Words of the Raven - Northward

[Eclecticon]

Wow, you two can read this guy like a book!  Grimbeorn and Hathcyn both have two bonus dice to use in the upcoming talks.

for Grimbeorn's great success. 

[Eclecticon]

Sorry, I should perhaps allow you to back up, if you want to.  If you would prefer to do something other than approach the hill fort, let me know and I'll retcon the earlier posts.

[Telcontar]

  i must have missed something somewhere with a hasty read, but I'm tracking now. This one is going to be thorny. Grimbeorn stinks of ransom money and Hathcyn is about one solid blow away from ending up a gongfarmer in chains.

[Telcontar]

  paul, will you give me some more information about this place. Is it a trade center, does it have a slave market, is it a frontier burgh in which things are collected and sent further into the interior?

[Eclecticon]

First and foremost, the place is really rough-looking.  Where Beorn's House is obviously the hall of someone who enjoys watching things grow and be fruitful, and most Beorning steadings are built with some thought to being pleasant places to spend long winter nights sharing food and song, Fystenheorth is clearly built to be defended.  There's no sign that there's space inside for a market, and there's only one path going to and from the gate.  There's no display of wealth such as you might expect from a trading centre, no matter how mean or small.  There's smoke wafting upwards from somewhere inside, but otherwise there's barely any sign that it's even inhabited. 

As part of your Insight roll, I'll give you this: This is the home of someone who wants you to fear them, either because they're insecure in their domination of the area or because they genuinely don't understand any other way to relate to their neighbours. 

[Telcontar]

Is this a place that people would come to to buy slaves? Or any other type of bussiness?

[Eclecticon]

Potentially - let's see how much Hathcyn and Grimbeorn know:

TN 14 Lore
Grimbeorn

1d12 : 9, total 9
Rolled 2d6 : 6, 1, total 7

Hathcyn

1d12 : 5, total 5

[Eclecticon]

Okay, Hathcyn has no clue.  Grimbeorn, however, knows that the wealthier of Viglund's followers come to trade for thralls from their overlord from time to time, though they will all probably be known by sight by the inhabitants of Fystenheorth.  Other Men have also been selling truly unfortunate people to the orcs of Mount Gundabad. 

As Loremaster, I should remind you also that intentional deception is a Misdeed.  You could trick your way in with some good Riddle rolls if you just wanted to let them assume that you were here to buy slaves - but you'd need to RP that out a bit to explain how you were going about it. 

[Telcontar]

  man, frodo and sam really didnt need the hassel of another shadow point when they dressed as orcs....

Talk about insult to injury.

[Telcontar]

  matt, what do you think? i have little to no plan at this point. If they figure out who you are we are hosed.

[Eclecticon]

Remember also that they probably aren't going to recognise Grimbeorn by sight (except for a poor farming family miles to the north).  He's reasonably famous in the area, but it's not like there are pictures of him circulating. 

[Telcontar]

Yeah well the full on deception angle isnt an option either.

[Eclecticon]

That's just one option.  You could also try to brazen it out - 'I'm here on the business of the Lord of the Beornings, and I'll talk to the organ grinder, not the monkey' as it were.  That'd just be a straight up Awe roll, though at a slight penalty because you're not actually introducing yourselves. 

[GandalfOfBorg]

The ride had cooled Grimbeorn's temper only slightly but the ordeal had worn out him and his companion. He had no desire to bandying words with this person. "We have come a long distance to speak with the master of this place.  You will take us to him now."


 

Awe -  1d12 : 12, total 12
Rolled 3d6 : 6, 5, 5, total 16

[Eclecticon]

Matt, back in style!