Actually, Tohopka will purchase two light riding horses with gear (instead of one), as riding horses may be scarce in the smaller market of Avauntar, and he and Taerad have intention of hiring a second guide there.
That's 190 gp spent on horses + 50 gp spent on Mikyun = 240 gp. I'll adjust the treasure thread to reflect cashing in a 500 gp gem and getting soome gems and coin in return.
Egil
Egil continues to ride ahead with his troops, looking for potential trouble.
Edit: Dice roller didnt work: Rolled offsite for a whoopin 3700 gold debauchery in Ket, leaving Egil with 755 gp.
Vinric Lahes
Vinric allows that he is ready to hit the road, preferably with what companions are still in Ket.
Once all is settled with Mikyun the Guide and he is confident Mikyun has other party members to be accountable to for completing the trip to Avauntar, Tohopka explains to his companions that he seeks to catch up with the earlier departure group, but that he may return to facilitate communication.
If there's no further discussion, he walks outside the walls of Ket, finds a private spot, performs a tribal chant and dance, and shifts into the form of an oversized owl. He takes flight for the lands of Avauntar.
In owl form, Tohopka moves 300', or 60 miles/day.
Location: Free City of Ket (Arnolt & henches; Godric & henches)
On the road between Ket and Avauntar (Vinric, Mundo, and Billious; Alistair & Emmon; Taered; Tohopka)
Avauntar (Egil & henches)
Date: Fourthmonth 4, 300 YE
Weather: 51 degrees, clear (Ket)
58 degrees, overcast (Avauntar)
The weather in Ket returns to normal and talk of demon worship dies down a tad.
Vinric is ready to depart for Avauntar at first light but decides to wait in order to travel with Mundo and Billious, even though his light horse is faster than their medium horses. They can leave at noon, after the latter pair meet with Yelid of the Many Hues.
Arnolt will go dark unless kalstone posts soon.
Godric will go dark unless Dave posts soon.
Alistair gathers his mercs and travels another 54 miles toward Avauntar on Fourthmonth 3. That evening, the mage and his paladin companion are welcomed into a local lord's manse for a night of feasting and light conversation. The mercs bivouac on the lord's grounds. The next morning, the mage rallies his forces and returns to the road.
Egil and his men put in another 72 miles and camp atop a hill in and around an abandoned watchtower. They wake up on Fourthmonth 4 and arrive in Avauntar around noon time. The temperature is about 10 degrees warmer than in Ket. Feel free to give me any actions for the afternoon.
Taered and his men continue with Alistair's men and camp in the same location, Taered enjoying the same hospitality from the local lord as Alistair does.
Is Tohopka traveling along the roads or "as the crow flies"?
First thing in the morning, Mundo and Billious meet with Yelid of the Many Hues and learn the results of his research.
From what I can gather, there are a few sources of wealth in the Badlands. The main one is preying on the caravans that travel to Avauntar from the lawless city of Maquan Bay. Spices, salted fish, and pearls come from Maquan Bay, as well as trade goods purloined by the pirates. The Queen turns a blind eye to the origin of these goods and pockets the tax revenue. Luxury items make the trip back to Maquan, but the Queen forbids any arms or armor. I'm sure you could find a few smugglers who ignore that particular Royal order.
There are several tribes of beastmen in the hills that make a fine living as raiders. Mainly orcs but a few ogres and some giants as well. Hill giants but I've heard whispered rumors of a castle full of fire giants. I know of five orc tribes in the Badlands. From smallest to largest, they are the Gaping Maw, the Crooked Moon, the Necksnappers, the Red Blades, and the Blood of Hargosh. The Gaping Maw has maybe 30 orc males, but the Blood of Hargosh has well over 100. Hard to say about the ogres, there's likely to be a village or two up in the hills that no one knows about. But there are the Hilltoppers and the Hungry Ones, that we know of for sure.
More feared are the gnoll reavers. Caring not a whit for trade goods, they come out at night to hunt for human flesh. They feast on the nomads of the Badlands, and won't shy from a fight with centaurs if threatened. Can't say how many gnolls there are. No one knows where their village is, or if there are more than one.
The nomads are your usual sort. Mostly goatherders, they move from place to place, looking for wild fruit and scrub for the goats, hunting the occasional ungulate. They aren't friendly, per se, but aren't actively violent unless provoked. They rarely attack travelers or caravans but will do so to avenge a wrong or if orc and gnoll raids thin their herds. Three or four tribes out there, I think. Hard to say, sometimes food gets scarce and the tribes split into smaller groups every now and again. The Dorset, the Thule, the Kevela are the three big ones. A few hundred each, if you count the women and younglings.
The centaurs are a mystery. Usually found deep in the forest, no one knows what this particular tribe is doing in the Badlands. I'd say they're the key to all of this weirdness. If you want to figure out what everyone and everything is looking for, start with the Chag.
Tohopka does not know this land, but he also does not wish to draw attention to his travel, so he and his owl companion, Gawonii, fly within owl sight of the road but do not travel directly on it. They keep watch for predators in both the air and land as they speed southeast. If Tohopka feels it is safer for them to travel at night, they'll do so.
Note that I was incorrect about his rate of movement. Per Air Travel, ACKS 94, Tohopka's long distance movement rate while flying is 120 miles/day. It'll take him 1.5 days to get to Avauntar from Ket.
Arnault
Arnault will leave Ket when everyone else is done with their business.
Mundo, Billious
Mundo and Billious thank Yelid for his wisdom, and set out with Vinric.
Egil
After making sure the Rouge Raiders set up a camp outside of town Egil and his two goons leisurly ride up to the next tavern as if they would own the place to get a good stiff drink. He and Leila will then use the afternoon to find out about the local "underworld" while Reinhart will get some booze for the troops.
Egil and his henches scope out the scene in Avauntar. They find out that there are six bars in the town; four welcome the common man and two are more upscale where mercs (and probably Egil unless he cleans up a tad and drops some gold on the doorman) are not allowed.
There are also two brothels where the trio could likely inquire into other less than savory activities. Leila says the town has the look of the Like Minded about it, and they would have the same issues as in Ket, as non-members of the guild.
Egil notes a strong contingent of Ket royal troops in town. His off the cuff guess is that there are a few hundred overall. They apparently double as both town guards and regional patrollers.
Finally, the group finds a large open air market which appears to be dominated mainly by large merchant concerns and other wholesalers. There are relatively few stalls retailing goods to the locals. The private security presence in this area is... robust.
Location: On the road between Ket and Avauntar (Vinric; Mundo, Billious, & Mikyun; Arnolt & henches; Godric & henches)
Avauntar (Egil & henches; Alistair & henches; Taered & Tohopka)
Date: Fourthmonth 5, 300 YE
Weather: 57 degrees, partly cloudy (Avauntar)
The weather in Avauntar is unremarkable in its normalcy.
Vinric, Mundo & Billious, Arnolt and his henches, Godric and his henches, Mikyun the guide, and eight platoons of mercenaries cover 27 miles on the 4th. They camp in a decent sized town, trading gold for semi-comfortable sleeping quarters in various and sundry inns, barns, and backyards. The next morn, they are up with the sun and back on the road.
We'll take Godric to Avauntar but he stays there until Dave posts.
Alistair gathers his mercs, and Taered gathers his mercs, and they travel another 54 miles toward Avauntar on Fourthmonth 4. The local town's meister gently, politely, but firmly directs the entire crew to a large field outside town where they camp for the night without any drama. Early on the morning of the 5th, the pair and their entourages arrive in Avauntar.
Tohopka, having flown quite far on the previous day, makes even better time on the 5th and arrives in Avauntar perhaps an hour after his master's arrival.
Egil and his men wake up in Avauntar and plan their activities for the day.
Folks who have arrived can do what they like in Avauntar or we can fast forward to get the party all together.
Taerad and Tohopka seek out the services of a Badlands guide in Avauntar. Taerad looks in the usual places one finds such men and women in civilization. Tohopka looks to see if there are any tribal guides in the town.
[quote="Atlictoatl"] Taerad and Tohopka seek out the services of a Badlands guide in Avauntar. Taerad looks in the usual places one finds such men and women in civilization. Tohopka looks to see if there are any tribal guides in the town. [/quote]
Just to be clear, you want to hire another guide in addition to the one you hired in Ket (Mikyun)?
Yep. Guides die and such.
Egil
Egil hands Leila 50 gold for 'clothes and things' so she can get into the upscale bars to get some juicy gossip out of the patrons there while he himself will spend around a hundered for a closer investigation of the local brothels. Reinhart has to watch the troops and relay all the news to Alistar and the others if they arrive.
Reinhart and Leila also receive 25 gold each for various expenses.
Taered looks for a guide in Avauntar... and find one! His name is Helmund and he's 32 years old. A native of the area, he claims to have worked for the Heypol Trading Expedition for several years until the untimely demise of Grud Heypol and his sons' subsequent dissolution of the company.
There is only one guide in a Class V town. Helmund is it.
Vinric Lahes
Vinric does what he can to familiarize himself with the town and its markets.
Not sure how much he can do timewise, but my goals are to a) gain the Venturer benefit of a better market class and b)determine what trade goods are in demand and in surplus.
Leila drops a few gold coins and spiffs herself up. She drops some more coin to get past the suspicious doorman, and even more coin to get the locals lubricated and talking.
She hears mostly local chat: whose wife is cheating with whose husband, who is traveling back to Ket to make an appearance in the Queen's Court, who is up for a promotion with the local lancers.
She does hear a few interesting stories, however.
Egil spends a full 100 gp and discovers that the courtesans of Avauntar, while somewhat lacking in beauty, are quite skilled at their chosen profession.
Vinric visits the market and chats up everyone he can find who spares the time to talk back.
He learns that Avauntar does not lack for Wood, Meats, or Furs. It's mostly self-sufficient for grain but probably lacks the ability to grow larger without more farms or imported foodstuffs. There is a small but thriving group of vineyards that produce decent warm-climate wine. Avauntar imports about everything else. Tools and Mounts are especially prized.
Wood, common; Meats, preserved; and Furs/Hides are -2. Wine is -1. Grain is 0. Tools and Mounts are +2. Everything else is +1.