He wondered if the drake he and his men got from Osir's hunt was worth anything at all -- asking nearby.
Cold drakes are not nearly as valuable as their more mature brethren, but there is still a market for the hide and bone amongst craftsmen. [3/2] You are able to find a local trader who, after butchering the beast, will offer you
15 crowns for the corpse. Most of the profit from this venture went straight to your and Osir's vassals as part of their looting rights.
Returning to Osport, Osir began by commending his men on a job well done, visiting the halls of the slain, and then ordering the smiths and leatherworkers to fashion Osir a set of drakehide armour. The whole set, awesome helmet included. I honestly don't care if the armour has no tangible stat boost, I just want it for the awesome.
The hide and bone from your kills will fetch you [3/2]
15 crowns on the market, but if you keep the body and have the craftsmen work it into a cover for your existing chainmail it will not cost you anything in addition (the craftsmen take any remaining drake parts as pay). This will not have a real advantage in battle over your existing mail, but it will look fantastic.
[Standard +1 Armour score.]The problem is that cold drakes do not have the same scales as fire drakes (a Haegar huntsman tells you he once found a cave full of glossy translucent scales where a cold drake had moulted during maturity) and so only a handful of the strongest scales will compare to good steel. If you had taken down a fire drake a true drakehide armour set would be viable, but there are limits to what the craftsmen can do. [5] Gerome Arondson in Stormstead, along with the master leatherworkers there, could fashion you a set of armour comparable to full steel plate using the drake parts, but it would cost you
85 crowns for their labour in addition to the drake corpses. It would hold to their usual masterful standard, backed up with additional steel for effect.
[+2 Armour Score, -1 to personal Stealth or Acrobatics/Agility checks.]Trent pushed Darnell back, and spoke "Get Tellard if he's still alive and make a run for it, get to the others and start running for the border, lose them in marshes if they follow and head back to Northwatch to tell them what we saw here. I will try to lead them north, go now this Hunt was not meant for you, forgive me for my foolishness." With that Trent jumped up and loosed an arrow from his bow, he needed to distract them till Darnell had gotten away then it was his task to flee.
Give Darnell my orders then attack the archers closing on us until Darnell has time to escape.
[5] Darnell ties a rope down the ramparts and shimmies down with ease and grace. [1] Your arrow misses wildly, striking the brass alarm gong. A dozen faces look to your position, [2] seeing the escaping rangers down the rope. [2] Four archers on different positions along the wall start firing at you. [6 vs 2] You run, firing arrows every few steps. One of the archers drops, [2] and you try to light one of the pitch-covered arrows but find it's bloody difficult to start a fire when you're under fire yourself. [4] The Haegar axemen below hang back away from the walls - someone is shouting for their bow.
The wind picks up overhead as arrows hurtle all around you, [4] and by sheer luck one of them misses your face by inches. [6] You huddle against the wall and start struggling with the tinderbox. Finally, the arrow catches light! You fire the arrow, but your aim is off and it strikes a tent directly beneath the wall you are standing on, [1] which is full of lamp oil. [4] You leap into the air as a gout of flame bursts up from the camp like a dragon's maw, landing roughly on the now flaming wall. [1] Haegar commanders scream in anger and panic, and your position is merrily visible to all by the roaring firelight. A dozen Haegar archers take aim, [3+3 vs 3] and arrows slice through your arms and legs, wounding you harshly.
[2] You scramble for the rope Darnell left, only to find it blocked by the inferno. [5] Against all odds, you see another way down - a rope ladder has been left next to the gate, presumably for emergencies. You run as fast as your freely bleeding limbs can carry you, [5+3 vs 4] taking an arrow just below your hip. You can feel blood flowing freely, but you don't think it's spurting the way an artery wound would. [1] Trying to let down the ladder, your injured leg gives way, sending you careening off the edge... [6] directly onto a returning Haegar huntsman, who breaks your fall. You think your other leg is broken, but the huntsman's back's been snapped by the impact.
[?] You try to stab him in the throat and run, but you can barely move. Pain begins to blot out your vision. You hear arrows whistle by overhead, and rough hands grab you by the body...
[5] You awake in a clearing, thick with fever, with Ardella and Darnell standing over you. [5] The screaming pain in your limbs tells you that the broken one has been set, and the arrows pulled out and sutured. You're going to come out of this with scars that will last you the rest of your life, and your left leg will always ache when it rains... but you're alive.
Tiakath: You hang back and watch the infiltration go horribly wrong, one of the rangers fall from the battlements and die, and the other shimmy down on a rope just before part of the camp burst into flames. The ranger captain fell onto a Haegar scout just as he was being riddled with arrows and rather than go back his rangers saved him and dragged him away north, to the forested parts of the wilds. [3] You weren't able to get a runic axehead or the like from the adventure, but you grille Darnell for information about the camp layout and retrieve the Haegar arrow from Trent's leg as proof of your work.
From here you have a choice; you can freely return home to Northwatch and maybe to the capital to collect your
50 crowns in earnings this season (thank goodness the new king hasn't set proper business taxes yet) with minimal further danger, or you can continue north and risk life and limb even further to go on a lunatic troll-chase with the man who probably saved your mission. In about two weeks, once he's recovered enough to travel.
"Then that is where I shall go."
Follow the directions given to me. write a letter to the Lord of Northwatch, and one for Aveline
Milord.
I have been 'delayed' by bandits known as the Black Arrows. They have taken everything. My mission to kill Ban Yi Soong will take a little longer than anticipated. is it possible to delay him for as long as possible?
Regards
Karas Sirenna
Dearest Aveline.
You may question why I am taking longer than usual. Bandits have Blackjacked* me and 'relieved me of my possessions'.
But fear not, for I still live. I hope to see you again.
-Karas
Your letters will naturally arrive (the one to Lord Renart only taking an hour for him to notice), but by the time Aveline receives her you are already well underway. [6] You discover that the village is indeed along the path given to you. You also discover that treachery runs in families. [2] Half a dozen [2] archers spring out of hiding, [6] led by a familiar character, at least.
"You have got to be kidding me. How gods-damned stupid are you, boy?"Action: The King questions Barran and his high ranking Bravos about the strange going-ons.
[6] The Bravos conduct a swift and thorough search and by the end of the night produce a shifty looking man in a worn brown coat with a ratlike moustache. Your steward reports that his name is Bran Brown and a notorious petty thief who has only escaped losing hands because to date he has always come up with money to pay a fine instead. He readily confesses to stealing various minor objects from the castle, [5] in a ragged voice and with the rather pathetic excuse that he needed to feed his family. The man has obviously been beaten to the point where the bruises are clearly visible where he has tried to hide them under his clothing and there are patches of blood staining the robes. [5] You interrogate him, asking him to list what he stole and though he mumbles 'silver' and 'pretty things', it is clear he actually has no idea what he is talking about. [3] The Bravos do not respond much to the interrogation, save to ensure the man makes no effort to escape. Bran does keep glancing at them, though.
Action: Investigate matters at the inn. Sahainn, as always, will help in the investigations.
[6 - 1] Bringing a large wolf to a small pub is not known for attracting friends, but it does do a good job of keeping away enemies. Nobody makes any overtly threatening gestures during your investigation, but everyone is a little more reticent because of it. [5-1] Intimidation has its advantages, so you speak softly and politely while a big worg growls equally softly at your back. The pub, the Rusty Spoon, is owned by the men who tried to chase you off earlier, one of whom is currently manning the bar. He has set the spiked publican's club on the table as a clear warning, but is presently just cleaning mugs. They have a sister/daughter/niece (or perhaps she has brothers, a father and an uncle) [3-1] who nobody is willing to talk about. [2] Sahainn growls and paces, but there isn't much room in the pub and her nose doesn't pick up on anything specific. [5] You catch sight of a cloak hung up behind the bar, tucked away in a corner, and recognise it as belonging to the woman you saw the night before, [?] but the publican ignores your questions regarding it. He seems eager for you to leave and take your worg with you.