Borderlands II - This is the OLD game thread

[BryantTheSwordsman]

Brusen has no other engagements

[Stik]

The meeting and dinner concluded, the group heads off to their various lodgings.

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Bastian is preparing to settle in for the night in the small cell the temple priests have allowed him when he is interrupted by Sorteco, Luminus (priest of Pelorus) and ranking priest of the temple. "I am told you go to face the undead. Undead are serious business. Treat them as such. And take this with you." He hands Bastian a small velvet bag with light seeping through the fabric. When Bastian loosens the drawstring, the glow shoots out, fully bathing the room in a day bright glow when he dumps the object in the bag out into his palm. It is a silver coin.
"This will light your way."

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Angel, Papa and Brusen make their way back to Trotter's Inn and to their own rooms - Angel and Papa to rooms above the taproom, and Brusen to a dwarf-friendly room beneath the kitchen.

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Elias finds himself a comfortable spot in the grove at the edge of the town common, and settles himself on a fallen tree. He gazes off into the middle distance and lets himself slip into meditation.

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At the appointed time the party finds its way to Herg's Livery Stable. Fraso's wagon is there. It is a low-sided model more suited for use in town than on the trail, but Herg's men have fitted it with larger wheels, and a tall wood and cloth cover, giving it an odd look. The wagon is heavily laden with supplies, including several cages of live chickens and several large trunks. Fraso's manservant is stacking bags of feed as the party arrives.

Herg mutters quietly: "Wagon's overloaded, Hiric. You'd best hope for good roads and good weather between here and there. Otherwise, the wagon may fall apart even if you don't get stuck."
"Wagon'll be fine Herg. And the load will get lighter as we go.

Fraso arrives late, long after the wagon has been loaded. He carries a small valise and a walking staff while his maidservant trudges along behind him, struggling with a bag across her back and another in her hands. Fraso approaches Hiric and hands him the valise: "Everything in order? Good. Let us be on our way, then."

He stops at the side of the wagon and struggles briefly to climb aboard - the new wheels have made the wagon nearly a foot taller than usual, and nobody thought to add a step - but soon settles himself onto a cushion on the driver's bench.

Hiric ignores his master's struggles and, out if sight tosses the valise aboard before going to help the young woman with her burdens. The woman climbs aboard the tail of the wagon, and turns her attention to making herself a comfortable perch amid the bundles while Hiric finds his spot on the driver's bench.
The team of four mules respond to a slap of the reins and begin to walk sedately forward.

[Frivolous]

Papa exits his room in banded mail, helmet, and shield. His short sword hangs at his belt, and he carries a great many items on his back.

Papa inspects the wagon before it goes off. He nods to himself at seeing the chickens, seeming unsurprised by the necromancer carrying livestock.

He nods companionably to Angel and to Brusen. The others he eyes with interest and guarded politeness. As the wagon moves out, he walks alongside it.

Edit: At least until they reach a highway and there is more certainty about which road or direction the wagon is going.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

From the entrance of the stable an aggravated voice can be heard; "Gertrude! Come ON! It is time to o a-questing!" Bastian slowly backs his way out of the stables, tugging on the end of a stout rope. Eventually the head and body of a laden mule emerges. Once in the day light, the mule seems to become entirely complacent and walks forward easily. The rope goes slack and Bastian tumbles to the ground in a heap.

"Blasted Mule....I'd get rid of you if you weren't so damn pretty!" Bastian's anger is immediately erased from his face and he laughs riotously at his own joke.

[Jenara]

Angel leaves her room later than the others. She checks the straps on her armor once time, and walks slowly to the stables. Her eyes light up in amusement at the sight of the wagon.

"Ok boy, time to go." she saddles up Praesul, her grey horse, his anxious demeanor vanishing as she mounts.

Angels rides quickly to the head of the small company. Checking her longsword on the way

[Stik]

[OOC] Seeing as nobody made any reference as to establishing a marching order, I'll do so. Don't worry - I wouldn't do this if there were an ambush in the near future.
Also - no mount for Papa? I mean, he can ride on the wagon if he chooses, but I'd have thought he'd want his own horse. [/OOC]

Angel takes her place at the head of the column. Later on today, it will become uncomfortably warm in her armor, but for now she enjoys the morning sun.

Elias rides ahead - so far ahead of the group that at times he cannot be seen due to the terrain.

Brusen, on his cob, takes the rearguard position, with Bastian nearby on his mule.

Papa, nearest to the wagon, is forced to make converation with their client. It's not that the man is a bad conversationalist, but just a boring one. His conversations tend toward one subject - well, two, really - the dead and the undead.

The trip out of town is easy - the road within the first few miles is smooth, well-maintained and almost paved. This condition prevails until the first or second branch in the road, after which it becomes slightly less well-maintained but still clearly an imperial road.

Afternoon finds you at a small roadhouse, situated where it is for no other reason than that it is half a day's travel from Diotua. When the wagon arrives, Elias is sitting under a tree drinking water and sharing a pear with his horse.

The roadhouse has a broad covered porch with a few tables and chairs on it. Only one table is occupied - by a well-dressed family whose their servants wait in the shade nearby.

Fraso steps down clumsily from the wagon and heads off to the privies, announcing a half-hour break as he leaves.

[Actions?]

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Bastian dismounts as gracefully as one can dismount from a cantankerous mule that continuously shuffles. Feet firmly on the ground, he stretches and ties his mule to a tree in the shade. After relieving himself on said tree, he wanders into the roadhouse to find out what sort of victuals are available.

[Frivolous]

[ooc] Papa does not believe in depending on horses. They die or get lost too easily. He can ride in the wagon if there is room, but he is always prepared to carry all his belongings himself. [/ooc]

Papa holds up his hand to prevent Fraso from entering the privies.

"Excuse me, sir, but wait here while I check the interior first. Someone could be in there with a knife waiting to ambush and rob anxious travelers."

He goes in, not yet drawing his sword, his hand on the holy symbol hanging from his neck. If he finds no one there looking dangerous or armed, he'll go back out and nod to Fraso.

[BryantTheSwordsman]

Brusen is having troubles with his stubborn short horse, but get the darn'd son of mule ready. He rides him casually up to Fraso's wagon.

"Elves always causing problems and making have to go encounter undead. Except of course for Angel who has saved me beard and Fraso who has hired my mace."

[Jenara]

Angel dismounts Praesul gracefully swinging off her horse in a single motion. Her hand goes to her sword hilt, which she doesn't draw.
papa has the privy covered, slipping into a familiar routine she covers the distance between the road house and the wagon.
She concentrates her gaze on the road house.

What can she see inside? How many people are in there? What are Fraso's servants doing?

[Stik]

Hiric, Fraso's manservant, sets about checking the mules, preparing feedbags for them and chasing away the two young grooms who rush out from the stable to do so. Salia climbs out of the rear of the wagon, stretching her back, then tries to help Hiric.

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The privies are, well, privies. Half a dozen outhouses in a row set to the right side of the roadhouse. Apart from flies, Papa finds all of them empty save one, the door of which is bolted. "Wait your turn!" comes a shout from inside. He motions Fraso to proceed, and takes a position outside.

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Angel eyes the open door to the roadhouse. The interior is clean and well-maintained, with a few people inside, none of whom look particularly dangerous from a distance, although the pair of dwarves at one table are both armored, and likely armed. A big curly-haired man sits at another table, barely visible from the doorway, his attention focused on his bowl of food.

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Bastian sweeps into the roadhouse. Two of the tables are occupied - one by a pair of dwarves drinking from foaming tankards, the other by a single heavyset human in a shabby brown robe with scorch marks on the front. A slim staff of wood so light in color that it looks painted and so well-polished that it gleams like glass, and capped with metal at each end, stands against the wall near to hand. He is eating bread and honey.

The bill of fare is posted on the wall. The food is simple, and meatpies and other easy-to-eat-while-riding items are favored.

In addition to a restaurant, the place serves as a general store for the type of items people on the road might need - dried food, blankets, rope, tarps, tools, etc.

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Fraso's cob, like the other horses, is content to stand off to the side until he sees the feedbags coming out, then begins to rumble, wanting to eat.

[Jenara]

Well, as the Manservants seem to have it covered, Papa is covering Fraso and seems to be ok.

Angel enters the Roadhouse, eying the Dwarves with interest she walks to the counter, hand clearly resting on her sword hilt, the pommel visible.

When someone notices her (ooc not that they can miss her /ooc) she raises her hand.
"Water please, and one of those meat pies, when you are ready."

With that she'll remove her cloak and sit at a the closest unoccupied table to the door, watching both the roadhouse and the road outside.

What is the man with the staff doing?

[Stik]

The boy at the counter serves up a meat pie and places a wooden cup on the counter next to it. "Copper for the meat pie. Water's free, but it's a copper for the cup." When Angel looks askance at him, he says: "We lose a lot of cups."

[Jenara]

"Understandable." She places two coppers from her pouch on the counter.

Is the food usual fare, poor but paltable?

Again, (lol) what is the man with the staff doing?

[Stik]

The food is...edible.

The man with the staff is sitting quietly and enjoying his meal - a loaf of bread, and honey in a bowl which he is sopping up with the bread, plus big cup of something, maybe beer.