Alric nods at the compliment.

He is not in the mood to play games or tricks, Coyote and Raven were not spirits common to his demeanor, but he enjoys a good jest and needs his spirits lifted. He watches the Acolyte smiling somewhat idiotically to play along. Fools will be fools without his or the Acolytes  help.

not yet 12:30 PM

Geraldine's

Bright Feather

"You must have seen a terrible thing then, miss." The weaver reins back her disgust sympathetically. She orders a triple shot of whiskey and pays for it herself. She whispers a prayer, takes a light sip, turn her head to the side, and then aerosols it through her lips. "To those who still wander with thirst." She slams her shot.

She continues, but again only loud enough for your benefit. "I find it hard to believe in haunting failed pregnancies, except in the poor mother-to-be herself, but that's our stories. We know of the bad deaths leading to unseen ghost light, hungry for a second chance to atone. But that's why we all have proper burial ceremonies, even the animal-people, like kobolds." Shoots another shotglass.
--------------

Hanalee

"Ooo, there are many ways to keep the Lost Babes from you, fair lassie. Best of all is to settle down with a good man and keep the hands busy with the loving care for the many children you're blessed with." The storyteller answers your question, all smiles.

Some of the audience also lead in with "Well there's no time like the present to set a matrimony date..." "Hard to find a good man left as time passes!" "And good weather for a party, too..."

Georgette adds, "Heard loose teeth from a preachy stranger works well, too."

"Well, I heard there's other amulets..." "There's always rope from a hanged man." "Or the bloodied birth cloth from a woman in labor." "And then there's the toe of a halfling thief." "And the fingernail of an elven seer!" "I thought that was to see in the dark..."
--------------

Geraldine's Porch

Alric

The acolyte tricks them that water tends to stay locked up in the summer in underground ice high in the mountain. It trickles on through along the sides as the freshest and coolest of water. All they need is to look for a basking lizard, and then with a shovel dig a foot or two down.

And all said with a smile at you. He's a bit of a right bastard when angry. The fools eat it up and start to take off.

"See? Like children, they'll tell you anything if you let them prattle on!"

"My word, it is a wonder we haven't completed our destiny and conquered all this land already."

"Well, the silver is a good start!" "Rightie-o! Let's to it!"

Alric smiles and nods stupidly at the men. Fools will be fools. Greed is a poison and perhaps this will take that out of them.

"True. Let the land test their mettle"

Caden pauses to think for moment after the exchange, makes a mental note of it and decides to come back later to see what opportunities may arise. For now he will try to catch back up with Alric and the others.

12:30

Geraldine's Porch & just outside 'Another Respectable Uptown Establishment'

Alric & Caden

"HAAIIiiiiiAA! OTO! OTO! NANICHAWAI, BIA', NANICHAWAI!" (AHHH! OWW! OWW! HELP ME, MAMA, HELP ME!)

"Deche deaipede, deche!" (Hush child, hush!), a woman cries out between the screams. "Gaishese hanaananana before Brother Snake, deaipede!" (Do not 'boo hoo' yet before Brother Snake, child!), another woman cries.

"HAAAIIIIAAAAAA--!" abrupt silence, including the ritual music.

The acolyte sits stock still, like holding his breath. A sickening four-beat measure of silence. Then the beat returns, along with the "hanaananana" (boo hoo) of women in the periphery. He begins to relax, but he is noticeably worried.

"With the town expanding so fast we cannot keep enough fast acting antivenin medicine. Good medicine takes time." He speaks to Alric (and likely Caden by the time he catches up to outside Geraldine's) without breaking his gaze upon the Elder's Place.

"Why everything now? We cannot maintain against this strain!" Turning and imploring at Alric (& Caden?), "The silver never asked of us so much. It was happy resting underground. Now there is so much take, does anyone ask what it is we all must give?"

(We may continue into 1:00 PM and resolve this Short Rest, unless anyone has interest in lingering social pursuits. I sense Karnath is restless, but I also know several of you wanted to multitask & glean info with your time. We can also abstract out other reasonable requests that can fit within 30 minutes, if roleplaying it out is taking too long.)

"we will relive as much strain as we can. I think soon perhaps we need to start working instead of resting but even though Mal's illness has worn at my nerves we need to get back up there and figure out what is going on."

Alric looks to Caden for confirmation if he is nearby.

OOC- Alric is fine to speed this up and move on though the information is more vital than that.

(Any last minute questions or actions before 1 PM? Ask now.

Also, as a heads up to the GM, where are each of you heading after your Short Rest? City random encounter tables are quite a bit safer, but there's other stuff going on in and out of town.)

Alric, provided Mal is OK to walk around will touch base with everyone and suggest heading back out.

Quote from: Artifacts of Amber;805445Alric, provided Mal is OK to walk around will touch base with everyone and suggest heading back out.

(Since all 5 of "Almost Everyone" is at Geraldine's (or on its porch), I will assume all of you are starting in that position. You may freely assume you are talking amongst yourselves about where else to go from here. Being in character for that conversation is up to you.)

Alric gets Mal's lazy carcass up and moving toward Geraldine's where he saw everyone end up.

He walks in looks around and says kind of loudly (For him) "Okay back on the pony still got stuff a brewin' up on that hill"

Karni yawns and stretches, looking to see who is around.

Hanalee emerges from a dark corner looking rather disheveled, but otherwise okay. She is happy to see Mal, and drops to one knee to pat him on the head.

She shudders. "I...I know we should clear that hill, but I have to admit I'm not too eager to go back out there. Actually, our encounter earlier gave me some things to think about. I think I might swing by Blushing Plox's house, and I'll catch up with you in a bit..."

1:00 PM

Geraldine's

"Preacher Sometimes" enters just before 1:00 PM and beelines to his habitual back room, minimal greetings along the way.
------------

Acolyte beside Alric looks with tension toward the door, straining to listen to the ritual. At some point just past 1:00 PM he visibly relaxes and remains composed by Alric's side.

He makes no comment or gesture at the obviously buzzed weaver beside Bright Feather
----------

Weaver slumps at the bar, visibly exhausted by the superstitious storytelling, waiting for Bright Feather to move. She idles a moment to chew the ear of the native mother and child having lunch. She launches into a softer voiced story of the creation of earth's spirits and the reasoning for burying their dead.
----------

Iodar ushers a few belligerent newcomers, after they got into their cups, outside in an interest to keep the peaceful mood. These customers seemed interested in getting supplies from Vaux's, but the Elder's Place banking hold up is delaying them, and by now the ritual song is getting on their nerves. They spill into the streets looking for action, likely to discover the downtown's 'afternoon show' for themselves.

(What is everyone doing these next 15 minutes, between 1:00 and 1:15 PM?)

Alric is trying to rouse the rest so we can go deal with the task at hand.