesting." When Carwyn and MIrabel look over to him he looks away shyly, seemingly self-conscious of his ragged clothing but unable to hide it in any meaningful way. He finishes his food and pushes it to the edge of the table so it's more visible.

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

"I'm not from around here, yes," the man replies, taking another sip of wine. Peering closer Gimble would notice that although he matches the pale complexion of the other patrons, from under his hood peeks the sparkling of blue-violet eyes despite his older age. "<But that doesn't mean I can't blend in if I so desire.>" His accent when speaking the second sentence is near indistinguishable from the other chatter around the tavern, except his voice is deeper and richer. He clears his throat, returning to the same tone of speech as before. "I do prefer the Vaasi dialect, it reminds me of home. Though judging from your accent you aren't from Kartakass -- a shame, I would have inquired after this year's batch of meekulbrau. Better than this stuff," he notes, leaning back casually in his chair and swirling his glass.

At Gimble's raised eyebrow he shrugs. "Judging from the way you pulled said dagger I assume you think I mean you harm. I have only a tendency towards curiosity, and you lot are most certainly the most curious folks around today. Not that I mean any offfense by that, of course," he says with a smirk, as he glances over to the table where the rest of the group was and back to Gimble. His smile is bright, with a disarming nature to it. "Curiosity is simply my trade. If you have a card I will gladly take it."

 

[LAmPailk]

“Commonly known as the School to do with ‘dead things’, though that’s a gross generalization. We don’t have the best reputation, but I firmly believe a lot of good things can be done with it.” She watched Edmon try to get a better look at her notes, so she subtly moves the notebook closer. “This however, is conjuration cantrip known as ‘Mage Hand’. Very useful if you don’t want to touch something yourself.”

Fauntleroy lets out a thoughtful noise. “Yes and no. Some spells require expensive components, but most wizards get by well enough with a simple component pouch or a focus.” To demonstrate she reaches into her sleeve and gets her wand out. “I generally find that with enough discipline, everyone can become a wizard should they so desire. In the end, the rest matters very little.”

 

[roSpEnTo]

Carwyn nods to Mirabel's words, mentally taking down directions. "The west road, perfect. I will leave it up to my companions if there is more they want to do here before we set off that way, personally I have found your hospitality a wonderful change from trekking through miles of forest." He smiles when she mentions a river and nods. "Travel by barge or some such I am guessing. It would be good to be back around the water again, even with a boat between me and the current." He points to his necklace and the shield leaning against the wall with the lacquered painting of a waterfall on it. "My goddess is one of peace and calm waters." When she mentions Edmon and the lack of a bath he shrugs but is not too disappointed and gives her a warm smile. "Forgive me if I seemed expectant, we are new here and many places back in our home have tubs for cold water at least. Washing in the river is far more to my taste though. Thank you for your offer of patching the boy's clothes. I will bring them down for you now. Please let me know how much I owe you for that."

He stands up and moves over to Edmon and Fauntleroy, smiling as she moves the notes a little closer to him. He rests a hand on Edmon's shoulder gently and looks over his head at the notes. "Professor it seems like we have quite the eager young student here. I'm sure between us we will find a form of magic that Edmon has a natural affinity for. He's already seen divination magic." He holds up his hand and the light of guidance flickers over his fingers as Edmon feels the same warmth from earlier go into him, making him more sure of his actions. Carwyn thinks for a second, clearly trying to work something out in his head. "My divine magic takes a lot from abjuration and evocation I believe, although I was never taught them as schools of magic like yourself. But first I need to stop the lesson and borrow the student. Come along Edmon." He holds out his hand and takes the boy back up to the room, grabbing his pack on the way.

When they get into the room Carwyn puts the pack down and looks over the boy, poking at one of the holes in his top. "I think we need to fix this issue. I was going to buy you some new clothes but this village doesn't have anywhere to get them so the owner downstairs has agreed to patch them up. She can't do that with you in them though, so off with the lot." He helps Edmon take off his shirt and trousers and sits the boy on the bed in his underwear, bundling the clothes into a pile on the other bed. "We need to get you something to wear while this all gets patched up, can't have you running around like that." He grins at the boy, trying to take away some of the embarrassment by making things a joke, before he pulls out his spare tunic from his bag and a leather cord belt that goes around his spare trousers. He pops the tunic over Edmon's head and ties the belt off at the waist, as he thought the tunic comes down to Edmon's knees easily. Standing the boy up he looks him up and down and nods. "Looks just like the long tunics farm boys wear in summer, I'm sure you have seen them. You look fine Edmon."

He takes the clothes, picks his pack back up and leads the boy downstairs, dropping off the clothes with Mirabel with a grateful smile. He sits down to watch her work, letting Edmon go back to talk to Fauntleroy if he wants. Stretching out his shoulders a little he stands up and gets himself a water from the bar before sitting back and making small talk until all of his companions are ready to head off or the patchwork is done, whichever happens first. "I haven't seen knitting done in those patterns before, is it your own design? If you have anything complete and for sale in a blanket, cloak, hat or warm top I would love to see after this, I always think homemade has a certain feel to it don't you? Made with love behind it." He looks around the bar with a smile, finding himself feeling comfortable in this inn despite that nagging sense of something wrong with his connection to Eldath that sits at the back of his mind. He shakes his head a little and puts it down to worry about Edmon and making sure he can keep the boy safe.

 

[LAmPailk]

Fauntleroy looks up when Carwyn approaches them, clearly none too pleased about being interrupted. “Master Car—“ She grits her teeth as she watches the cleric lead the boy away. How rude. Fauntleroy was clearly trying to teach him something important. She frowns and turns back to her notes, attempting to put her annoyance aside and be productive.

She glances up when Edmon comes down again. Fauntleroy nods at him, attempting a smile, but doesn’t motion him over. If Carwyn wants to fill his head with preposterous divine magic rather than let him be independent, than so be it. If he wanted her type of magic— well, he was free to come over.

 

[SlyCooperKing]

Gimble keeps his eyes on the man "You do well blending in, and I am afraid I am not familiar with Kartakass, though I agree their wine is missing a certain personality." Gimble crosses his small arms looking forward in thought and scratching his chin "You an info broker? .... Aye, I can tell ya who I am and where I'm from, if you can do the same stranger. Name's Gimble Waywocket I am a jeweler by trade aquirin' materials for my trade is a specialty of mine, Born and raised around the Moonsea, though I doubt the city I was raised in is still around." outstretching an arm towards the stranger Gimble says "I've piqued your curiosity towards me I hope, maybe you can do tha' same?"

 

[Harmon]

Seeing the confrontation seems to cool down, and not thinking his presence here would do any further good, Balion gives a polite bow. Having seen Iselka head north, and no one goes with her, his curiosity grabs hold. Balion quirks his head slightly as he tries to follow after her, maybe he can catch up to her without having to run. As he tries to follow after he also would take in the sights and experiences around him, his cool and calm eyes roaming and searching.

 

[Kanaxe_Ru]

Blood of the Vine Tavern:

"An info broker?" The older man rubs his chin, seemingly in contemplation. "... I suppose that's a way to phrase it. Though I am more a collector than anything -- I am not one to simply sell to the highest bidder." He nods along to Gimble's words; though he has no paper nor pen on hand, it almost seems like he's filing away the information somewhere in the back of his head. "My curiousity is piqued indeed. I can certainly see your expertise in 'acquiring' things, at least," he says with a slight smirk. "Gerbruht van den Broeck, at your service. I was born in the city of Skald but nowadays I operate out of Harmonia -- at least on the rare occasion that I happen to pass through Kartakass. Otherwise I am out and about, gathering knowledge for knowledge's sake. I can allow no fragment of lore to fade into obscurity."

He chuckles, adjusting his cloak. "Barovia is an old, storied land -- which is why I find myself here time and time again, gleaning what I can from its people. Perhaps one day I will even embark on an expedition to one of the ruins that dot its landscape... who knows what tantalizing scraps of knowledge are hidden within such places?"

 

[SlyCooperKing]

Gimble's eyes shoot up at the mention of ruins and his mind wanders as the word tantalizing breaks his reverie. "Do you know whe..." holding himself back and switching gears and accent, he repeats "Would you like to outsource an academic, some able bodied men and an aquisitionist to facilitate some knowledge gathering for you? I'm sure what little commodities in these 'ruins' you speak of would cover our fee." A smile spreads and Gimble places both hands on the table palms down. "All we would need is a location, and our academic..." pointing with his pinkie towards Fauntleroy "Will without a doubt bring back any informative an' or' minute detail you could want." You could go vet her if you'd like, Gimble's mind spinning in full gear trying to sell a service in hopes that he may stumble across some tantalizing gems.

 

[Kanaxe_Ru]

Blood of the Vine Tavern:

"Oh dear, I wouldn't exactly call the Ivlis River... calm," Mirabel replies with a slight chuckle. "But if it's any kind water you're looking for, you'll be glad to know it's in ample supply." She starts to stand up, dusting off her dress. "Oh, I'm well aware that other areas are more urban in their facilities, it's unfortunate but most people around here can't afford such fanciful things. Ought to save up more money to travel somewhere more... civilized," she says with a playfully longing tone. "One day I'll pamper myself at one of the finest Dementlieuse bathhouses~~"

She smiles again at that thought, before giving a slight tired sigh. "Hmph, until then I guess I'm stuck on cooking duty... been a while since but I'm sure I can do better than that ol' grandma," she says with a slight huff, before she perks up and remembers something. "Reminds me... where is that lumbering oaf, it shouldn't take this long to marinate some darn meat..." Standing up and patting herself off, she haughtily makes her way to the back door behind the counter.

A few seconds later, some one-sided banter is heard and Arik appears to get politely shoved out of the kitchen. He makes a pass around the various tables, picking up Edmon's empty dishes as well as other glasses, before carrying them back and starting to wash them down. Mirabel meanwhile walks back to her seat and continues on her pattern like nothing happened.

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

Edmon seems too focused on trying to decipher Fauntleroy's notes to notice the subtle push of the book towards him. While absentmindedly nods at her dismissal of cost he tilts his head in response, eyes flickering over the text. "But to write all this, ink is expensive, no...?" He seems to muse about it for a bit; only when she presents the wand does his attention shift upwards, gazing at the arcane item for a moment before Carwyn interrupts the scene. He watches as the cleric does his divine magic again and feels as the guiding warmth is passes into him; he seems to pause for a moment as if trying to capture the sensation in his memory. Afterwards he nods and hops off the seat, waving back at Fauntleroy as they go up the stairs.

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

Gerbruht raises an eyebrow at Gimble, then chuckles and shakes his head. "My my, quite the eager one I see. Takes guts, trying to proposition someone whose life you just threatened not five minutes ago. In any case it is an eventual goal, not an immediate, at the very least until I hear the go-ahead from my superiors. And then I have to scout out a place, and do my proper research, before I even think of making an attempt." He fiddles a bit with something under his cloak as he says that. "And if you haven't noticed I'm a bit past my prime. Can't exactly be as daring with what I commit to on a whim as I used to."

He smirks, resting an elbow on the table and lifting his other hand to finish his drink. "I don't know how long you and your group plan on staying in the area, but perhaps our paths will meet again. I plan to make my rounds across the settlements here so that may be more likely than not, if you have a tendency to make yourself known like this like this." Drinking to the last gulp he takes a deep breath and exhales, seemingly satisfied.

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

After a bit Edmon follows Carwyn back down the stairs, tunic loose around his lankier body but still managing a relatively decent fit. He didn't have much to talk about upstairs, mostly just letting Carwyn do the undressing and dressing, and as they returned he simply made his way back to his previous seat between Fauntleroy and Carwyn and hopped on top. Slightly bored now that he was done eating and seeing that Carwyn was trying to make small talk, he instead turns back to the wizard and tilts his head, wondering if she would continue their talk from before.

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

Mirabel perks up as she sees Carwyn return with Edmon, waving with a needle in hand. "Oh, these patterns? A few I've managed myself but most I pick up when I take trips to Vallaki. Traveling caravans are more likely to pass through there, and some of them are quite fashionable indeed." She chuckles, swiftly adding a few more loops. "Of course I did learn a bit of weaving and patchwork from my mother but yarn was harder to come by for us."

At the mention of buying one of her wares she raises an eyebrow curiously. "Oh... you wanted to buy something? I normally don't do this for profit, I normally, mm, donate it instead. Not that anyone in this dreary old place has any *taste*, anyway." She laughs a bit at her own joke. "Still if you are interested, hm..." Though her smile is impeccable she seems to pause for a bit, as if unsure of what to say. "...I think I might have an old blanket around collecting dust. Ehh sure, I'll give you the blanket for 2 gold. I'll even throw in the patchwork for free," she says with a wink.

 

[LAmPailk]

Fauntleroy glances up when she notices Edmon take his previous seat. She straightens up a little. “Back again?” she says, her voice even. She glances at Carwyn, but he seems too busy doing mundane, somewhat domestic droll things. She scraps her throat. “To answer your earlier question, ink can be expensive. I prefer to get a bottle and ration it. Sheets however, are easier to get. I prefer to use cheaper inks when scribbling notes.”

She thumbs through the notebook again to show some messier, scribbled notes. “Most aspiring wizards will align themselves with an academy to mitigate the costs. With enough discipline, an academy might take you on if you wanted to.” She inclines her head towards Gimble. “Master Waywocket asked me to teach him. If you’re interested, you could sit in on it.”

 

[roSpEnTo]

Carwyn smiles at Mirabel and takes out three gold pieces, sliding them across the table to the tavern owner. "Two for the blanket, and one for your bathhouse fund whatever this Dementliese is. A donation of my own. Now, if you will excuse me I won't take up anymore of your time. I will return shortly for lunch and to pick up the boy's outfit. I believe there was a church around here somewhere that I saw, it has been a while since I talked to another priest." 'And there is something definitely off about the feeling of prayer here, a lack of something.' He thinks to himself. A priest may understand that a little more than a tavern owner, at least they might be able to point in the right direction.

He smiles at Mirabel again and stands up, pushing his chair under the table, and looks over to Edmon and Fauntleroy. Seeing the pair in conversation and feeling that cold anger from her over something he had done when he had come downstairs he decides to leave them to it, Gimble too seemed deep in conversation with someone. He looks around for Balion and frowns when he doesn't see the elf and then shrugs to himself, it wasn't like Balion to want to be cooped up inside anyway. The cleric steps up to the door and with one look back to Edmon he opens it and moves outside making his way up through the village towards the church.

 

[SlyCooperKing]

Giving a smile and a joyous shake of his shoulders, he replies "The first rule of business is that ya can always sell something, ta somebody. but second to the thirty-th doesn't much apply when they don't bite." Chuckling a bit he continues. "Though I am interested in what you mean by superiors, you work for the Count of this domain?"

Taking a bit of a stretch with his shoulders he responds to Gerbuht's inquiry "We hopefully will be off to Daggerford soon, we have a wee runt that we must transport back to his family, and a woman who has no home." Looking back to Gerbuht's eyes "Though I never have heard of yours. Skald? Is that Eastern Faerun? You may notice that I am also a seeker of knowledge." Ending in a cheshire grin.

 

[Kanaxe_Ru]

Blood of the Vine Inn:

Mirabel nods with a wide smile at Carwyn, pocketing the gold coins and patting the dress pocket. "Heh, well I don't think Sorvia needs to know about that money, since it's all mine~~" She laughs, waving the cleric off as she begins to inspect the clothes. "Ah yes, the church? We never grew up with that sort of thing so I'm not one to frequent, but it does seem pretty enough. At least from a distance," she teases.

Edmon nods a bit apologetically at Fauntleroy as he gets settled in his seat. "Sorry... we had to give the clothes to the lady over there," he says quietly, pointing over to Mirabel who seemed to be in conversation with Carwyn and inspecting the ripped clothes. "She said... she was going to fix them?" he glances down at his currently baggier, picking slightly at the seams.

At the mention of an academy and sitting in on lessons, he perks back up and tilts his head. "An... academy? I dunno 'bout that... but I guess if we're gonna be together for a while, I wouldn't mind. If it's not a bother." He scratches his head, as if unsure where to even start.

Mirabel meanwhile has neatly folded the clothes into a small pile, leaving it next to her other knitting project. "In any case I do have to start prepping food for lunch anyway, but if I do it quickly enough I should still have time to do the patchwork and whatnot. See you around~~" With a smile, she rolls up her sleeves and heads straight over to the door to the back of the kitchen, pushing through without much fanfare. Arik looks up and momentarily scans the room, before returning to cleaning the glasses idly.

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

Gerbruht scoffs jokingly at Gimble's salesman pitch, shaking his head amused. "I was never one for giving a presentation like that, it's why I'm out here and not back in Skald." When the subject of the Count comes up, he raises an eyebrow momentarily then shakes his head again, this time in denial. "... No, we're an independent organization that operates out of Kartakass. I doubt the man is even aware of my existence, and I don't necessarily intend on changing that fact anytime soon."

He shrugs, though his interest is seemingly once again captured by the gnome's mention of Daggerford. "... Daggerford? Faerun? Unfortunately these are names I am unfamiliar with... " He rubs his chin, seemingly deep in thought. "Eastern... you mean you are from the west, then? I suppose you can reach Borca from this side of the Balinoks, if that's closer... I would hope you didn't have instead to travel through Invidia to get here." He huffs, then glances over to Gimble with a questioning look. "Of course, the mists are a fickle thing so I would not be surprised if your homeland is a bit further than you would have anticipated."

 

[Kanaxe_Ru]

Church:

Stepping out of the tavern into the streets of the village proper, there's a sense of stoic serenity despite the slight autumn chill in the air and the overcast sky. This late into the morning there's a few people still walking the cobblestone roads, seeming to head to the fields or river just beyond the village grounds, but aside from that there's relatively little foot traffic. A few caws of birds and the barking of a dog can be heard in the distance, along with a slight breeze. Glancing to the north of the crossroads where the tavern was located, Carwyn barely spots the church on top of a small hill, peeking slightly above the line of houses. Beyond it, the spire of a large tower or castle pokes out of the distant fogs.

As he starts up that way, a few other passerbys emerge the dilapidated houses along the main cobblestone road, quickly closing their doors and locking them shut before starting off towards their destination -- always south, never towards the church. They keep their heads down, not keen on conversation. From a distance he can see a figure poke out of the building's large and looming wooden doors, before sneaking off to a side path rather than the road he was currently on.

Making his way up there without much fanfare, Carwyn finds the building's wooden doors, sturdy yet scarred by claw marks and remnants of fire, to be slightly ajar -- perhaps from the exiting visitor before. Within, a dark hall with dusty doors on each side leads to a softly flickering room on the other end. In the relative silence and stillness of air, it is easy for Carwyn to overhear conversation from the flickering chapel at the end of the hall as he approaches. "... activism, but there is only so much I can do by myself."

Passing through the hall Carwyn would find the chapel immaculately lit from dozens and dozens of candles all around the room, in candlesticks and candelabras softly dripping fresh wax. Many of the pews are cracked and stained in their old age, and a hasty attempt at cleanup can be observed in the form of shoddy piles of debris, sweeped into one of the corners of the room. Iselka is leaning over one of the pews speaking to an older gentleman in priest robes while Balion stands nearby. "Community... that sounds like it would be nice to have," she notes, sniffling her nose a bit.

"Indeed, though it is rare in these parts. Many are... wary of congregating in the open. We are a small unprotected village, and times have not been good to us. Still, the villagers seem to at least appreciate my offer of storage and sometimes I see people come in for small prayers." The other man fiddles a bit with his prayer beads in hand. "The burgomeister's son was another relatively frequent visitor... though I imagine he has been busy with inheriting his father's burden. Poor child."

After he says that he looks to the hall when he hears steps approaching. "Another visitor?" He slowly stands up from the wooden pew on which he was resting, taking both hands to steady himself before he bows slightly. "Welcome, my child. I have not seen you here before, do you require aid or are you simply here to pray?"