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Age of Ice and Blood: A Pathfinder System Heroic Fantasy Quest

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I think if you put a couple points into Profession (Sailor) and Swim instead of Ride, Survival, Climb, etc., that's enough to qualify as a marine.
 
I find 30 bodies to be excessive. We are not normally that many.

Unless the idea is to recruit people afterwards. Then that's ok
 
Tomcost said:
I find 30 bodies to be excessive. We are not normally that many.

Unless the idea is to recruit people afterwards. Then that's ok
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That's what I'm thinking.

The Shore Sworn aren't going to be worth much individually, but this way we'll have plenty of people to keep an eye on the place and raise the alarm if anything untoward happens. Having 20 of them available increases the odds that at least a few of them will take the opportunity over the coming months to retrain as Warriors. With two of our men, Neios and his guards, plus the 10 Koire guards, there should be plenty of potential instructors and sparring partners.

It would be great if 5 or 6 of them decided they would rather be guards for Wayfarer's Respite rather than fishermen.
 
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Arc 11 Interlude 2: The Healer and the Horse
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    • The Healer and the Horse ​

    Thirty Ninth Day of Ikomi-hamba (Ikomi Descendant) 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)

    Horses were not people, a thought Zaia of Alexandria never imagined would have the occasion to pass through his mind in so many words, yet there it was. The last foaling had been easy, as most births were for the beasts, or at least so Hugh assured him, being the one with the most experience in dealing with their needs. It was over so fast it had shocked him. The foal had a patch of white on its head, as though a star had lead it into the world. She had laid there for less than an hour by his count and then she'd been on her feet and suckling her first meal, and three days later it was still there peering curiously through the boards of her stall as the second mare began to show sighs that her time too had come.

    This time it wasn't quick, she pushed and she pushed, neighing and screening with that voice that was all too close to man's that all her equine breed had when they were suffering, a sign perhaps that of all the beasts of the earth this one had been given most of all into the keeping of man.

    "Lord have mercy, she's turned around!" Hugh called onto God in a more immediate manner and indeed a pare of hooves could be seen and not a head. "We've hav'to save the mare, foal's done for..."

    Even as he cursed his lack of experience with beasts for not noticing it further Zaia pushed the man aside and reached for his surgeon's tool.

    What he did next was not surgery, not far and away, for surgery was done with a steady hand upon a patient that is either restrained or preferably made unconscious, it was butchery.

    The screams grew even louder and a tide of blood washed over earth and straw, but Zaia paid them no mind. He caught the foal with a thump that might have sent him sprawling, but he was ready for it. He set it down and then as gently as he could then he pulled out a vial that sparked with inner light and doused it on the wound, then another... and another.

    The screams and struggles stopped, though when the mare started to turn in his direction he knew to get out as fast as he could, running out of the stable with the stench of blood still on him.

    Gained 2 Foals (Female)

    ***​

    If only one's thoughts were as easily scrubbed of unease. Oh it was not the sight of blood, or the brutal manner in which he had to open up the struggling beast. He had saved not one but two lives today, no doubt Roland and Antonio both would be glad of the fact that they had two more horses to the stable, given the proposed breeding in the spring. What troubled Zaia was how easy it had been and how those brief moments of blood and violence set against memories of blood and tears, of times when it had been women in the birthing bed that he had to tend to, of times when he had failed. Once it had been blood loss, thrice child bed fever. Why couldn't I have those vials then, why for all the books he had consulted and all the roads he had walked had he not found it sooner...

    The sound of hooves on the path behind him draws Zaia from the grip of unwelcome reverie. A horse, but not a common one, Sir Roland's Silver, his coat glistening like its namesake with the remains of the evening's rains.

    "Hail, healer Zaia, you walk as a man with a weight of trouble on his shoulders for one who has brought another life into the world..."

    "I wonder at the failings of my understanding, if there might have been some way to know twelve years ago what I do now, " he started to explain.

    "And is there such a way then?" the horses that was more than a horse asked.

    "I don't know," Zaia sighed, angry, though more at himself than at the one before him. Silver had no way to know what painful memories he was stirring.

    "Then why worry about it?" he pressed.

    "Because that is my nature," replied the scholar at the last and to that the other had no reply and there was silence but for the rain dribbling down.

    OOC: Silver failed his horse sense roll to help Zaia here (crit failed in fact), but it was not the sort of roll where a crit fail gets you anything particularly bad, it's just that Zaia is not comforted and the memories of what he could have done with healing magic in his old life will gnaw at him. Still, you can't always get good rolls and at least you got your horses. Previous vote still open.
     
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    • It occurs to me that Roland is really young.
    He's 23, while Antonio is fifteen years his elder and Zais twenty two.
    Soldiery is a young man's business, generally, but still, it's a much larger gap than I actually imagined.

    (Of course, Esha is far and away the eldest, being decades and decades and decades olds, but that much was obvious.)
     
    Yeah, Earth would have been a very different place with just a bit of healing magic. Hell, even the Stabilize cantrip could have had a huge impact.

    Cheer up, Zaia. You might not be able to help those you failed in the past, but there will be plenty in the future who can benefit from your expertise and magic.

    Also, foals! Too bad we promised one to the king in Apuku, but we had our reasons at the time. Neither of them will be weaned for a couple seasons, though, so they won't be going anywhere any time soon.
     
    Incidentally there was a chance that one of the pregnancies would have been twins, which in real life almost always leads to stillbirth but could have been saved here. The roll did not make the DC so no extra tiny horse for you this time.
     
    Arhin said:
    @DragonParadox , Roland spent almost a year with Zaia. Can he assess his alignment?
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    Oops, yeah, I forgot about that. He is Lawful Neutral, though closer to the true neutral side of things than Tom, because he is one p respect laws ad traditions in principle but does not have as much respect for the actual people who embody those institutions. Basically he has read a lot of philosophy on the ideal state and then he looked around and saw everyone fall... well short. Still thinks order is better than chaos.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    Oops, yeah, I forgot about that. He is Lawful Neutral, though closer to the true neutral side of things than Tom, because he is one p respect laws ad traditions in principle but does not have as much respect for the actual people who embody those institutions. Basically he has read a lot of philosophy on the ideal state and then he looked around and saw everyone fall... well short. Still thinks order is better than chaos.
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    Welcome to the club, Zaia. 🧐
     
    Artemis1992 said:
    @Goldfish
    I would prefer to keep the cursed ones with us, to try the flaming cure, and leave two others behind.

    Particularly Tom's potential second in command?
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    I'm not completely opposed to it, though I was hoping to leave Hugh behind mainly because of his expertise with horses. John Lorson is also a bit older than a lot of our other men, IIRC, so he's likely to get more respect from the young Shore Sworn and Koire guards.

    Who is Tom's potential 2nd? I'm coming up blank there.

    Having the two cursed men in Orinilu might be enough to convince Moru and Ziku to travel here when we're done with the Anwari for the season.
     
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    Goldfish said:
    I'm not completely opposed to it, though I was hoping to leave Hugh behind mainly because of his expertise with horses. John Lorson is also a bit older than a lot of our other men, IIRC, so he's likely to get more respect from the young Shore Sworn and Koire guards.

    Who is Tom's potential 2nd? I'm coming up blank there.

    Having the two cursed men in Orinilu might be enough to convince Moru and Ziku to travel here when we're done with the Anwari for the season.
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    It seems unlikely that they would come all this way just because there are two cursed men here, there are cursed people all over the world, Moru does not spend all his days running after them. While his particular arm of the cult is interested in proselytizing it is usually to the nobility and then using that foot in the door to expend the influence of Inoko in the land
     
    DragonParadox said:
    It seems unlikely that they would come all this way just because there are two cursed men here, there are cursed people all over the world, Moru does not spend all his days running after them. While his particular arm of the cult is interested in proselytizing it is usually to the nobility and then using that foot in the door to expend the influence of Inoko in the land
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    Damn. Okay, I guess I can switch the people out in my plan. Any idea who Artemis was talking about as Tom's second?
     
    I think DP mentioned at some point who would be the next-most respected man after Tom, in case he isn't present or dies, I believe that was Hugh the Elder.

    @Goldfish
    As far as I understand John and Hugh the Younger are still cursed, so we can leave Hugh the Elder in charge of the keep, together with one of the Archers who is not Hugh the Younger?
    Nico or Henri maybe.
     
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    Okay, updated plan bringing the cursed men with us in hopes of an Inoko-based cleansing.

    [X] Guard Force/Warrior Academy
    -[X] Hirelings
    --[X] Shore Sworn (x20): 500 gold
    --[X] House Koire Guards (x10): 1 Favor
    -[X] Custodians
    --[X] Hugh the Elder and Henri Glaser, an experienced spearman and archer, respectively, will remain in Wayfarer's Respite along with Neios and his two guards. They will also be able to look after the horses we leave behind, including the two foals and their mothers who will be nursing them for the next several months. It will give Henri a chance to pick which foal he wishes to replace the adult horse we gifted to King Ansefu previously.
    --[X] In addition to representing our interests while we are away, Hugh and Henri, with assistance from Neios and his men, will work with any of the hired Shore Sworn who wish to learn to retrain into Warriors, focusing on the spear or bow depending on their natural abilities and preferences. Any Koire guards who wish to participate are also welcome to continue broadening their skills.
    --[X] We will explain to the Shore Sworn that we might also be interested in hiring them on in a full time capacity, if any are interested in long term employment away from their villages, as Wayfarer's Respite will need guards and other attendants in the future. While employed by us, their room and board will be covered, of course, and equipment will be provided for them, so they would be free to save their pay or send it back home to their families.
     
    Artemis1992 said:
    I think DP mentioned at some point who would be the next-most respected man after Tom, in case he isn't present or dies, I believe that was Hugh the Elder.

    @Goldfish
    As far as I understand John and Hugh the Younger are still cursed, so we can leave Hugh the Elder in charge of the keep, together with one of the Archers who is not Hugh the Younger?
    Nico or Henri maybe.
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    Yeah, I went with Hugh the Elder as a spearman and Henri Glaser as an archer.
     
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