CAMPAIGN: Queen Arkwyn's Crown (D&D5e)

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Hyne seems perplexed at their being quick to apologize, and their assumption that they offended. Maybe he came off as cold and didn't realize it despite attempts at small talk? It had been awhile since he had last been in a real society for more than a brief trip. Regardless, he answers, "It's uh, alright. I suppose you can just call me 'Hyne'."

He continues to wait for departure.
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

Both of Hyne's fellow travelers seem visibly relieved that they now know how to politely address "Mr Hyne"

"What a lovely name! Is it elven? It sounds eleven."

The carriage finally begins to move. It has really high quality shocks, so rather than bumping and jostling down the road like most of the other wagons, this one moves with a fluid bounce... not entirely unlike riding on a boat in a slightly choppy sea.

Lady Goduvna begins talking almost non-stop. Over the next few hours of the ride, she tells Hyne:

* A summary of her life story
* A summary of local social politics
* Her opinions on the on-again-off-again war with the Empire of Jenna
* Her high opinion of the Late King
* Her opinions of Princess Arkwyn, and what a good Queen she will certainly be
* How she, Lady Goduvna is distantly related to the new queen, how she is slightly less distantly related to Duke Borgan
* Her opinions on the best kinds of local Berry Tarts
* Quite a lot about how famous the Sub-Duchy of Eastgnur is for its snakes, how this affects fashion in the larger Kingdom of Srappa (she is wearing snake-skin shoes)

Jasputin interjects occasionally to reinforce her points, and seems to be serving as her polite, low-key hype-man.

Goduvna does not limit herself to talking about herself and her own opinions. She also peppers the conversation with questions for Hyne. She wants to know:

* What he thinks of the King
* What he thinks of the Princess
* Where his family is from
* What does he think of the war with Jenna?
* What does he do for a living?
* Would he like to feed Plucksley a dead rat? (Jasputin has a cigar-case full of them. They seem freshly killed and don't stink)
* What is his favorite kind of Berry Tart? Dessert? Food in general?
* Where did you say you were from again?
DM wrote:Answer, or ignore these as you see fit. Evasive answers and non-answers never offend her, and don't dissuade her from further questions. NOTHING seems to dissuade her from further conversation. You can also grill her for whatever info you wish, if any.

While all this chatter is going on, the funeral parade rolls slowly north along the Gnur-Forest road. The rumble of all the wheels, and the prap-prap thumpity-thumpty-thump of the drums and trumpets pervade the background noise.

Most of the view from the windows is just trees and gentle rolling hills. The road is fairly level, which means it has to wind back and forth a lot.

The wagons and carriages of the procession roll mostly in single-file, although periodically they pass another vehicle that has paused to rest or water their horses, and occasionally the carriage that Hyne is riding in pulls aside for the same purpose and lets others pass them, so the sequence of wagons is always being reshuffled, with the only constant being that the King's wagon and honor guard are always up front.

Every so often they roll through a small village or town. In these, the streets are often lined with people watching the funeral parade with an air of mixed solemnity and festivity. There are often old folks dressed in black singing sad hymns, and often small children running and laughing alongside the wagons. Most of the towns have at least some level of decorations, even if it is just a few black banners and royal-purple bouquets.

As noon approaches, the coachwoman calls back that the entire parade will be pausing for an hour in the next town.
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Hyne shakes his head and in his lap his hands fold open as if they themselves are shrugging, "My name comes from human blood as far as I know." (Hyne is an actual real world name, apparently)

He leans back and rests his arm over the rail as the vehicle begins to move. The woman speaks as he gazes out to the distance, watching the barren wilderness as it passes by him. He looks back attentively when she gloats her ties to the coming Queen; he wonders in his mind if they consider this funeral a time of mourning or a moment to cheer.

Grasping a mouse tail between his thumb and finger, he lets it dangle above the chimera beast like a mother would feed a worm. While doing this, he answers some of the questions, "I've only heard hearsay about the royalty, I'm sure I'll know what to think after the funeral. I'm something of a traveler coming through the parts- the war has made it harder to chart my path so I'm attending the funeral to reach the capital."

When told about the snakes, he nods, "I'll keep that in mind." He looks down at her boots once he realizes that wasn't intended as a warning about the habitat there, "Ah, well, when I'm thinking of getting new boots."

Once his turn is settled, he asks under the bleak atmosphere of the saddening chorus, "Tell me more about Duke Borgan. He seems to be well respected around the camp. I'm sure there's quite a bit he's known for."
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

"Oh, young Duke Borgan is a fine man!" says Lady Goduvna, "He is technically my half-great-uncle, even though he is younger than me. There is little wonder that he is well-liked. He is a good general, and has held the Gnur-Jenn frontier faithfully."

"The Jenn only attack when the fancy strikes them, so sometimes two whole years will pass between battles, so our dear Borgan's true talent rests in knowing how to keep the troops busy in peacetimes, yes still ready for quick action."

"You know," she says, "I hear rumors that the young Duke has a fancy for Princess Arkwyn, so you never can tell, he might be Queen's Consort someday! -- But don't put too much stock in rumors, a rumor in the mouth is like a snake in a berry tart, as they aways say in Eastgnur!"

"So Hyne, you have never been to the capitol before? Oh, you are in for a treat! They have the best theater there, and the beef there is simply amazing. Something about the grass and the salt air. Other people will tell you about the fish, and the crabs, and those are indeed wonderful, but you can get equally good in any coastal town. The beef in the capital is special. And of course, it helps that they have the best chefs!..."

---

After a half an hour, the funeral procession stops in a medium-sided town. The decorations here say funerals, but the atmosphere says street-fair. All kinds of cooking stalls and merchant carts are arrayed around the town-square, and it seems that everybody in town has shown up to get a look at the late King. The honor guard is keeping the crowd orderly, allowing only a few at a time to approach and pay their respects. The military band keeps playing non-stop, and Hyne can now see that they are playing in shifts, with some resting while others continue to play. The town has its own musicians which are adding to the cacaphony, and making the dirge sound more festive.

The coachwoman tells her pasengers that they have an hour to stretch their legs before they leave again.

Lady Goduvna declares she is going to catch an owl-bear nap, and closes her eyes, and (for nearly the first time on the trip, her mouth) while Jasputin goes out to fetch her some lunch.

Most of the passengers of theother wagons and carts seem to be getting out and milling about.
Last edited by Bob the Hamster on Mon Nov 07, 2016 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Hyne nods when the Duke's intentions to get with the princess are described to him, "He must have heard a lot about the capital's women, as well," he remarks with a hint of joking sarcasm coming from a brief smile.

He doesn't comment much more than that. To him the love lives of these high ranking figures are just gossip and hearsay of complete strangers- and he half-expects the high priestess, whom everybody had such high praise for her beauty, to be almost as mute as the silent bloke at Duke's tent should he go ahead and hand over the gift.

And this isn't his Kingdom. News all about ill resonates with him. It makes him feel heartless at times, even, to have such a difficult time sympathizing especially when there's an opportunist plot afoot to take advantage of the King's death brightening everyone's mood, doubly so when their funeral is the center of a festive march.

When the servant begins to depart to fetch lunch, Hyne grabs his things and goes to seek some lunch himself. He tries to find a broth-like soup if he can and a clean drink he can fill his supply flask.
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

DM wrote:Does he take all his things with him? Or just some of his things? Does The Box come with him, or stay hidden in the carriage's storage compartment?
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OOC wrote:Everything comes with him, so that nothing leaves his gaze.
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The only soup Hyne finds is being sold by a street vendor with a push-cart. It is a snakemeat-broth soup in a large carved wooden mug for 2 silver. The mug appears to be emblazoned with the town's name "Ipcrunch" and the vendor proudly explains that you get to keep the mug.

There are also a lot of street vendors selling roast meat on skewers and rubbery-looking flatbread. Most of it seems to be rabbit, dire rat, or snake meat. Some of it is unidentifiable. 5 copper seems like a pretty average price for a meal around here.

As for things to drink, everybody seems to be drinking beer. There is also a town-well, but it looks like you have to pull up the bucket yourself.

The feeling of mixed solemnity and festivity is everywhere in people's conversations. Hyne overhears a lot of people talking about how brave the King was, and how the kingdom has thrived. Nobody seems worried about the war with Jenna, the only mentions that Hyne overhears are a few fellows laughing about how the Jenn will be punished for killing the king, but they talk about it like it is an inevitable eventual thing they take for granted, not like they are aware of any planned counter-offensive.

Hyne notices Erato Borodobur and the Dwarf Paladin of Pelor chatting and eating meat-on-a-skewer. Erato spots Hyne and grins and waves.

Hyne sees Duke Borgan. He is holding his winged helmet in his arm, and talking seriously with a small group of well dressed people with fat bellies and gold chains who might be local mayors or minor nobles, or priests or something. The mute bodyguard is not far away, looking nonchalant-yet-vigilant.

Some small children are carrying bundles of flowers and leaves to add to the heap on the King's wagon. This might be a "thing" that people do for funerals in this kingdom.
Last edited by Bob the Hamster on Fri Nov 11, 2016 3:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Hyne quietly casts detect poison and disease to ensure that the snake meat soup has been properly prepared, or at least a non-poisonous variety was used. This spell also allows him to sense anything is wrong with the surrounding rodent meat or water.

Regardless of what happens, he purchases a bottle of beer for his lunch. When he visits the well to draw water to store in his flask, his interest is taken by well assured townsfolk commenting about the war. With a quizzical look in his brow, he asks, "You don't think they'll attack before then?"

--

When passing by the men from the camp, he just gives a brief nod, letting their own business continue while he continues his own. When he returns to the wagon he is riding in, he sets the soup (if he bought any) and bottle of beer aside to rest for a moment. He sets his bag in front of his legs and reaches inside to pick out a tin ration.

He pulls his survival knife from under his jacket and uses it to prop open the tin lid that was pressure sealed. Various dried content become exposed to air for the first time: a large stiff cracker, dried fruits, a wrapped cheese, and some mint leaves for fresh breath. The thick cracker becomes the reason he needed some liquid; it is far too brittle to enjoyably eat on its own. It either becomes dipped into the soup with bits of the meat on top, or splashed with the beer to soften.
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

Hyne's spell detects neither poison nor disease in the snake soup, but it does draw his attention to a basked full of severed snake-heads attached to the side of the cart. They are indeed poisonous-- the aura of poison that his spell detects is a bit hard to read-- definitely not deadly, but maybe intoxicating? Hallucinogenic?

When Hyne orders the mug of soup, the merchant takes a pair of tongs and lifts out a snakehead and cocks an eyebrow at Hyne, wordlessly requesting confirmation as to whether or not it should be dropped into the soup.

---

The men at the well laugh at Hyne's question.

"You must not be form around here" says one.

"The Jenn can never get organized." says the other. "They only make raids near the border, and never with any serious leadership."

"It was just bad miserable luck, what happened to the king" says the first. He makes some kind of holy symbol with his hands.

"I remember back when they burned Lofthassen. That seemed pretty well organized. My older brother was there." says a woman.

"That was 20 years ago!" says the second man. "They couldn't do that again. Borgan has been wearing down their capabilities for years, and so did his uncle before him."

---

Not long after Hyne starts his meal, he sees Jasputin return to the carriage, laden with a painted wooden tray. It has multiple bowls and vessels on it, each covered with a lightly emproidered white cloth. Steam is rising from some of them. It looks heavy, and some rich scents reach Hyne's nose, sweet, savory, and spicy. Apparently finer cuisine is available somewhere in the town, for those who know where to look.
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Hyne is disenchanted to the offer, just shaking his head nervously. He pays the soup tender then after taking the mug departs unceremoniously.

He eats at the wagon, unsure of what to think of the Jenns except that he he could easily get caught in the crossfire of the war if they do decide to press on the offensive.

Despite the tantalizing aromas and riches in food, Hyne is content with his more pitiful offerings; he did not spend years living on wildlife and survival tins only to stop now, and the wagon seat already cost him most of his upfront payment.

After finishing the card cracker with some of the soup to soften it, he sets the mug aside and decides to double check his belongings to make sure everything is in place.
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

All of Hynes possessions seem safe and undisturbed. The box is heavy and silent and ineffable as always.

Lady Goduvna is too wrapped up in her meal to make small talk at the moment.

Hyne can see that the coachwoman is almost finished tending to the horses. Many of the other carts look like they are ready to go again, although there are a lot of people still milling around with their food, and the line of locals waiting to pay their respects to the dead king is still long.

Hyne can see that Duke Borgan is still conversing with the local dignitaries. Duke Borgan seems quite annoyed, but still composed. He isn't shouting or anything, but he does seem agitated by whatever they are telling him. He has put his helmet back on.
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Hyne glances over to where the duke is making a story of himself, but isn't sure if he can tell what they might be talking about.

Perception to try to hear: 1D20+3+2 => (12 + 3 + 2) = 17

While trying to listen, he puts away his belongings once more and returns to finishing up his lunch before any of it can spill from the wagon moving.
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

The Duke is a little too far away for Hyne to hear him over the sound of other, nearer conversations, but Hyne can see the Duke's mouth and can guess at a few words by lip-reading.

"...inconvenient..."
"...tomorrow..."
"...responsibility..."
"...paranoia..."

From his body language, it seems like the Duke is being talked into doing something that he doesn't want to do.

The Duke occasionally gestures or points back towards the direction the procession came from.

The other men are gesturing in the direction the procession is about to continue.

---

The coachwoman peeks in to see that all three of her passengers are situated and ready to go.

The line of people waiting to pay respects to the dead king is reorganizing itself into a crowd of people waving goodbye to the procession.

A few of the lead wagons have actually started moving, getting in position behind the king's wagon, which looks ready to go at any second.

The same children who had previously been adding flower bouquets to the king's wagon now seem to be preparing to have a foot-race alongside it when it goes. The guards and the trumpeters and drummers are tolerating this with good humor.
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Something is about to happen tomorrow, and it will be somewhere in the middle of the route. Hyne isn't sure if it will be as something meddling like a road block, but even that may force him to go on foot. He decides to prop up his bow and quiver for easier access in the near future.
Last edited by Newbie Newtype on Thu Dec 08, 2016 2:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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