Building a Life

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Episode no.	Episode 68
Date	2009
Game Master	Abbe
Characters	Gloriana Honeypot Nell Velicia
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Velicia, Kaven and I returned to Turtleback Ferry. Velicia even agreed to travel slowly so I could bring Creampuff, even though she rode her magical, much quicker horse. I wondered if she preferred to travel with me because of Kavens cooking. I thought that I should charge her for it too, but then that thought felt strange. Anyway... I was so glad the snow was gone. Even though Turtleback Ferry was filled with scum and villainy I felt a little more at home there than in Magnimar where I grew up. Since I had been appointed Baroness of Hook Mountain I had received a house in town. It was one of the biggest houses in the small town after the church and a few warehouses. It had some decorations, but nothing compared to the Foxglove Townhouse in Magnimar. I suspected it had been a warehouse too far from the water. It had large rooms and a hall echoing emptily. It didn't feel like home. There were two more houses included. One was living quarters for the servants and the other was a small cabin probably for the gardener. I really liked the small cabin. It was cozy and could be very nicely decorated. I moved in immediately. I could even consider spending the winter in it. Maelin Shreed commented that I really should live in the big house but I liked the small one much better. He suggested that I shouldn't let anybody know. I didn't see much of Velicia as she worked on her own things. She was very engaged in the guild she was starting.

At that night I put on a dark cloak and visited my favorite tavern in town. It was real nice sitting in a corner near the burning fire, watching people talking, joking, laughing, and drinking while listening to the bard playing. I almost felt as care free as I did over a year ago, when I was just an old street kid in Magnimar. The innkeeper appeared at my table asking if the baroness wanted anything, but I hushed him telling him that Sandeli Foxglove was the baroness, but I was Nell. After looking puzzled he nodded and left. Even the cold spring rain falling when I went home late at night could bring me down. I just thought of how warm and nice my small cabin would be with all the wool blankets and a crackling fire.

The next day all the hard, boring work started. I had to talk to a lot of people but thankfully I had Maelin Shreed with me. He knew a lot about running things and I trusted him. I tried to sound smart too. At least he agreed to my idea of trying to increasing the trade with the miners, trappers, hunters and the gnomes around the area.

The following day I traveled to Fort Rannick. It was still in a bad shape. Both from the damages to the walls and keep but also in them still being too few to patrol the areas. They all were needed to guard the Fort. I asked Vale Temros what was needed to repair the Fort and perhaps make it even stronger. The usually quite silent and sullen big ranger lit up when talk of architecture came up. He started talking about a lot of things I didn't understand so I nodded, smiled and asked him to write down a list of what he needed. Then I remembered what Maelin had said, so I added that he had to list what he needed, what he wanted and what he would like to have. I mustered the troops and though they were few, they were strong and proud. Their spirit was surprisingly high after their defeat, but they had heard that the clans had scattered and that many ogres had been killed.

I continued to Skull's Crossing, but it looked the same and even though there were lots of water from snow in the mountains still melting, it was still holding. It needed to be repaired too, but for now there wasn't enough money. Returning to the fort I asked Kaven about the gnomes, but he hadn't had much to to with them.

In the following days I visited Bitter Hollow, the gnomes in Sanos Forest and Pendaka. I still love Olam Keeche's delicious cranberry turtle pies. I tried to convince all that it was important to repair Fort Rannick and to get the commerce to flourish. It felt strange talking about these things, when I was begging for food just a few years ago. I still didn't understand it, but Maelin would have to arrange all details.

Wizards Tower

I met Gloriana and Honeypot in Turtleback Ferry. I was a little surprised but Gloriana explained that she and Honeypot were on their way to Fort Rannick, or rather the mountains behind it. I couldn't understand what they would want to do there until Gloriana told me that she would be building a wizards tower high up in the mountains. She had seen a high cliff well away from Fort Rannick while flying over the area on her eagle. There was even a hardly noticeable trail that could be used to get there from the eagles nest, at least on foot. Honeypot knew a ritual that could create a magical tower really quick. I hoped them the best and continued on to Maelin for more boring work. I thought I should hire someone more so I didn't have to care about everything, but Maelin assures me it would get better once we got everything going.

A week later I saw Gloriana flying overhead in the direction of Fort Rannick. I decided to visit her and rode up to the fort. From there I went up to the eagles on foot and found the very faint trail and tried to follow it to where the tower would be. After a few hours I saw Gloriana flying on the eagle. I waved and she saw me and landed nearby and asked what I was doing out there in the mountains. Panting from the high air and hard work it had been I answered her I came to visit her. She laughed and told me I was lost. I didn't fully agree as I knew which way Fort Rannick and the road was, but had to agree that I had no idea of where her tower was. She told me directions and after a while I could see the tower at a distance. It was a tall stone tower, almost a hundred feet high. I wondered what mighty magic could have erected that so quickly.

Description

Nature stuff

I had visited Foxglove Manor and was on my way back to Sandpoint when I met Honeypot. I was a little surprised and asked her what she was doing out there on the countryside. She said she was building a home and invited me to visit. I wasn't in any hurry so I agreed. We turned east and went passed several farms. I remembered with some unease the ghouls we fought in that area. Then we left the road and continued into the wilds.

We reached Whisper Woods.
"Almost there." Honeypot said.
"You built a house in the woods without a road?" I asked her.
"No. Something much better." she answered.
We reached a glade and beyond there was a huge tree. It was surrounded by bubbling siphon springs and bathing pools. There was marked out paths and wind chimes, but no house. There was some kind of magic surrounding the place. I guess Honeypot had cast more than a ritual or two there. She was very enthusiastic and talked about halls made from trees and how the wind would play music through flutes. She talked of how her study of music-based rituals would catch the eye of any study of magic in the world. Her commitment was captivating even though I'm not interested at all in either magic or music. Something there made me laugh and my cares seemed very unimportant. I found myself thinking I should stay there a few days, but then some urge told me I had money to make. I didn't know where it came from, and I didn't really like the impulse but I knew I would be missed if I didn't return.

I thanked Honeypot for letting me visit her budding home and told her that if she invited me when it was finished I would love to stay for a while, but now I had to continue on. As I left I felt like I was being watched. I couldn't see anyone but there was some rustling in a big thicket further away.

Nathaniel

I was in Sandpoint, walking down market street when I saw a face I hadn't seen in a long time but immediately recognized. It was Nathaniel! He had returned from the Great Kingdoms and was now casually walking down market street, leading his big black horse. I screamed out his name and ran up to him and jumped up into his arms. I asked him question after question before realizing I didn't let him answer. I kept silent waiting for all answers at once but all he said was:
"Settle down. I'm glad to see you too, but you have to settle down." he said putting me down.
"Did you get to the Great Kingdoms?" I said, stepping back, looking up into his face.
"Yes." he answered grabbing the reins of Shadowmist.
"Did you meet my sister?" I asked eagerly almost before his previous answer and joined him as he started walking down the street.
"Yes. Yes I did. She's happily married and was sad to hear about Aldern, but had had very little contact with the family."
"What is this thing you're wearing? Is it from the Great Kingdoms?" I asked walking backwards in front of him looking at his jacket.
"No. This is a doublet! After my last duel it was the latest trend. Everyone is wearing them." he said with some pride, "You still keep your old style I see?"
"Yes. I like my clothes. Gloriana says I should wear big dresses now that I'm a baroness, but I like this better. Duels? Did you duel a lot? Who else did you meet? Did you meet anyone famous?"
I continued with my questions almost without end, but he was happy to tell stories of his adventures. He had become famous as Nathaniel, the Bold Adventurer of Perrenland and skilled duelist. During one of his adventures Shadowmist had even been blessed by a very important cleric and he had several stories of romantic and heroic adventures to tell. But those were his and I will not tell them here.

Guild stuff

Velicia had been talking a lot about all her ideas for months. How she would create her own money and how she would build a guild for lending magical items to young adventurers. I don't really trust her idea about money. I like gold and platinum. That I trust. Sure I would have loved to borrow some powerful items when I started out but I never really made a choice to go adventuring. When all this started I had met Velicia and we both liked the food and went to the festival. Then the goblins came and threatened us all. It all happened quite fast without any real decision. Suddenly I found myself as an adventuress. The mayor Deverin said her nephew was the leader of us as an adventuring group. I was making more money than I ever had had before in my life. After we faced Tirana Velicia has been working constantly on setting up her net almost all over Perrenland.

There's a building in Magnimar that had been empty for a while that she hired. On the ground floor she set up a tavern, but on the second floor she has set up rooms that would only be open to members in her guild. There was a celebration of the opening when we all gathered and had fun. There was great food and I ate a lot. Honeypot was up on stage and performed.

In Sandpoint Velicia talked to wizard and school teacher ???