Chapter 2A - The Search for Lan

[Starbeard]

Niping the blacksmith

Niping lets out a sigh of relief, and retires his hammer to its place on the cart. He makes noncommittal motions of tidying the vehicle's contents whilst muttering to himself about elves and dragons and men, but not so loud that those who pass by can hear—his trade relies on the pecuniary wastefulness of men, and in his experience men tend to value sentiment and comradery over utility. Upsetting the Northmen with a poorly placed insult could as soon kill his career as losing his arm.

After the immediate crowd has cleared, the dwarf stands atop his cart, peering out over the camp with a grumpish face. 'Glaiz Goldenhook! There you are. Now, can you keep track of your cursed husband, or have I to do everything for everyone?' He spins around again, searching for his bootless apprentice. 'Lan, where are you? If I find you alive and off sulking somewhere instead of going about your duties, you'll have wished the beast really had caught you!'

[PointyEaredRogue]

Glaiz Goldenhook

Glaiz is stunned at the quick escalation of the fight. and even more surprised at the quick exit of the men. She felt a pang of pity for the women and children being rushed out along side them, especially the crying young girl. She approaches the braided girl, brandishing a smile: "Lass, what is the matter? Have you lost a loved one this night? I understand: I, too, have lost someone. Keep your eyes up, and mayhaps we will find them." She wondered if the girl could pick up on the trace of hopelessness in her voice. The girl, too frightened for words, darted back to her mother's side, while Glaiz recalled Niping asking her about her husband. She wondered if he knew that she had not seen or spoken to him in many suns? She reported to him, her blank countenance evolving into a grimace. "I cannot say I know his whereabouts myself," she said. "I've not seen him in many days, and I cannot say with certain he lives to lounge about under your guidance, after the dragon." She felt her chest tighten at the thought. "However, the last time I saw him was at our home, not too far from here. He had quite a stockpile there, and I've been wondering if he might've returned to gather his precious belongings, if there is even a place to return to..." She suddenly recalled the street dwarves with whom she had spent so much time: she had described Lann so many times, she was sure that they knew every hair in his beard. Disregarding the possible judgment Niping might bestow on her for associating with such dwarves, she turned to him once more."We could consult the haggard dwarves nearby - they know much of my Lann and might've seen him in their travels."

She thought once more to the girl, recalling the genuine sadness in her eyes. Perhaps Durgar had been too harsh, driving them all from the village? "Just because some grains were spoiled does not mean the entire bushel is ruined," she thought to herself. Not every man is bad, simply because we encountered a rotten few. However, the fact that Niping was so set on finding Lann brought her hope; even though he knew less than she did about his whereabouts, the fact that he believed he could find him made her think she could as well. She had to choose: starting her search for Lann immediately, and possibly find him still at their home, or convincing Durgar to let some of them stay and bringing relief to innumerable families? She had had enough of families and children for now. Reaching into her satchel to feel the lock of hair, she knew which path she must take: she would be with Lann once more.

I'd like to make a Circles roll for my vagrant friends, what do I need to do for that?

[Starbeard]

Niping

Niping shakes his head at Glaiz. 'Perhaps Durgar is be harsh, yet he has a point to make. The only path for us now is to leave, and join our cousins in the belly of another mountain. If part of the bushel remains, many of us will feel as though there is still food to harvest from it, and we will never leave. By cutting our ties with the Lake we can free ourselves to move on, and put this tragedy behind us.'

He hops down from his cart, adjusting his boots to satisfaction. 'As for those haggard dwarves, I have no soft words. They are amongst those who would stay at the bushel so long as they believed they could cull a scrap from it,' he says, making a callous gesture. 'But I refuse to believe Lann is dead until I see it with my own eyes or hear it from someone who did. You might be right in guessing we can learn something from them.' Niping strokes his beard in thought, pondering on Glaiz's offer to search amongst the street dwarves.

'I think I will come with you. Caught between a wayward wife and a hapless profession, I personally believe Lann would as soon pretend to be dead before we found him, and if that is so then the street dwarves may not intend to lead us straightly. They have to rely much on the whimsical hospitality of the Dalefolk, and as my trade is of mild importance to the men of Dale, my voice would carry more authority with them than yours.' He looks around his cart and grabs a tool belt, slinging some of his more jagged tools into the loops after he impulsively gives them a test ring against a piece of scrap metal nearby. 'Now, let us go and search amongst the riff-raff. When we find a group we should first mark out the area, then start on opposite sides and work our way inward till meet in the middle: that way none will be able to avoid our questioning, and we will get through the task more quickly.'

Niping will attempt to use his Scutwork-wise skill to Help in Glaiz's Circles test.

[Starbeard]

It is a special rule. Circles helps Circles. Can't help with a skill, and she can't add FoRKs. It also requires "similar lifepaths" to do, but I'd say you both cover that well.

So, Glaiz has 3D circles, +1D Affiliation for 4D. +1D for help from Niping, so 5D.
Finding someone with specific information on Lann is an Ob 4. Failure consequence is finding a caustic and unwilling person with said information.

Okay, got it. Thanks for putting up with the learning curve! 5D vs Ob 4… fingers crossed!

[Marullus]

Topic split. Glaiz needs to roll dice (5D, Ob 4), then we'll move it head.

[PointyEaredRogue]

So, I tried my hand at the dice roller, and I'm hoping I did it correctly. I rolled 5 d6, and I'm assuming Ob 4 is the number of successes needed - in this case, I got one. Let me know if I did this right!

[5d6s4] = 1

[Marullus]

Please roll the dice individually, as the result of 6 or 1 can matter. So, roll as [1d6][1d6][1d6][1d6][1d6] instead. Otherwise, your rolls recorded properly in the campaign, so that did well!

[PointyEaredRogue]

[1d6] = 2[1d6] = 2[1d6] = 1[1d6] = 2[1d6] = 3

Even worse.

[Marullus]

Niping and Glaiz wend their way among the campsites that cluster along the lakeside, politely inquiring at each and looking for familiar faces. In the faces, however, they find little to celebrate. They find fear, especially among those now hurrying to pack and to leave. They find suspicion and distrust, among dwarves guarding what little they have, among humans simply on seeing them as dwarves. You look for the dispossessed, the homeless of Dale, but this proves more difficult than you thought given the exodus has placed even the most high-born into this desolate state. You approach a shabby-looking dwarven woman working with scraps on the rear-gate of a wain, her hands shaking. Glaiz thinks she remembers her from somewhere, likely a rag-pickers in Dale. Glaiz reaches out to touch her shoulder to get her attention, "Ma'am, I'm looking for someone..." she begins before the woman turns, a familiar face at last, Aunt Melgiel. "YOU! This is RICH. I bet you LOVE seeing me like this... like YOU. He's STILL so ashamed of you, you know. Lower than a dog! That's what you are!" Niping is near at hand as Glaiz recoils under the verbal barrage. The woman seems to be winding up for a more intense spittle-flinging tirade.

(Both of you record a Challenging Circles test.)

[Starbeard]

Niping the blacksmith

Niping, who never had much time for Melgiel's dramatics—and finds them to be a poor, if obvious, influence on her son Lann—doesn't wait for Glaiz to reply. 'Still, you say? Ah! very good, young Lann must still be alive, and well enough to get back to the duties he's been shirking, or else I'm sure you'd have mentioned that by now as well.'

The middle-aged dwarf looks around, shouting for Lann to come out or he can forget about his pay, or a place to sleep. Looking down at the old woman's hands, he clicks his tongue disapprovingly. 'Now what's this, woman? I can't even tell what you are trying to make with those scraps, but they won't last long whatever you do with them.' When he sees her shaky hands, however, his mood softens somewhat to a gruff sense of paternal care. He quickly shifts through the pile of rags next to her, reordering them into a neat stack while humming a worker's maxim, '"Strong ones first, or fear the worst. Weak ones last, and your work will be fast." There, that should do it. Those top scraps look hearty enough to hold an anvil, and your rags will keep much longer if you use them as a base framework. Now, where is your son? There is so much need for craftworkers that people are beginning to resort to theft, and I need him at the wagon.'

[PointyEaredRogue]

Glaiz Goldenhook

Glaiz is floored to see Melgiel once more; they had not ended on good terms, and that was putting it lightly. She reaches in her pocket for the lock of hair, being cautious not to take it out too far lest it be seen by the livid dwarven woman. Fiddling it around in her fingers, she thinks to herself "Stupid Glaiz, you have brought this on yourself. You are the reason Lann is missing. The reason Niping wastes his time searching. The reason for Melgiel's hatred. If it were not for your actions, perhaps you'd not be a shameful blight upon the city of Dale." Glaiz was lost in a sea of self-torment. Suddenly, the second-wave of Melgiel's tirade brought her back to reality: "Aunt Melgiel, I..." she trailed off, unsure of how to best proceed. "I do not wish to see you in such a state; in fact, quite the opposite. I am displeased to see someone such as yourself in such poor condition. But, I suppose we all are recently. To be honest, had I known it were you, I would not have asked; however, it seems fortune has left me behind as of late. Mayhaps we can be of some help to each other." Glaiz knew that Melgiel would be of no help to her personally, but what if she and Niping could help her in return? "My companion and I seek Lann; trust me when I say I know of the shame I have brought him and it bites at me every day. However he is needed for his blacksmith duties with this dwarf, and I must see if he is still alive. I know I have done some heinous things, but I can prove myself to him--" Glaiz realized she was getting caught up in her emotions and her past. The only way to get Melgiel to help is to get her to help someone else. This had to be all about Niping, and she would just ride on his coattails.

Can I use Family-Wise [B6] because I know Melgiel and her tendency to help someone who isn't Glaiz?

[Marullus]

That is a great use of Family-wise, but more as a justification for using it to Help. Knowing that about her doesn't actually convince her, which means you need the primary roll to be Persuasion (or something similar). Getting her to tell you about Lann's whereabouts is Ob3.

It would be up to Niping to roll (and add more FoRKs if he wishes to narrate) or to let you roll it under Persuasion with beginner's luck.
* Niping has Persuasion B3, +1D for Scutwork-Wise already well-played, +2D for your use of Family-wise to help. Niping records a Routine Persuasion test and Glaiz records no test.
* Beginner's luck, you'd roll B6 root + 2D family wise +1D help from Niping against Ob6. Glaiz would record one test towards opening persuasion and Niping would record a Challenging test with the skill he offers (Persuasion or Scutwork-wise, currently).

Either way is fine. Consequence of failure is that she protects Lann, providing dangerous misinformation which she convinces you is true.

[Marullus]

*bump* You two can proceed to a roll at will.

[Starbeard]

From a gamey perspective, I say we go with Niping making the roll, as 9D6 vs Ob6 is less than half as likely to succeed as 6D6 vs Ob3. That okay with you, Pointy?

On the other hand, success isn't actually necessary, and taking the beginner's luck test does net both of us a test… so really it seems like a win-win either way. What do you think?

[Starbeard]

If it's already, I'll just make the decision to take the 6D6 vs Ob3, marking a Routine Persuasion test for Niping:

Ob3: [1d6] = 5 [1d6] = 3 [1d6] = 3 [1d6] = 1 [1d6] = 6 [1d6] = 3
2 successes.

[Marullus]

Do you want to spend a Fate point to explode that 6 and roll one more die, or accept the failure?

[Starbeard]

I remember something from Torchbearer where advancing a skill required a certain number passed vs failed tests, but in BW does it matter? On p. 43 it says for most stuff it doesn't matter whether it's recorded as a pass or a fail.

[Marullus]

Correct. Here it matters if it is Routine, Difficult (at max ability), or Challenging (beyond a normal roll). You can use Artha to achieve success on difficult and challenging rolls without penalty... You just only have so much Artha to do so.

[Starbeard]

Sorry to be late to the reply, been busy. Thanks for being patient.

Correct. Here it matters if it is Routine, Difficult (at max ability), or Challenging (beyond a normal roll). You can use Artha to achieve success on difficult and challenging rolls without penalty... You just only have so much Artha to do so.

In that case, I'll use a Fate point!

Fate point roll: [1d6] = 4

That's a total of 3 successes against Ob3.

[Marullus]

Success! Well done!

Niping records a Routine test for Persuasion. He records a Fate point spent on Persuasion.
Glaiz helped with Family-wise; records no roll.

Protecting her son, facing both his wife and his employer, Melgiel struggles with indecision. As Glaiz touches on her mother's worry and Niping shows kindness in helping with her task, she sighs heavily. After regarding the wagon before her a moment she turns to Glaiz and tells her, "My son can bear no more heartbreak. You've broken his trust and his heart, stolen his honor and his future. My poor boy... he's no good alone. He needs me, and he needs to be healed... freed of you so that I can see him whole. A task only a mother can do." She turns to Niping, acquiescing now that she has said her piece. "You'll find him at the Lakeside. He's gone to entreat the Men to not flee this night. We need them to face what comes... we are only dwarves, we cannot do it alone. You fetch him, and I'll gather our things and meet you at your wagon."