The Shadow of Esgaroth

[Telcontar]

The company finished their morning repast and followed Grimbeorn towards the council hall. The wooden plank streets were coated in a hoary frost that was disturbed only by fire ash and lake sand to aid in footing. The activity and will of the party filled them with inner warmth and caused them to shirk the morning air. So almost unnoticed they came head long towards the party of the Master of Lake Town.

"Hail Master of the Lake" spoke Gimbeorn too loud for the hour.

The party stopped and some among them gripped their swords before the party saw clearly the tall form of the scion of the Beornings.

"Hail Wolfslayer, you find me out of doors in the frost of morning when I thought to find you among the council in better surroundings."

Hathcyn spoke next, "Lord, better and warmer places are sure at hand. But evil has been done here, and the peoples of men have been blamed for it. The men west of the wood are accused of doing and the men of the lake accused for allowing. Neither of these claims are true."

Grimbeorn waved his hand and the man fell silent.

"I ask your warrant for my people to seek out the cause of last night's troubles."

"Is this a topic for the early morning and the open street?"

"No Master of the Lake, but the council tires me, and much speech is made on easy issues. My companions, who are known to you, only seek to solve this issue, and if found accuse those who are guilty. Will you give them your warrant to search and follow the trail where it may go within the confines of the town?"
 

[Eclecticon]

"My warrant," the master merchant responds, "may not be... er... in this case, entirely... er... mine to give." 

Looking flustered, the Master waves his entourage along, and the small procession begins to move down the street again.  "Come, come!" he calls.  At the Town Hall, he surprises the assembled dignitaries by proceeding straight past them to the small council chamber, saying "a moment only, my lords, and then the business of the day may begin!" 

Once the door is shut and only the Fellowship and a handful of guards remain in his company, the Master lets the carefully-maintained mien of confidence and optimism fall.  "You know not all that you ask of me," he says. "I have given my word to those who have come for the Council, and others who are yet to speak, that I will keep certain secrets to myself.  I cannot grant you what you ask until I am satisfied that I shall suffer no dishonour by doing so, for who will come to trade in the market pool if it is known that the Master of the Town is an oathbreaker?"


Right!  We're into an Encounter here.  No need for introduction rolls as he's already wildly aware who you are, but I'll do Insight rolls:

Arbogast

1d12 : 9, total 9
Rolled 2d6 : 4, 1, total 5

Esgalwen

1d12 : 8, total 8
Rolled 2d6 : 5, 1, total 6

Grimbeorn

1d12 : 4, total 4
Rolled 3d6 : 2, 2, 4, total 8

Hathcyn

1d12 : 6, total 6
Rolled 3d6 : 5, 5, 4, total 14

Laeral

1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 2d6 : 4, 6, total 10

[Telcontar]

  and this is where the party learns about the rules of acquisition....

[Eclecticon]

That's a bonus for for everyone except Grimbeorn and Laeral (who gets two). 

[Telcontar]

  after that introduction I am also tapping my Wary trait.

[GandalfOfBorg]

"Master... I fail to see how giving us leave to seek out those that brought minions of the Darkness to your town would lead you to be an oathbreaker?  If anything, not allowing the investigation could cover up those who do harm to those in your charge and those that came for the Council. It may even encourage further attacks."  Grimbeorn is truly bewildered with the reticence and genuinely wants to understand. The man before him is not made of the same stuff as the one that abandoned his folk following the fall of the dragon, he was for all he could tell a decent man.

[Eclecticon]

Righto - given that you're asking probing questions to try to understand his motivations, I'll treat this as another Insight roll:

1d12 : 1, total 1
Rolled 3d6 : 6, 5, 5, total 16

[Eclecticon]

A nice Great success (I've noted the AP and updated the sheet in Dropbox), and two successes to your running total for the Encounter. 

Results to follow - I have to go and cook dinner in a minute. 

[Eclecticon]

Though he would never judge himself a cunning crafter of words, Grimbeorn has come to be a wise judge of the minds of Men.  Through tiny signs that others would miss, he sees many things about the Master: anxiety that he might be seen as a poor host by the great and mighty, weariness from efforts already expended and the thought of more to come, trepidation at the thought of breaking a promise made to some personage of note... and beneath it all, a great curiosity - a desire to know some secret thing. 

Someone here has charged him to conceal something significant, the son of Beorn realises.  Something so significant that the Master has no idea what it may be, save that it is something precious.

[Eclecticon]

"Master," Arbogast says, offering a short bow, "we see the responsibilities you bear, and the plight in which they place you.  We come before you bearing similar burdens: Grimbeorn as the speaker for his folk, Hathcyn as his sworm hearth-man, Esgalwen as a guardian of her lord and lady."  He diplomatically leaves the uncertain positions of himself and Laeral unspoken. 

"Each of us has pledged a troth to lords or kin far from here, to serve their cause in the Council and its surrounding business.  But such a pledge need not be held to above good sense!  All who have ever spoken on another's behalf know that they best do so when they may forgo some valuable thing in return for something greater, and what could be greater for the interests of Lake-Town than peace in the North, and goodwill between the Free Peoples?"


Arbogast is going to try some Persuading, seeing as nobody else is piping up. 

1d12 : 7, total 7
Rolled 4d6 : 1, 4, 2, 6, total 13

[Eclecticon]

That's another two successes (and no failures so far). 

[Eclecticon]

"You speak sense," the Master says, and from the slight change in his demeanour it is plain to all that the instincts of the old merchant have taken over as he weighs one obligation against another in his mind.  "And were it any less fearful personage that I might offend, I might consider it worth the risk.  But alas!  I have heard of your efforts at the Toll House, and thank you for them, but you ask me to break an oath I have given to a wizard, and I would not draw the wrath of such upon my home for all the silver in the North! 


The opportunity is still there for anyone else who wants to speak up.  Also, I've finally given the Master a face. 

[tomcat]

With mention of a wizard, Esgalwen steps forward to if not contest the man's decision, as least sway it towards another.

"Wizard you say? What wizard and why might he demand an oath of you? We know of two - Radagast the Brown who resides in the Anduin Vale and Gandalf the Gray, who surely is familiar to you. Both of these wise men we hold as patrons, and both have served the folk of the wood for as long as I am aware.

"Are either of these two names the wizard that you mention? If so, then I can assure you that neither would take offense in our request. In fact, it was Gandalf that approached us prior to the onset of the Council to ask for our diligence during this time."

The Ranger did not wait for the man to reply, "If it is some other wizard that you speak, then he is a stranger to us - for I know of no other, save the tribal shamans that guide the Men of the Vale." There was one last name known to Esgalwen that she remembered from her younger days, of a wizard that had taken residence in the south, in an old Gondorian edifice called Isengard - but his name escaped her at the moment.

It was here that Esgalwen decided to apply a little pressure, as was her wont due to her own oaths made. "Master, please understand that our pursuits are for the benefit of all, but primarily for my liege-lord, King Bard. My sword has been sworn to him and his lady, and I will not see any possible threat unheeded. Your approval of our investigation is most appreciated, but I will see to the defense of my Lord... just as the Elves will see to the defense and safety of their own. I hope you will not stand between us."

[tomcat]

My Persuade roll - or maybe even an Awe roll to intimidate? Read it as you will, but both skills are the same. I will include my Advantage die at need...

TN -- Awe or Persuade 3d

1d12 : 12, total 12
Rolled 3d6 : 6, 1, 2, total 9

 

[tomcat]

Well that is purdy! A success! Maybe?

What I do marvel at is that we have been in this Adventuring Phase since last year and this is the first damned test I have rolled that merits any kind of AP.