"I have a number of tools at my disposal that will hopefully allow us to bring your quarry back alive, Kesten. Well, as long as the others don't get overly zealous… " I add with a slight grin. "You are interested in joining us once we locate the Stag Lord's stronghold? I would be honored to fight by your side."
Oleg records Zork's payment, stating "Excellent! Not to be impersonal, I'm saying this as both a creditor and a friend; please stay safe out there."
Kesten replies, "I'll start sharpening my weapons and polishing my armor then. But do you think you can find the hideout before the town's mages? They have a vested interest in not paying any mercenary groups or bounty hunters."
Oleg looks at the statue sheepishly, not handling it. "It's got a few nicks and scratches, but I think 85 gold is an accurate price. We do get some jade coming through this region, I might be able to sell it on to a more remote area."
Out of Character: You stole the words out of my mouth, Diarmadhim. Any places to stop at as you head south? Perhaps Bokken's hut? The broken bridge? The other broken bridge? All the numbers have corresponding labels on my GM character sheet.
Which hexagon will you be going to first?
Edited: iCon on 19th Apr, 2016 - 12:41pm
"I do not really see a point of visiting Bokken's hut just yet, considering we don't have fangberries for him." Looking to Zork and Theaton I ask, "Did either of you gentlemen happen to see fangberries in your previous explorations? Were there any areas where something seemed off or odd that you would like to revisit? Given the time, I would prefer to just retrace all of the steps taken and look in more detail. Also, Kesten has said that the town's mages are seeking to divine the location of the Stag Lords fort. Another option would be for us to travel straight to the area we suspect it to be located in and put an end to his banditry."
Out of Character: Is the map fully up to date ICon? If not, I'd suggest we explore those areas to the south that haven't been explored. I don't recall if there are any unsolved cases that they told us about when Mykael and I first joined up. I don't think there were any specifics, but I can't remember if they just glossed over it a la "We fill them in" or something of the sort.
"If we follow the river south it will open up into a lake. Along that lake is a old fort. That is the bandit hide out. I have a pair of eyes on it even now watching it to see how many people are moving in and out. We get close to the lake I can talk to my spy and see what she has to say. Zork has met her. Remember the water sprite we helped plant trees for? IF Kesten is wanting to go get him now we can head that way and see what we are dealing with. I do not remember seeing any berries yet."
Kesten perks up, "So you know where it is? If you are going straight there can I come along can I take a cut of the gold and glory?"
Out of Character: The map is up to date; the star is where the Thylacine was, after which you went to the temple and then Oleg's. I don't think there was any unfinished business. Theaton retreated from the mites in the Sycamore tree, but he completed his task.
Let's put it to a vote to speed the decision up. You can explore, head to a location (Please specify), scout the fort or blatantly attack. Also you can combine these actions in your preferred order. I will vote as Kesten in the case of ties, but you can disregard his vote in character, naturally.
Edited: iCon on 20th Apr, 2016 - 10:44am
Looking to Theaton, I inquire, "Are the mites a threat? I fear I have no knowledge of them." Turning to address everyone else, I state, "Scouting the fort is probably the wisest course of action. With my spells and Caelum's ability to be stealthy and perceptiveness, that should not be much of a problem."
In Character: Zork replies to Oleg, "No problem… "
To Kesten he thanks her sincerely for sharpening his weapons but fails to answer her question claiming to not know.
To Archival he scratches his head and says he cannot remember. He looks at Theaton to see if he remembers.
To Theaton, he shakes his head in confirmation about the curious being they encountered.
Concerning the direction the party should go Zork is positive to go either way and shows no direct preference although simply exploring did not particularly seem appealing to him.
"I'm all for making our way to the fort and developing some plan of attack" Mykael says "We need to burn this cancer from the region. And I think it best to scout it out and formulate a plan rather than just charging in."