"Surviving? I can drink to that. It's a tough world out there." I take a swig of the whiskey. "Speaking of the world, do you know much about this corner of it? I know I'm on the road connecting Anglefork and Speaker's Bridge, but I'm less sure about what's between them. I only stumbled on this cozy inn by chance."
Oh, this isn't the corner yet, not by a long shot, heh. That's more than three hundred miles north. This is still vaguely civilized. Though, the stoatman laughs, maybe a bit less so as of late. Maybe a lot less so. Depends on how much the gobshites have rebuilt after the pain train gave the countryside a once-over, you know what he's saying? Heh! You have a swig of the whisky as you listen - good stuff, actually, surprisingly so at that.
Also, what's a speaker's bridge, he asks, a little sleepy-eyed. Sounds, er... familiar? It's some 20 miles south, you elaborate. A town, you guess? Oh, he says! Oh, they must have changed the name. Honestly, not sure why! Was a pretty good name. King's Bridge! Could maybe do a sign for it, see, a sign like what you'd have for an inn. Just a big sign, stood up in front of town. And put the king on it, on a pole like the king would be (is he still, though?). Like a billboard, you suggest, having another sip. Yeah, he says, like a billboard. Would take a little wood, maybe some paint, he says and starts to doodle in a bit of sauce on one of his many plates, trailing off in a murmur.
"Well, can we, like, tie another rope around his arms and throw it over the rope? Then I can push him along while holding on to the main rope? Sure, let's do that."
Another rope, or a shirt, or something over the main rope, tied to his wrists, to secure him. Then push him along the rope to the other side while the guard and knight hold the rope on this side.
[Zipline Slingin': 6]
You have the rather clever idea of untying the rope from the tree, then raising it up a bit higher, asking the lads on the other side to be patient and ready to see some serious ingenuity. You drag yourself up the trunk of the tree, rope in your teeth, hugging the rough and uncomfortable bark as you get in touch with your ape-like instincts, and once you're up to a decent height, retie the rope again, minus a noticeable segment that you think the stout fellow will need to be tied with.
Right, you say as you stand about twelve feet up from the ground, wedged in the crevice between two of the tree's largest branches, now do pass the stout fellow up here, and you'll have him over in a jiffy. The Worm-knight lifts him up to about chest height by his armpits, the strange proportions of the stout man reminding you slightly of a cat being held aloft, albeit more unconscious.
[Ensuring Verticality: 3]
The paranoid guard starts to climb after you, stopping at about seven feet up and kneeling down on the branch, figuring a sort of staircase mechanism to be in order. The Worm-knight approaches skeptically, lifting the fellow slightly above her head with a huff of exertion.
[Thrust To Weight: 3]
Hurgh, says the guard as he slowly drags the fellow up to his branch level, wrapping him around the nearby branch like a roll of humanoid tape (credit where it's due - you've hardly ever seen such a stout fellow display this much flexibility). It is at this point that he begins to wonder how he'd possibly lift the man up to your level.
[With A Little Help: 1]
The Worm-knight decides to help with this, spending about half a minute climbing up to the guard's level, at which point they unilaterally agree upon the brilliant plan of just tossing the fellow up to you, confident in your ability to catch him. They seem a little surprised - shocked, even, when your response to a stout man being suddenly thrown to you from below is a resounding 'what' and a panicked, ineffective scramble to capture a humanoid body mid-air.
[Fingers of Melting Butter: 4]
Fortunately, the guard does catch the fellow on the way down, and the Worm-knight catches the consequently immediately falling guard by the scruff of his neck while holding on to the tree trunk with the other hand, successfully managing to arrest their collective momentum before the stout fellow has an unfortunate meeting with the ground. The chain of three hangs there for a second, at which point the guard decides to set the fellow gently down on the ground, and is promptly let go by the Worm-knight in close proximity as she reassumes a more secure position.
You sigh as you look over to the other shore, where the guards you called over are having way too much fun observing all this.
Alcoholic plants are good, but I think leeks should be more about taste than being over 50% ethanol. Hmm... Mead of poetry, made of honey and Kvasir's blood. I probably should investigate other mead based drinks too. Like mead mixed with water from Mímisbrunnr. Not gonna sacrifice my eyes for it, though.
You resurrect Kvasir out of obscurity, and he asks if you are in need of his boundless wisdom, or perhaps his incredible eagerness to teach all the secrets of the universe to anybody who'll listen. You say nah, just need your blood, man. He seems to have figured as much, and just sighs as you chop his head off with your axe and squeeze all the blood out of his neck stump like human lemonade. You get some bees together in the now-unused head of Kvasir and have them make honey. Out of... well, what's available, you guess, you're not about to get into particulars. You set the head down nearby and make a mental note to get the honey out in a little bit. You collect the blood into a large plastic bag and set it on some glacial ice in the meantime.
As for Mim's well, you do see his head rolling around the fields of Vigrid still. You go and ask him where his well is, and he sort of rolls in the appropriate direction. You thank him for the assistance and head over that way. Yep, well of wisdom is right there. Better not drink too deeply, though. Even if doom is what you're all about, wouldn't want to ruin any surprises.
"You know what? I really wouldn't worry about it. Because firstly, there's no way of proving it ether way, and secondly, well, if you're sane thinking about it will probably drive you mad, and if you're already mad why ruin the fun? That's pretty much the main reason I'm taking all of this at face value, to be honest, even if the alternative seems more likely."
Eh, she says, letting the eh linger a moment. Not really anything to add to that.
She looks up at the sky for a moment. The stars are out, and the moon looms large. Was kind of hoping she'd be out by now. Can't wait to get real food.
You notice you're in somebody's shadow. You look behind yourself, and see the blacksmith, still very presentable. He seems to have something in hand, and appears to have been waiting for a minute or two before you noticed him. He nods at you, fidgeting with something in his hands about the size and apparent weight of a bowling ball, currently wrapped completely in black cloth. The work is done as ordained. As revealed.
Leif Erikson, Miner
- A Word: INEVITABLE
- A Word: APOCALYPSE
- Enders' Friend: The Grave of Red Clouds Parting
- Small brass box
- Sturdy Falchion
- Improvised Quarterstaff
- Body Count: 1
- All Broken Up: A Miracle of Alchemy
- Damp and moldy fuel
- Reappropriated, Clean Skirt
- Inscribed Wooden Stylus
- Iron Spearhead
- 1.03 gp
- The Box: ?
- Tower of the Mind: Convenient Relocation
- Induced Lucidity: the Aftermath, or the New Beginning
- Compatibility: Minding
- Tricks of the Mind: Cormick's Condescending Riddle
- Tricks of the Mind: Perceptual Rebuke
- Tricks of the Mind: Erikson's Inexplicable Grapefruit
- Tricks of the Mind: Speak With The Mob
- Tricks of the Mind: Headfirst Dive
- Tricks of the Mind: Lend Them Your Limbs
- Tricks of the Mind: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
- Tricks of the Mind: Erikson's Seeds of Discontent
- Party in the Courtyard: Celebration in Earnest
- Never In: Swallowed By The Pit
- Gods of the Underground: Did You Just What
- Labyrinths of Anglefork: Tunnel-Literate
- The Voracious Dark: Two Deals Made
- The Voracious Dark: The Promised Sixth
- Moth's Flight: Preparations For The Return
- Troubles In Anglefork Town: More Lethal Than Anticipated
- The Secret Life of Stoats: Harnessing Potential
Eileen Minett, Vinyl Collector
- Wounds: 1
- In Living Memory: Drinking Buddy
- The Doom Guard: Consorting With The Enemy
- Exotic serrated zweihander
- Reclaimed Hooded Robe (worn, torn)
- Inauspicious Day: Off Into The Horizon
- Giant White Mushroom
- A Word: SEA
- A Word: HUNGER
- A Word: CHAOS
- A Weapon: Explosive Cysts
- The Voracious Dark: Three Connections Given
- Tower of the Mind: There's Something To Remember
- The New Queen: And Something To Forget
- Body Count: 1
- The Impromptu Prophecy: ?
- Sweet Little Children: Fond Farewell
Jack Daniels, Karate Man
- Naked
- 14033 gp (in sack)
- The Queen's Guard: Unusual Troublemaker
- Wounds: 2
- Powers of the Beyond: Gardener of Thoughts
- Dusty Wooden Speaking-Trumpet
- Crossbow Bolt (in throat)
- A Word: REND
- A Word: SILENCE
- A Weapon: Murder-Thought
- Traces of Mischief: A Bisected Left Kidney
- Traces of Mischief: Ruined Left Hand
- Uncoupled: Strength
- Wooden Door (held)
- The Winding Path of Inspiration: A Different Tack
- Tower of the Mind: Endless Well of Mystery
- Induced Lucidity: A Garden Well-Tended
- Elongated Affairs: Enemy of the New State
- A Place In History: Vastly Unreliable
- Anglefork Castle: the Great Serpent
- The Obsolete Class: Suggested Victims
- 2 rats, crushed
- 1 rat, strangled
- 1 rat, live
- Touch of Flame: the Second Degree
- Travels In The Fourth Dimension: Sunday ± 2 Days
- The Impromptu Prophecy: There's A Mountain Higher Than We Knew
- Doomstones: So High Up But Such A Bitter View
- The Majordomo: A Great Divide Between Us Now
- The Voracious Dark: Decreasing Demand
- The Voracious Dark: More Specific Requests
- The Good Doctor: A Recommendation
- Labyrinths of Anglefork: Suspended Above
- Body Count: 3
Thomas Minstep, Insurance Agent
- Excellently shaped grappling hook (42 meters of rope attached)
- Troubles In Anglefork Town: Bearer of the Sword
- Wounds: 3
- A Word: ABSENCE
- A Weapon: The Sword They Fear
- Traces of Mischief: Nausea's Depths
- A Bowl, Black and Knobby
- Anglefork Castle: From Another Time, Another Land
- Gross Incandescence: Partly Illuminated
- Tight Leather Pants (worn)
- Incredibly Tight Blue Dress (worn, mutilated, mildly provocative)
- Travels In The Fourth Dimension: Saturday, July 24th, 409 S.D.
- The Majordomo: Busy Morning
- The Good Doctor: House Call
- The Queen's Guard: Mission Nearly Accomplished
- Make A Man Out Of You: A Crowning Achievement
- The New Queen: Awkward Savior
- Tower of the Mind: Advice Given
- The Obsolete Class: Let Them Be
- Cruelty-Free Foods: Treats Survived
- The One They Fear: A Satisfactory Contract
- A Place In History: Mystifying Adventures
- Body Count: 2
Oscar Wilde, Chemistry Teacher
- A Word: REVELATION
- 10 m of rope
- Half a candle
- This Is The End: A Grim Prophecy
- Inauspicious Day: So Far Away
- 1 rat, skinless and smoked
- 6 gp
- Poor Misshapen Dice
- Lock of Hair (unidentified)
- Iron nail, unused
- An Inauspicious Key
- Burlap Foot Wrappings (worn)
- Burlap Hand Wrappings (worn)
- Moth-Eaten Hat (worn)
- Respectable Brown Skirt (worn)
- Old Brown Waistcoat (worn)
- Bright Yellow Tunic (worn)
- A Wealth of Burlap Ribbons
- An Obsolete Class: Trustworthy Individual
- The Flip Side: the Denouement
- The Doom Guard: The Inquisition Moves On
- Tower of the Mind: An Interruption
- A Frightening Door: An Understanding
- The Voracious Dark: Backed Away
- The Winding Path of Inspiration: The Process