[Bob] Dwarves own horses and that sort of thing. They use them to pull mine carts and wagons, like nature intended. Heck, according to my character sheet, Barik owns one -- but he didn't carry it up the cliff, because that might have modified the DC a little. :) I reckon she's happily stabled somewhere in Argunn Lode, and Barik's even ridden on her before. Of course, he's kind of a citified dwarf -- the fellas uphill a bit wouldn't dream of getting up on one of those things.

Barik was unconscious for most of the night during the rock-dragging thing -- that's kinda like sleep. :)

But yes, if the choice is jogging along for half an hour or getting on a horse for about the same amount of time, then Barik's happy with the morning run, thanks.

[Barik talking] "Good guardsmen, I am Barik of the clan Argunn Lode, and this is Grell, warrior-priest of Pelor. The good Captain Kray indicated that he would accept my services as a guide, as I am well-traveled in these mountains of my homeland. Captain Kray also values the counsel of this mighty warrior-priest, who has valiantly fought the orcs and ogres of this region many times. We would greatly appreciate it if you might send word to whoever you deem appropriate that we would like to offer what help we may at the head of the vanguard."
posted by Scholeologist at 11/08/2003 03:28:00 PM

[Bob] Yeah, I read about your adjustment of skills from trained only/untrained only to trained only/ridiculously difficult if untrained, and I think you also said that swim became a trained only skill. Leaving my thoughts about such a decision aside, I thought at character creation that I better get myself some Ride, since that's all the party seemed to be doing. But I just couldn't justify it or Swim in the range of my character, and it's not like skill points grow on trees -- someone needed to know the geography, and as you saw, I needed a truckload in Climb. So character-building took precedence over munchkining.

As far as the getting to the head of the caravan, I looked up in the PH on overland movement, and noted that carts and wagons go the same speed I do (20 ft/round = 2mi/hr). Possibly a caravan would go even slower, but I didn't assume that. But hustling, one goes twice as fast, so I figured that if the head of the caravan is 20 minutes ahead of us, and I jog along twice as fast, we'll catch up in twenty minutes. This means that if we suddenly break off from the caravan and hare off after something, as seems to happen often, I'll only be able to hustle then for 40 minutes before getting fatigued (running is a different situation, because my Endurance helps.)

Assuming that Barik's chat didn't demonstrate that he planned to hustle (as I intended), does this new information make the scenario of Barik jogging alongside Grell and his horse a 20 minute exercise, instead of a 2 hour one? If not, then like I said, I'll try out one of these "horse" thingies. Unless it's been changed, typical riding doesn't require any checks, so any discussion of how bumpy the ride is is just game color anyway.
posted by Scholeologist at 11/08/2003 10:37:00 AM

[To Sandarkar] "I, ah, will consider your riddles, but at the moment no "valley of shadow" springs to mind. I hope your other business concludes quickly and satisfactorily. As for leaving the caravan, I don't know where we would be heading -- but I am keen on seeing the site of the ambush for myself, and perhaps finding out what my comrades have been investigating. If you seek clues to the enemy's whereabouts, they might be there."

[To Grell] "Excellent, good priest. I am pleased to travel with you. If you would care to, I would like to hear of some of your expeditions among the hills and mountains of this region.

[To Grell and Bishop] "We better trot lively to catch up with the lead, then. I suppose they are not going faster than the rest of the wagon train? If so, then we can catch up in a bit."

Assuming that Bishop doesn't say the vanguard is going faster than wagon-speed, I'll hustle along, so we should reach the head of the caravan in another twenty minutes or so. If they're going faster than that, I'll have to see about getting a horse. :(
posted by Scholeologist at 11/07/2003 07:46:00 AM

[Bob's endlessly chattering TB] I would think that copying spells on horseback would suck. I can't even write legibly in a car, unless it's on a very smooth highway.

Uh, Barik's got 30 gold and 20 silver, will that get him a healing potion? :) And did Barik manage to get in touch with Ulfgar? How'd he do with the locals?

[Barik] I smile wryly back. "You should think nothing of it. After all, I should not fault you, for it seems to me your plight is no fault of your own. In any case, your humble apology is gratefully accepted." To the group as a whole: "If I may ask, are you traveling with the caravan today? I was thinking I might leave with the head of the caravan, so that if something along the path looks askew, I can inform the vanguard."
posted by Scholeologist at 11/06/2003 09:22:00 AM

_I'm_ not offended, I just wanted to make sure everyone else was cool. Well, if it's beat on the dwarf month, I'd just as soon come back after that was over. :) And, you know, ain't nothing wrong with looking into the deeper issues that the characters run into, and like that.

In response to John's tb: if you haven't read it already, you should really check out Full Frontal Nerdity. They're all good, but this one is particularly appropriate. (Credit goes to David Chan for finding this marvelous comic and letting me know about it.)

[Bob's TB to Sandy] Healing potions! Healing potions, you fool! What do you think that "where my light shines not" stuff is all about? Grell's going to be a fighter, not a cleric. Do _you_ have any healing spells, because I sure don't. Oh wait, just read Scott's post -- never mind. :)

[Bob's TB, or "Point of Information" from the Club MUN days] Where is everybody? We were all in the church, and Grell left and Drusilla went after him. Then Barik chatted with LJ and Bishop while Sandarkar chatted with Kray and Kevlor. Sandarkar's assuming that Grell and Drusilla are still outside, but Drusilla went off for an hour to memorize spells. Did Sandarkar's conversation last that long? I assumed he would run into me first, but he didn't. Oh, and why does everyone want to stay with the caravan? Do you have a particular place in mind where we might branch off, or are you just waiting for some event to happen? Are you thinking we'll get to the site of the lightning-strike wagon-train raid, and try to track or something from there?

[Barik's actions] If I'm standing around in an essentially empty church, I head out and go to the temple of Moradin, and do like my email said. If there's some NPCs lying around the church, I tell them where I can be found before I leave. Depending on how people are disposed, the gang might see me leaving the church; if not, they'll have to catch up with me somehow, or maybe we'll run into each other as the caravan sets off. If it comes to that, I'll go to the head of the caravan and look around to offer my services to the most accessible solderly person around -- someone I know if they're available, but I'm not going to barge up to Kray if he's surrounded by people. If Little John's around, or perhaps retroactively in my conversation with him, I should offer the idea of either Ulfgar or me going with his advance teams, and the other one going with the caravan.

Oh, and at the temple of Moradin, I'll delicately see about some more healing potions, although that was quite a token of thanks. :) I seemed to go through the two I had before pretty fast. I don't have much money, but maybe I can promise them something in the future, or offer a service? I wouldn't mind running across some more magic arrows, for that matter, but I can't imagine where I'd be able to finagle them without coin.

Kevlor's parting words were so poetic, that I have to try to reply, in Common: "And may Pelor's light shine full upon your face all your days, and full upon your spirit all your days and thereafter, High Priest Kevlor."
posted by Scholeologist at 11/05/2003 06:52:00 PM

[Bob's TB disrupted by irrepressible giggling]
posted by Scholeologist at 11/05/2003 10:20:00 AM

[Bob's TB]: Aaron is the cleverest portrayer of the "I'm not a racist -- that damn dirty dwarf's the racist!" mentality I've seen in quite a while. I also feel compelled to defend my dwarf, since clearly several characters are of the opinion that "he started it," and while the characters can feel whatever they want, I don't want to offend or annoy any actual players. Previously, people's characters have been pretty rough on each other and no one felt compelled to break out and say "just so you know, I the player don't mean to insult you the player, it's all in-game stuff," so maybe I'm just overly worrisome, in which case you can ignore this post until the dwarf starts talking again. Or maybe I'm far more accepting of the sort of silent racism that pervades the real world, in which case, feel free to demonstrate to me the error of my ways.

Barik walked into a room and saw the two bigwigs he wanted to see, followed by a surly half-orc in black. Indeed, someone who looks identical to a pretty serious bad guy in these parts, who (for all any of you know) Barik may have tangled with or heard of. It is certainly the case that he is not the first orc or half-orc in essentially the same costume that Barik has seen, and all the previous ones tried to kill him. Grell being grumpy about being defrocked and shamed in this manner, I can understand, but seeing as Sandarkar was keen on him walking around dressed this way to see if he would elicit a reaction from the OIB's allies, I don't see why anyone's surprised that he gets a reaction from the OIB's foes.

Indeed, what reaction did Barik have? Seeing that there was someone that apparently has been talking to the High Priest, but doesn't look like one of his disciples, Barik called him a "visitor," which is indeed how Barik would refer to himself in the same situation, and until everyone in the party started talking like they owned the place, what he would have assumed Drusilla and Sandarkar were too. And then he called him an "emissary," which again is what Barik considers himself, and which it plainly stuns me anyone could take as a racist epithet. I was seriously considering having Barik suddenly mortified at what he assumed was a horrendous gaffe on his part, in that he thought "emissary" meant someone sent or representative, but he must have made a mistake in his broken Common and that it actually must mean something much more offensive, for everyone to fly off the handle like that. I thought that Barik was pretty careful to "watch [his] words when speaking around people [he knew] nothing about."

I assume that the way this was taken poorly was that everyone assumed that Barik meant specifically that because Grell's a half-orc, he must be an emissary from the big bad orcs that live up in the mountains, and isn't that horrible stereotyping on Barik's part. In fact, Barik simply didn't know where Grell was from or what he was doing there, and didn't want to relate this particular business in front of someone he didn't have any knowledge about. Not entirely unlike the fact that no one told Barik who in the Duke's family actually _is_ in the caravan -- even though no one seriously thinks he's likely to blab: he simply doesn't need to know, so why take the chance?

Summary: "visitor, emissary"; "uncultured oaf, feeble minded". This is "similarly racist"?

Unrelated to the previous, has Jacob tried to retcon away the whole "Argunn - Argune" thing?

[Barik, after telling Bob to shut up, he's going on too long] (I imagine that Kray and Kevlor essentially say their pieces and leave. I'm a little confused, since one told me to go with Sandarkar, and the other one told me to go with Grell, but I don't say anything. If these two missions overlap, a very little voice suggests that along with these two, I may have a certain half-elf as a traveling companion...If there's time before Kevlor and Kray leave, I respond with some diplomatic words of thanks, like:)
"Good Captain, I will be happy to show you the hospitality of Argunn Lode two days hence. I do speak for my people when I say that the dwarves of Argunn Lode give you the thanks of their hearts for your aid in rooting out the source of the darkness that has fallen upon this land. Should the day come in my lifetime when my people can aid yours in return, I shall ring the ears of our warriors, that they will know that we fight because of the wisdom and generosity of Captain Kray."

[In Dwarven]"You do me the honor of speaking in the tongue of my fathers. I would be remiss if I did not honor your tongue as well." Continuing in Common, "The Priests of Pelor have always been friends to the dwarves, and have been great allies in the fight against the wreakers of havoc in the hills and mountains. I shall do what I can to be a good ally to the Priesthood."

"So, Master Sandarkar, do you have any plans or arrangements for the trip northward you need to make? Perhaps I can help in some way?"
posted by Scholeologist at 11/05/2003 08:01:00 AM

Wouldn't it be a Badger Belt? Then again, I have been seen recently with a rope climbing an interminable, vertical wall with my loyal chum...

The Midnight Badger From the Ninth Circle of Hades is his superhero name. His secret identity is Spade, mild-mannered badger. Why people haven't connected the two isn't clear -- maybe it's the glasses. :)
posted by Scholeologist at 11/04/2003 06:55:00 AM

[Bob's TB] As for how and where and with whom I'm travelling, clearly others are planning to offer me suggestions...

Also, a while ago Scott suggested giving a description of our characters, but in all the hullabaloo, you might have missed it. If it's been so long you've forgotten my picture, here it is:

Barik

Attribution info: Artist -- George Vrbanic. Website -- the wizards.com D&D website, PC portraits section.

Barik is a trifle tall for a typical dwarf, only an inch or two shy of four and half feet tall. He is broad but athletic, weighing about 180 pounds. His skin color and eye folds look a trifle Asian, like all dwarves, but his eyes are a flinty gray-blue (most dwarves have nearly black eyes). (Of course, I mean what we would consider Asian -- I have no idea if there's an Orient in wherever the characters are.) His beard is relatively simple for a dwarf, without braids or ornaments (though it's a little longer than in the picture). His hair is white. In part, this premature color change makes him look older than he is, but he is old: at 85 years, he was nearly an adult before all the other characters (except some of his dwarf comrades, and the High Priest Kevlor) were born. He is not as gruff or haughty as some dwarves, though he can be taciturn (when he's not orating at great length in an attempt to be diplomatic). He is not uncouth, but neither is he a natural leader -- although perhaps he has some potential among other dwarves. He is rarely enraged, but swears often. His curses are not usually offensive, but his language is nonetheless more colorful than the average dwarf. (Incidentally, `flark!' and mining references like `shale and gneiss!' are curses in Dwarven, kind of like `Egads!' or `shiver me timbers'.) He is not afraid to speak his mind, but he is used to his opinions falling on deaf ears.

He wears a chain shirt of excellent quality, but this is much lighter armor than typical dwarf warriors wear. He does not wear a shield, even when fully armed (which you haven't seen him yet, since he was in the church.) When fully outfitted, he carries a finely crafted recurved shortbow, a throwing axe, and a beautifully wrought dwarven waraxe, with a handle of carefully wrapped leather (with the raw surface outwards) and indecipherable runes on the haft. In addition to the usual adventurer's backpack, he has a number of significant pouches and sacks along his wide belt and along a strap across his chest, as well as a coil of fine rope fitted with a grappling hook. Sometimes, one of these sacks or his backpack is occupied by a charming, fiercely loyal, but deceptively normal-looking badger, who Barik regularly talks to in Dwarven.

posted by Scholeologist at 11/03/2003 05:23:00 PM

[Bob's TBs:] So, uh, I take it that Grell ended up taking the Raging Hormones feat he was talking about earlier? Also, "Respect is a two way street..." Grell must have got these crazy ideas from growing up with anarchic orcs. I mean, what next, suggesting the Duke should be chosen in some sort of election or something, instead of on the basis of inbreeding as the gods intended?

Also, I think Grell and Dru had a late-night drunken romp after she brushed off Little John, and their newfound attachment (and lack of sleep) has caused all this defensiveness and posturing. Picture Dru kinda hanging on Grell when she made the "uncultured oaf" comment, and it all falls into place. Barik, on the other hand, has no such theory, and doesn't know _what_ is going on with these weird people and their soap opera.

[Barik:] "Regarding the geography of the area between here and Argunn Lode, it is very unlikely that a well-guarded caravan with experienced scouts and night watchmen, such as yours, will be significantly troubled in the two days from Argunn Lode. There are certainly ambush points along the way, but such ambushes rely on stealth, and orc war-bands of significant size, especially if accompanied by ogres, are usually sorely lacking in stealth.

"And they would need improbably large numbers to be willing to outright attack 250 of the Duke's warriors, even in favorable terrain. My father, Ulrik son of Kronos, has a rule of thumb: `some dwarves are worth more than a score of orcs in battle, and some aren't worth two. The orcs don't know which is which and can't count too high anyway, so they reckon five orcs to each dwarf is even enough odds for them.' Similarly, it would take a thousand or more orcs and ogres to have the courage to face the caravan. It's possible that the enemy is that strong, but I would be very surprised.

The caravan may be harrassed at night on occasion from a distance, and straggling wagons would do well to keep up with the main train. But I don't think you'd receive any more trouble than that. Even that much difficulty is more likely farther north than here, but these are uncertain times.

Certainly, I and my comrade in arms, would strive to offer what help we could regarding scouting, guarding, and providing information about the route and possible choke-points. Should any other dwarves of my town become available, either here or on the way, I would expect the same of them also.

Incidentally, if the outposts were manned, ambushes even on less well-defended wagon trains would be much more difficult, as would any sort of large troop movements near the road."
posted by Scholeologist at 11/02/2003 02:33:00 PM