" Stop it, matey. What done is done and don't bow me like in front of one of those nobles. I should be grateful instead: you did not allow me to make this unholy deed, this bloody oath. I did not understand it at that moment, but the Refiner opened my eyes. This pleasure is all mine.", Nareth gives Lagrord a light bow. He was not used to this at all.
" Aye.. But the truth is that I should keep my combat skills sharp, thanks for reminding. ", the captain pats half-orc on the shoulder.
The story has progressed a long way since we started it my friends.
I'd like to give a bit of a summary of important events so far:
The orcs are attacking the Astorwind border in the north. The advance scouts report not much of an organized force. King Corak is confident that they can be driven off, but Gressick fears that whatever drove off the Bloodeye Clan will easily drive them off as well.
Gressick wanted to seek out the Bloodeye clan himself to form an impromptu alliance against the desire of the king. King Corak refused to allow his trusted and battle-hardened adviser out of his sight because...
King Corak suspects that his son, sarcastic prince Casak, intends to commit regicide and take the throne. He has confided this only to Colden, as far as you know, though you suspect Gressick possibly knows.
So Gressick convinced the king to send Colden instead to the Bloodeye clan.
Before you left, a draft was implemented. During the draft, the so-called halfling underground came public and refused to join the draft. Their spokesman was a brazen halfling young man named Kem.
During the ensuing hustle, Prince Casak fired an arrow at either Kem or the King, you're not sure who he was aiming for. The king's prized horse was struck instead, thanks to Lagrord, and the life of the dissident and the king was saved.
However, the king was furious that his horse was slain. In a cunning move, he promised the underground that he would lower taxes to 30% for the families of anyone that joined in the draft. This enraged Prince Casak. The king confided in you that he hoped it would dissuade any attempt of his son at regicide during the campaign against the orcs.
He and Gressick gave you Garta as a guide to bring you to the Bloodeye clan at Warne Harsard-Wast, the holy ground of the barbarians. Jirt and Kefto were commissioned to you by King Corak. On your way, you were nearly smashed by a giant black thing that fell from the sky. In the ensuing explosion and force, Garta broke her leg.
After that, you had to find another way through the mountain range. @Rik_Kirtaniya 's character, the nameless gnome, led you to an underground complex named "Cora's Sugar Manufactruing," which Garta believed was the home to ancient spirits, according to raider tradition. You found out, however, that it is a rundown manufacturing plant that used to make sweets before the Darkening. While you were exploring, the gnome grabbed a bunch of sweetrolls and disappeared, leaving his duty as your guide. You performed marvelously, despite the setback.
You made it through Cora's Sugar Manufacturing unscathed with a Journal from the executive director of the former company, which you haven't had time to read. You were joined by the sentient or possibly malfunctioning (you're not sure which) steel forge golem named FG-11.
You then traveled to Warne Harsard-Wast, which you now suspect is an ancient dump for hazardous waste. You tried to convince the Bloodeye Clan to join you, but they have not joined you. The light of the Sun God fell upon you and named the barbarians as his lost people. As far as you know, this has not happened before.
Are there any questions about what has happened so far?
Congratulations!
You completed your quest to journey to Warne Harsard-Wast and speak with the Bloodeye clan!
Each of you gain one experience point. You are now 2/3s of the way to gaining a new level. Please see this post if you have forgotten about your other experience point: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1083556#Comment_1083556
Nareth takes his luggage and speaks Kefto and Jirt:
" We must leave, it did not go as well as we expected. Bloodeye Clan is not going to join the army of His Majesty. But what do ya expect from these folks? They prefer to stay here and avoid the battle. Then probably join the victorious one. We failed to convince the Spirit of Dizrym. Feel upset, Jirt? Well, ya can be. But pick up the drool because we set off soon. As soon as Colden orders. I says, it is good that these folks revealed their pathetic essence just now, rather than just fleeing from battlefield. Pack you gear, Men! And help the others. M'Lady Sus'Ann, can you perhaps aid Garta? We can use any help we can get... "
He turns his head to FG-11:
" Maybe this... creature can help us? Can you help Garta, lad? We must make haste.", Nareth was not sure if he can command the Golem properly. Perhaps accepts orders from the Lorekeeper?
"Ay, Nareth speaks true as always. (yes.. elevate him in front of the group, get the group to trust Nareth) We should head out and meet up with the army. Now, as always I already have an idea on which of the two ways we should take. But before a decision, I'd like to hear your thoughts on Garta's suggestions."
As usual, Colden had no idea which were the better routes. He'd hoped Nareth as a seasoned warrior or Garta as being the most well-travelled would propose one over the other and then he could stand behind that. It has worked thus far, so why alter a winning concept?
"Eff'gee, come here laddie." Colden walks up to the golem and gives him a friendly clap on the.. leg? Or as high up as he reaches. "What say you, can you carry our injured friend here?" Colden waves his hand towards Garta. "She needs your help and I am confident a working man.. eeh.. golem like yourself are literally itching to put your back into it again, amiright?" He fires off a glorious smile, father-like and genuine. As genuine as a well-practiced fake-smile can be. He looks absolutely smashing when he's wearing this smile, like a king wearing a crown, at least if you ask Colden himself.
You made it through Cora's Sugar Manufacturing unscathed with a Journal from the executive director of the former company, which you haven't had time to read.
--> Huh, I'm sure I wrote Colden took the first night afterwards to read that journal, but I'm prolly misremembering. Doesn't matter, I'll add it again on our next rest.
Thanks for an excellent summarization @mashedtaters!
Colden continues, more personal and less openly now, to talk to the golem.
"You see friend, what makes us sentient, like you are and we are, is our way to connect to other sentients. Those golems of yours in the factory, they work and work but they do not bond. They do not feel. They do not love. This is the very core of being sentient. Some may argue it's our ability to reason, to derive logic and read and write or to see ourselves as more than just primal instincts. But no, it's our ability to feel for others that make us who we are. And you are one of us now, we feel for you.. and I hope you feel for us?"
Colden lays his hand on the golem as he speaks and weaves in some slight bardic empathic messages into his voice. Not sure vocal powers works on golems, it probably doesn't hurt either.
"One day may come when we might have to come into conflict with the baddies. Those who want to hurt us and when that day comes we.. " Colden waves his hands and points at the group, waiting for the golem's eyes to trail his fingers and look at them one by one ".. will fight for eachother and for the greater good. When that day comes, I hope you want to stand by our side and argue for us, not against us. But argue with your fists. Remember how you smashed up the machinery in the factory? Our enemies are like that, stupid machines who want to chain us all into obedient slavery, you and me both. Smash them into bits and reclaim your freedom! Join our collective now, brother." He lays it on thick and put a massive emphasis on the "brother", slicing in bardic semantics and drawing on everything he ever learned in bardic school. He managed to bed many lassies using this slick voice as a youngster (but hopes the golem won't respond that well, cause that would be awkward. Though.. on the other hand, that would been more than a chapter in his new book, that could be a whole new book on its own and everything should be sampled at least once. Ahem.. for empirical reasons of course.
FG-11 looks at Colden, his robotic face alternating rapidly between its few programmed positions of sadness, happiness, anger, and fear.
“Smashing walls and machines is one thing, I was built for that, but I don’t know if I could hurt anyone! Doing harm against another living being is against my hardcoded laws! How can you even think about harming a living creature for any reason??” he says judgmentally. “Surely they’d be open to conversation, unlike the wall. What if I made them some sweetrolls? I would just need some flour and sugar, and I could make a sweetroll that would turn even the grouchiest of so-called ‘baddies’ into a dear friend!”
He stops for a minute and thinks. “I will do my best to help you in your journey. But I don’t know how useful I would be in battle. I was made to cook and tend the forge. Even if I could find a way to fight, I don’t think I’d want to. I’d rather die, I think. Yes, death would be preferable to the guilt I’d feel at killing someone else.
“Give me a kitchen, and I can really help.”
He looks around as though expecting a kitchen to just pop out of the ground, much like he looked for his name laying on the ground earlier. His face slumps into its pre-programmed sad position once his search proves fruitless.
'Well, that didn't work out so well. Obviously it must be immune to my immense charisma, probably some security measure its creators built in to keep it working and not be interrupted by humanoids' Colden thinks to himself. 'If I read this metal stead into battle, what's to say it doesn't throw me off and run away with its tail between its legs at the first sight of blood? Chucks.. there goes that plan.'
"No kitchens in sight, but if you can carry our friend Garta while we travel, that would be appreciated."
Colden has already lost interest in the golem and will spend no more time on it, he instead turns to the group and awaits their replies on what to do next with hope in his eyes. Otherwise he guesses he have to make a dice roll and choose for them.
As Jirt is following his captain’s orders, he can’t help but overhear the conversation between Colden and FG-11.
“What do you mean you won’t fight?” he blusters at the golem angrily. “Are you some kind of coward?! We fight so that cooking and baking are possible! Without fighting to protect those we love, there can be no kitchens, you loon!”
FG-11 looks at Jirt with his preprogrammed sad and fearful expressions, and he cowers down a little.
“I had a patrol member like you,” says Jirt, spitting at the ground. “Captain Nareth remembers him, but he doesn’t like taking about him. Well, he was a coward who didn’t help out his team, and didn’t do his duty. Halan was his name. He turned tail and ran at the first sign of battle, getting my friend, and Kefto’s, Geln killed by a drake. Geln was a good man. He was honorable. Unlike Halan.
“You want a name? How ‘bout we name you Halan? Because he was a coward, just like you. And you know what else? He died that same day, because he didn’t stay in formation. Captain Nareth tried to save him, but Halan’s wounds were too severe.”
“I say we leave him here,” he says bitterly at the rest of the group. “We don’t need him, he’ll just compromise us if he won’t fight.”
Garta is looking at Jirt and agreeing with him for the first time since you embarked on this trip.
“I agree,” she says firmly. “What use have we of a baker anyway? I can carry myself, I don’t need a golem carrying me around like a child. I may have a broken leg, but at least I’ll fight.”
Though FG-11’s face only has a handful of expressions, if he could do so, you know he would be expressing shame. He says nothing, waiting on the judgement of the rest of you.
Kefto, however, is watching with interest. “I don’t know, Jirt,” he says thoughtfully. “Not everything we do as soldiers is fighting. We build things a lot in preparation for battle. Don’t you think you’re being a little harsh? It’s not like we have to feed him. Hey, you don’t eat, do you?” He asks the golem.
FG-11 shakes his head no.
“I’m not sure why bringing him along would compromise us,” says Kefto to Captain Nareth. “So he doesn’t fight. Maybe he will change his mind? He already changed his mind once about this so-called ‘collective’. Besides, even if he doesn’t change his mind, he could be useful enough just to scare anyone away. And who knows if he could help us in other ways?” Kefto’s cool head is one of the reason’s Nareth has come to trust him.
Garta shakes her head. “Do as you will, but I’ll not be carried around by a coward.” She looks at Lagrord and blushes slightly, but her chin stays high. “The current arrangement I have with Mr. Lagrord is quite satisfactory to me,” she adds with a light tremble in her voice.
The golem, meanwhile, looks as though he is about to run away back to his cave.
Nareth listens silently, packing his luggage. The memory of the tragedy, that Jirt reminded him of, evoked a new sense of guilt. The captain was an experienced soldier and repeatedly saw battle, but still he could not get used to the death of his subordinates. He had close and very personal relations with soldiers from the garrison, despite the stratification and the nearness of this society.
" No, Jirt, Halan alone was more enough, not on my watch! And this creature can be very handy in our quest, I says. You won’t understand this with your grunt's brains though. We can use ANY help we can get and in combat we have ya and Kefto, and my own sword is in your disposal... Lay down, woman, I know ya can fight as well, but we can get lost ourselves without ya here. "
" So.. We should call ya somehow. If ya can't fight, because of this program, that ya made the oath to - then maybe ya can protect humans? Ya seem like a tough lad.", the captain glanced at FG-11 curiously.
@Skatan sure, thanks! It was a typo of mine. But Nareth did speak in different way, while being under the Refiner's influence, but these were... not actually his words, I suppose.
“If we are looking for suggestions on which route to take,” says Jirt sullenly, stinging from his rebuke, “then I suggest we stay here to the lowlands. Traveling in the mountains will be just as dangerous due to monsters, but will add the danger of the terrain. That’s my opinion, though no one here seems to give a damn...” he ends with a mutter.
FG-11, unsure if he is still accepted in the group, shuffles uneasily from foot to giant, heavy foot. His face alternates from sad to fearful.
"Well, the group has spoken and there's enough to say you're still in Eff'gee."
"So.. not much suggestions for which route to take here, luckily for you I already have a masterplan." Colden "clumsily" drops his axe by mistake (axe head to the left; mountains, to the right; north). Its axe head lands to the right.
"Ahem, as I am have planned all along, we should head north. Garta says that's the way the orcs came and better an enemy we know than enemies unknown. She also says the mountain range may hold many kinds of monsters and she still has that broken leg and refuses to be carried by our golem. Lagrord may be needed for more things than to act as a fleshy crutch, hehe.. " Colden chuckles at his own wittyness and throws a glance at Lagrord knowing full well the laddie would want nothing more than to be close to the beautiful barbarian woman.
"Pack your things, we leave at once. I don't want these barbarians rushing our attacking us in our backs now that we are outside their sacred area and no longer under its protection. Nareth, you take point. You're the best one to lead us on with Garta's input."
"Eff'gee, my dear cook. Hold this for me, please. " Colden hands the golem his backpack and starts walking in the direction north without any plans of taking back that backpack for a while. Aah.. walking is so much more pleasureable without the discomfort of a heavy backpack!
Hah, Colden is becoming a real douchebag! I can't help it, he's just startng to blossoming out more and more. No longer in the shadow of the King of Astorwind, he's starting to enjoy to boss ppl around himself Please don't hate him too much, hehe..
" Aye, Jirt, that's right. Let's do what M'Lord Colden says and head North along lowlands... We are ready to set off. ", Nareth he looks thoughtfully north, trying to gauge the weather.
Well @mashedtaters , as long as we can't really climb the mountains because of broken legs, then yes - I assume, we head north along the mountains range. not lowlands, sorry. This was Garta's suggestion, I think? Darn, I really should draw the map at some point.
Haha, I assumed after reading your post @mashedtaters that north was the lowlands! Meaning not the climbing part and the unknown monsters of the mountain ranges. But I guess it doesn't matter. I actually did throw a "dice", ie my tobacco box with two side, and just rolled with it (pun intended).
There are two ways to get to where the king is, they both lead north:
1. Along the spine of the mountain range. Harder terrain for sure, maybe less baddies, according to Garta.
2. Into the lowlands at the base of the mountain range. Easier terrain for sure, maybe more baddies, according to Garta.
Jirt seems to think there will be more orcs in the lowlands, which stands to reason as they just invaded the pass to the north, but he’s not concerned by it and would prefer the easier terrain route. Kefto and FG-11 have not expressed their opinions.
It’s a matter of choosing which danger you prefer, according to what Garta has said. (Again, she might be wrong,.. muahahahahahaha!!) Do you want to face harsh terrain and less water/food and fiercer weather, or do you want to fight more baddies with easier terrain and easier foraging and less severe weather?
This is what you have gathered from Garta’s opinion. As no one can tell the future except for me, it may be sunshine and daisies all the way to the end of the story, for all you know, no matter what route you take!
Comments
" Stop it, matey. What done is done and don't bow me like in front of one of those nobles. I should be grateful instead: you did not allow me to make this unholy deed, this bloody oath. I did not understand it at that moment, but the Refiner opened my eyes. This pleasure is all mine.", Nareth gives Lagrord a light bow. He was not used to this at all.
" Aye.. But the truth is that I should keep my combat skills sharp, thanks for reminding. ", the captain pats half-orc on the shoulder.
I'd like to give a bit of a summary of important events so far:
The orcs are attacking the Astorwind border in the north. The advance scouts report not much of an organized force. King Corak is confident that they can be driven off, but Gressick fears that whatever drove off the Bloodeye Clan will easily drive them off as well.
Gressick wanted to seek out the Bloodeye clan himself to form an impromptu alliance against the desire of the king. King Corak refused to allow his trusted and battle-hardened adviser out of his sight because...
King Corak suspects that his son, sarcastic prince Casak, intends to commit regicide and take the throne. He has confided this only to Colden, as far as you know, though you suspect Gressick possibly knows.
So Gressick convinced the king to send Colden instead to the Bloodeye clan.
Before you left, a draft was implemented. During the draft, the so-called halfling underground came public and refused to join the draft. Their spokesman was a brazen halfling young man named Kem.
During the ensuing hustle, Prince Casak fired an arrow at either Kem or the King, you're not sure who he was aiming for. The king's prized horse was struck instead, thanks to Lagrord, and the life of the dissident and the king was saved.
However, the king was furious that his horse was slain. In a cunning move, he promised the underground that he would lower taxes to 30% for the families of anyone that joined in the draft. This enraged Prince Casak. The king confided in you that he hoped it would dissuade any attempt of his son at regicide during the campaign against the orcs.
He and Gressick gave you Garta as a guide to bring you to the Bloodeye clan at Warne Harsard-Wast, the holy ground of the barbarians. Jirt and Kefto were commissioned to you by King Corak. On your way, you were nearly smashed by a giant black thing that fell from the sky. In the ensuing explosion and force, Garta broke her leg.
After that, you had to find another way through the mountain range. @Rik_Kirtaniya 's character, the nameless gnome, led you to an underground complex named "Cora's Sugar Manufactruing," which Garta believed was the home to ancient spirits, according to raider tradition. You found out, however, that it is a rundown manufacturing plant that used to make sweets before the Darkening. While you were exploring, the gnome grabbed a bunch of sweetrolls and disappeared, leaving his duty as your guide. You performed marvelously, despite the setback.
You made it through Cora's Sugar Manufacturing unscathed with a Journal from the executive director of the former company, which you haven't had time to read. You were joined by the sentient or possibly malfunctioning (you're not sure which) steel forge golem named FG-11.
You then traveled to Warne Harsard-Wast, which you now suspect is an ancient dump for hazardous waste. You tried to convince the Bloodeye Clan to join you, but they have not joined you. The light of the Sun God fell upon you and named the barbarians as his lost people. As far as you know, this has not happened before.
Are there any questions about what has happened so far?
You completed your quest to journey to Warne Harsard-Wast and speak with the Bloodeye clan!
Each of you gain one experience point. You are now 2/3s of the way to gaining a new level. Please see this post if you have forgotten about your other experience point:
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1083556#Comment_1083556
" We must leave, it did not go as well as we expected. Bloodeye Clan is not going to join the army of His Majesty. But what do ya expect from these folks? They prefer to stay here and avoid the battle. Then probably join the victorious one. We failed to convince the Spirit of Dizrym. Feel upset, Jirt? Well, ya can be. But pick up the drool because we set off soon. As soon as Colden orders. I says, it is good that these folks revealed their pathetic essence just now, rather than just fleeing from battlefield. Pack you gear, Men! And help the others. M'Lady Sus'Ann, can you perhaps aid Garta? We can use any help we can get... "
He turns his head to FG-11:
" Maybe this... creature can help us? Can you help Garta, lad? We must make haste.", Nareth was not sure if he can command the Golem properly. Perhaps accepts orders from the Lorekeeper?
*Lagrord is visibly confused at someone else bowign to him*
"A-ah, yes. Thank you master Nareth."
"Ay, Nareth speaks true as always. (yes.. elevate him in front of the group, get the group to trust Nareth) We should head out and meet up with the army. Now, as always I already have an idea on which of the two ways we should take. But before a decision, I'd like to hear your thoughts on Garta's suggestions."
As usual, Colden had no idea which were the better routes. He'd hoped Nareth as a seasoned warrior or Garta as being the most well-travelled would propose one over the other and then he could stand behind that. It has worked thus far, so why alter a winning concept?
"Eff'gee, come here laddie." Colden walks up to the golem and gives him a friendly clap on the.. leg? Or as high up as he reaches. "What say you, can you carry our injured friend here?" Colden waves his hand towards Garta. "She needs your help and I am confident a working man.. eeh.. golem like yourself are literally itching to put your back into it again, amiright?" He fires off a glorious smile, father-like and genuine. As genuine as a well-practiced fake-smile can be. He looks absolutely smashing when he's wearing this smile, like a king wearing a crown, at least if you ask Colden himself.
--> Huh, I'm sure I wrote Colden took the first night afterwards to read that journal, but I'm prolly misremembering. Doesn't matter, I'll add it again on our next rest.
Thanks for an excellent summarization @mashedtaters!
"You see friend, what makes us sentient, like you are and we are, is our way to connect to other sentients. Those golems of yours in the factory, they work and work but they do not bond. They do not feel. They do not love. This is the very core of being sentient. Some may argue it's our ability to reason, to derive logic and read and write or to see ourselves as more than just primal instincts. But no, it's our ability to feel for others that make us who we are. And you are one of us now, we feel for you.. and I hope you feel for us?"
Colden lays his hand on the golem as he speaks and weaves in some slight bardic empathic messages into his voice. Not sure vocal powers works on golems, it probably doesn't hurt either.
"One day may come when we might have to come into conflict with the baddies. Those who want to hurt us and when that day comes we.. " Colden waves his hands and points at the group, waiting for the golem's eyes to trail his fingers and look at them one by one ".. will fight for eachother and for the greater good. When that day comes, I hope you want to stand by our side and argue for us, not against us. But argue with your fists. Remember how you smashed up the machinery in the factory? Our enemies are like that, stupid machines who want to chain us all into obedient slavery, you and me both. Smash them into bits and reclaim your freedom! Join our collective now, brother." He lays it on thick and put a massive emphasis on the "brother", slicing in bardic semantics and drawing on everything he ever learned in bardic school. He managed to bed many lassies using this slick voice as a youngster (but hopes the golem won't respond that well, cause that would be awkward. Though.. on the other hand, that would been more than a chapter in his new book, that could be a whole new book on its own and everything should be sampled at least once. Ahem.. for empirical reasons of course.
Only time will tell
“Smashing walls and machines is one thing, I was built for that, but I don’t know if I could hurt anyone! Doing harm against another living being is against my hardcoded laws! How can you even think about harming a living creature for any reason??” he says judgmentally. “Surely they’d be open to conversation, unlike the wall. What if I made them some sweetrolls? I would just need some flour and sugar, and I could make a sweetroll that would turn even the grouchiest of so-called ‘baddies’ into a dear friend!”
He stops for a minute and thinks. “I will do my best to help you in your journey. But I don’t know how useful I would be in battle. I was made to cook and tend the forge. Even if I could find a way to fight, I don’t think I’d want to. I’d rather die, I think. Yes, death would be preferable to the guilt I’d feel at killing someone else.
“Give me a kitchen, and I can really help.”
He looks around as though expecting a kitchen to just pop out of the ground, much like he looked for his name laying on the ground earlier. His face slumps into its pre-programmed sad position once his search proves fruitless.
"No kitchens in sight, but if you can carry our friend Garta while we travel, that would be appreciated."
Colden has already lost interest in the golem and will spend no more time on it, he instead turns to the group and awaits their replies on what to do next with hope in his eyes. Otherwise he guesses he have to make a dice roll and choose for them.
“What do you mean you won’t fight?” he blusters at the golem angrily. “Are you some kind of coward?! We fight so that cooking and baking are possible! Without fighting to protect those we love, there can be no kitchens, you loon!”
FG-11 looks at Jirt with his preprogrammed sad and fearful expressions, and he cowers down a little.
“I had a patrol member like you,” says Jirt, spitting at the ground. “Captain Nareth remembers him, but he doesn’t like taking about him. Well, he was a coward who didn’t help out his team, and didn’t do his duty. Halan was his name. He turned tail and ran at the first sign of battle, getting my friend, and Kefto’s, Geln killed by a drake. Geln was a good man. He was honorable. Unlike Halan.
“You want a name? How ‘bout we name you Halan? Because he was a coward, just like you. And you know what else? He died that same day, because he didn’t stay in formation. Captain Nareth tried to save him, but Halan’s wounds were too severe.”
“I say we leave him here,” he says bitterly at the rest of the group. “We don’t need him, he’ll just compromise us if he won’t fight.”
“I agree,” she says firmly. “What use have we of a baker anyway? I can carry myself, I don’t need a golem carrying me around like a child. I may have a broken leg, but at least I’ll fight.”
Though FG-11’s face only has a handful of expressions, if he could do so, you know he would be expressing shame. He says nothing, waiting on the judgement of the rest of you.
FG-11 shakes his head no.
“I’m not sure why bringing him along would compromise us,” says Kefto to Captain Nareth. “So he doesn’t fight. Maybe he will change his mind? He already changed his mind once about this so-called ‘collective’. Besides, even if he doesn’t change his mind, he could be useful enough just to scare anyone away. And who knows if he could help us in other ways?” Kefto’s cool head is one of the reason’s Nareth has come to trust him.
Garta shakes her head. “Do as you will, but I’ll not be carried around by a coward.” She looks at Lagrord and blushes slightly, but her chin stays high. “The current arrangement I have with Mr. Lagrord is quite satisfactory to me,” she adds with a light tremble in her voice.
The golem, meanwhile, looks as though he is about to run away back to his cave.
" No, Jirt, Halan alone was more enough, not on my watch! And this creature can be very handy in our quest, I says. You won’t understand this with your grunt's brains though. We can use ANY help we can get and in combat we have ya and Kefto, and my own sword is in your disposal... Lay down, woman, I know ya can fight as well, but we can get lost ourselves without ya here. "
" So.. We should call ya somehow. If ya can't fight, because of this program, that ya made the oath to - then maybe ya can protect humans? Ya seem like a tough lad.", the captain glanced at FG-11 curiously.
(Just joking)
No no! You play your character just the way you want it! It was just funny to see the sudden change, or at least it was the first time I noticed it
*Lagrord turns a slight shade of purple at Garta's *ahem* complement*
FG-11, unsure if he is still accepted in the group, shuffles uneasily from foot to giant, heavy foot. His face alternates from sad to fearful.
"So.. not much suggestions for which route to take here, luckily for you I already have a masterplan." Colden "clumsily" drops his axe by mistake (axe head to the left; mountains, to the right; north). Its axe head lands to the right.
"Ahem, as I am have planned all along, we should head north. Garta says that's the way the orcs came and better an enemy we know than enemies unknown. She also says the mountain range may hold many kinds of monsters and she still has that broken leg and refuses to be carried by our golem. Lagrord may be needed for more things than to act as a fleshy crutch, hehe.. " Colden chuckles at his own wittyness and throws a glance at Lagrord knowing full well the laddie would want nothing more than to be close to the beautiful barbarian woman.
"Pack your things, we leave at once. I don't want these barbarians rushing our attacking us in our backs now that we are outside their sacred area and no longer under its protection. Nareth, you take point. You're the best one to lead us on with Garta's input."
"Eff'gee, my dear cook. Hold this for me, please. " Colden hands the golem his backpack and starts walking in the direction north without any plans of taking back that backpack for a while. Aah.. walking is so much more pleasureable without the discomfort of a heavy backpack!
1. Along the spine of the mountain range. Harder terrain for sure, maybe less baddies, according to Garta.
2. Into the lowlands at the base of the mountain range. Easier terrain for sure, maybe more baddies, according to Garta.
Jirt seems to think there will be more orcs in the lowlands, which stands to reason as they just invaded the pass to the north, but he’s not concerned by it and would prefer the easier terrain route. Kefto and FG-11 have not expressed their opinions.
It’s a matter of choosing which danger you prefer, according to what Garta has said. (Again, she might be wrong,.. muahahahahahaha!!) Do you want to face harsh terrain and less water/food and fiercer weather, or do you want to fight more baddies with easier terrain and easier foraging and less severe weather?
This is what you have gathered from Garta’s opinion. As no one can tell the future except for me, it may be sunshine and daisies all the way to the end of the story, for all you know, no matter what route you take!
Or will it...?
Sorry if I wasn’t so clear.
So according to Colden, he's already started walking towards the lowlands. Well, if he's walking in the right direction that is, hehe..