Fantasy World Creations

[info]Mini mission!

Max Players: 3
Exp Reward (varies from 50% to 200%): 200
Gold: 50g [/info]

While traveling along the southern region of the Korinthian Kingdom, heading through a craggy region, You come across an trader. The man is in what you would guess to be his late 50s, with his brown hair distinctly fading to grey. He's looking down the crag with his hands at his hips.

"i should have known to be cautious this morning after dropping all those things in camp. But why'd it have to be that..." As he turns around to go back to his wagon, he spots you. "Oh! You! Could I ask a favor? I dropped my bag of food stuffs for my trip through the mountains over the edge. I can see it caught on a branch some 10s of feet down, but I don't trust my strength to climb down without falling. The man pauses thoughtfully, "It's a, uh, long way down past that branch..."

He motions back in the direction he came from, "I'm already half way to my destination, and the nearest town is a long ways away. Without that food, I'm stuck trying to eat off the land or starve; unfortunately all my goods are inedible. That's when he turns back to you. "But you seem like a capable sort. Much more able than I at least. Could you possibly fetch that bag of food for me? I don't plan to have you risk your life for free; I will gladly pay you for your troubles. 50 gold! Deal?" The man offers his hand for a handshake.

"Well! Mister...?" Lia asked as she readily shook the man's hand. She wasn't quite sure what to call him.

"Well Mister Lost-My-Goods! Today is your lucky day! Lia Starweaver is definitely one of those capable sort." She smiled happily with a grin on her face.

Lia looked down the ravine. She had to admit, being so close to the edge gave her some chills, but for the most part, being able to see much of the entire landscape in front of her made it worth-while.

"What exactly did you lose down there anyways?" She asked as she began trying to imagine the best way to get there.

[info]Perception to see if I missed anything
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+12 : 5 + 12, total 17[/blockquote][/info]

The man can't help but laugh at the extreme confidence in your response. "The name's Liam. And, as I said, the bag was food. Specifically breads, dried meats, and a couple treats my wife sent me off with. I was enjoying a meal by the cliff side, but fumbled with the bag, and it ended up rolling off the cliff. Lesson learned; I won't be eating with the entire bag next to me from now on."

What you see
As the man said, there was a linen sack around 30 feet down. It had caught on a branch, which was a miracle in and of itself, as you estimated the remaining distance into the ravine was at least 70 feet past that. Though it was hard to judge the distance at that range. Either way, it was a deadly drop. The climb didn't look to be too difficult, but losing your grip here had dire consequences.

[info]I'm not going to direct you on HOW to get the bag. The brute force method is climbing, but I'm sure there's plenty of ways I can't think of.[/info]

The archer whistled as she looked at the bag. 30 ft. downwards, and another 70 ft. after that was no laughing matter after all.

"Fifty gold pieces is quite a lot for a bag of food." Lia explained as she began carefully considering Liam's actions, the way he moved, or spoke, as well as seeing if there were any cues to his motive that were anything else but what he claimed.

[blockquote]Sense Motive 1d20+8 : 7 + 8, total 15[/blockquote]

"Well, let's see..." She went over to her horse, and proceeded to unhook one of the bags from it, then throwing it over her back. That done, did she arrive back at the edge of the cliff. She sat down then, with her feet dangling on the cliff's edge.

She patted the ground next to her and beckoned for the man to come.

"Come sit with me!" She declared.

[info]Any information on how big the bag is? What is the bag made out of?[/info]

Seeing your prying gaze, he realizes your suspicion and groans out a sigh. "Ok, ok...it's not just food. It also has my sketch book in it. I draw to relax on my travels. That's why it's 50 gold coins. I did well for myself lately, I'd like some food to survive, and I'd like my book so I don't lose something precious. And since it's a life-risking endeavor, I'm paying properly. I can lower it if you like?" He looks at you with the shrewd grin of a true merchant. Were he not in dire straits, he'd most likely be a lot less generous, which speaks to his mercantile skill quite well.

As for what you detect from his demeanor, you do not believe him to be lying. At the very least, he did not intend you harm, nor was he trying to trick you down the cliff for some nefarious reason.

After retrieving your pack and beckoning the man to the cliff, he hesitated, then finally sat beside you "Why are we sitting?" The man seemed to have expected other actions, and wasn't entirely sure why he was involved.

[info]The Bag
It's coarse, woven linen that's maybe a foot and a half in length. (Think old fashioned potato sacks)[/info]

Upon the mention of sketch book, Lia immediately perked up.

"So it's kinda like recording your travels then? But in the form of sketches that you see during them?" Lia had a knowing smile, and from the pack she wore, she pulled out what looked to be a leather-bound notebook of some sort. It was green, with decorative swirls of leaves, as well some caricatures of stars decorating it at various places.


"This is the most amazing book you'll ever find!" The elf said haughtily, though it was harder to tell if she was being serious or just in jest. "It's my Travelogue." Lia explained as she began opening the notebook, and leafing through its pages. In it were various entries, one marked for each day, written in her flowing scrawl. Each entry described a record for the day, though succinct enough to fit a page's worth of writing. At times there would be small drawings as well. Birds, trees, and even some attempts at landmarks.

"It records what I've done that day, things I've seen, and people I've met. It isn't worth much to be perfectly honest with you, but it's perhaps one of my most valuable possessions. You know?" She grinned as she placed both her hands on Liam's two shoulders. Looking at him directly in the eye, Lia spoke.

"The ever so capable Lia Starweaver will now proceed to help!" Though her words were just as comedic as they were the first time around - her tone of voice was serious. She understood what a personal diary meant, Liam's sketchbook was used in a similar way. How could she not help.

From the bag she had pulled from the horse she pulled out two long coils of rope. One she held herself, while the other handed it to Liam.

"BUT!" Lia said. "You are helping." She stood back up then, offering her hand for Liam to pick up.

She pointed towards her horse still standing in the background.

"We're tying these to him."

A grin quickly grew across across the merchant's face, happy to find someone that shared his hobby. "This Travelogue is great! I'm so glad to meet someone else that likes to record scenes from their travels." Despite the grandiose behavior, Liam's merchant senses told him that the girl was indeed serious and capable. He was happy to see her preparing, and eager to recover his supplies. That was until her next words.

Quote"BUT!" Lia said. "You are helping."

"We're tying these to him."

"Huh!? You want my help? I'm hardly an able bodied man, I doubt I can do much." He looks at the horse is a bit of confusion. "What's are you planning, miss?"

"Look Liam." She said as she headed towards the horse, beckoning the man to come over.

"You're out in the wilderness, where bad guys of all sorts can just come and take everything you have. Not to mention the road can be a dangerous place. What if the ever-so-great Lia Starweaver was instead Great Demon Lord the Second? One, you would probably be dead by now, and two, I'd have eaten all your food and used your sketchbook to make paper planes to fly off the cliff!" She grinned as if to lighten her words.

"If you can help yourself, the better it is for you. Now, help me tie these ropes to my good steed here." She said as she proceeded to loop it around the horse and tie a knot. She would show the merchant how to tie it correctly, and going step-by-step to ensure that Liam was following the steps correctly.

"Next, tie the rope around yourself like this." She began demonstrating like she did with her first set of knots, this time tightening it around various placed around her own waist, as well as proceeding to tie a noose for her leg to slip through.

"Got it?" She asked examining her own handiwork.

Lia's analogy was grandly exaggerated, which is something Liam was picking up as a trend from the girl, but he got the point. He won't have someone nearby if he were to lose his book the next time. All the merchant did was nod, watching what Lia wished to teach him. Though these were all new ways of securely tying knots, if there's one thing merchants knew it was how to use rope. The man picked up what Lia attempted to teach him very quickly, he even seemed familiar with some of the knots.

"If there's one thing I'm fairly confident in, besides making a deal, is securing goods with rope!" He grins at the elf girl, "I've got it."

Once they both situated, Lia went over Liam's handiwork, carefully looking over the knots and ensuring they were tight. Everything looked in order as Lia playfully tugged on each of the ends on the knots one last time.

"I hope you're not afraid of heights." Lia said as she began making her way towards the cliffside. Her smile never left her face as she beckoned the merchant to come forward as well.

Holding the rope tightly in both of her hands, she left the excess rope fall down further behind her. Her eyes locked on to Liam, she took a careful step behind her. Pulling the rope to keep her aloft, her feet were already on the cliffside, finding any place that looked possible to place her foot on.

"Ever did climbing?" Lia asked as she waited for the merchant to follow her example.

"I'm not afraid of heights, but...are you sure your horse can hold the both of us up? That's quite the drop if we both fall." Liam looked on in uncertainty. "I've climbed, but not with my life on the line. I may not fear heights, but I fear death." He was now looking on as the girl before him began climbing down. she had the strength and confidence of youth, it was in another league than the middle-aged merchant. But something inside him tugged incessantly. 'Why are you letting a random passerby do all the work for something that's only important for you?' his mind questioned. His conscience, and pride, pushed him past his fear, and he joined her on the cliffside, though in a much slower manner.

[info]Roll climb with a +5 for rope use.[/info]

"As long as you don't weigh a ton!" Lia chuckled as she looked over to Liam, looking at his body as she did so. She was cheery at first, but her tone softened as she responded again to Liam's more somber comments.

"I won't let you die Liam, you have my promise as a member of the guild of Galas'nor." She shrugged and grinned a moment later.

"Though I admit, from what I heard in the last few years, Galas'nor has sometimes been doing the opposite?" She smiled fiercely as she coiled her body, preparing to quickly zoom down.

"But have no fear! Lia Starweaver is definitely the capable sort!" With that she began to descend down, keeping herself right under Liam as she did so.

[info]Climb
Rolled 1d20+10 : 20 + 10, total 30[/info]

You descended flawlessly down the cliff face, as though you'd done this hundreds of times before. It allowed you to focus more on making sure the merchant above you was fairing well. Liam, though shaky in his climbing ability, also did not seem to struggle. You both managed to get to the bag below in around 10 minutes' time.

Liam grunts as he levels with the branch the bag rests on, "Finally. Now what?" The man asked, realizing that the sack doesn't have a strap of sling, and will take up a hand to carry by its closing rope. "I really should have brought a pack to slip it into..." Liam says in hind-sight.

"So Liam, how do you normally carry the bag?" Lia chuckled at the predicament. "Let's at least pull out your sketchbook." She said as she began to reach for the bag with one of her hands, leaving the other gripped on the rope. She would attempt to peer into the bag, and pull out specifically Liam's sketchbook.[info]Rolls in case you need them.

Perception to see if Lia can find them with a quick glance without rummaging too much in the bag.
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 1 + 13, total 14[/blockquote]

Acrobatics to carefully pull the item without tipping the bag over.
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+11 : 17 + 11, total 28[/blockquote][/info]

"I usually grip it closed just under the opening and just carry it with one hand, or by the pull-rope and sling it over my shoulder." He says matter-of-factly. I've never had an issue being one-handed while carrying it until now.

As you look in the bag you see there're a lot more objects than expected, and finding the book wasn't as easy a task as you thought. Still, with a bit of digging, you do find and retrieve it. however, because of the excess movement, the bag begins slipping.

"Nonononono!" Liam begins muttering with increased volume as he reaches his hand toward it, despite being out of range.

[info]You are unable to quickly locate the book at a glance, but do manage to retrieve it with a bit of digging. But due to the excess rummaging required, the bag begins to slip.

Roll Reflex to keep it on the branch.[/info]

"Ahh. Crap." Lia said as she reached for it.

[info]Reflex
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 15 + 13, total 28[/blockquote][/info]

Your swift and efficient actions quickly right the bag, keeping it in place on the branch once more.

"That, uh...was way close than I wanted it to be, Lia." Liam notes in a half-joking manner. It seems he was mostly trying to shake off the shock of nearly losing the rest of what was in the bag.

"I totally meant that!" Lia exclaimed as she followed up with a forced laugh..

[info]Bluff
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+4 : 13 + 4, total 17[/blockquote][/info]
"Keeps the adrenaline going." Lia explained as she looked at the sketchbook that was in her hands. Her eyes softened, and she even smiled slightly before finally handing the item back to Liam.

"Now, keep that sketchbook safe!" Lia instructed. "All that work, and all your memories shouldn't be so easily lost after all." Finally, she turned back towards the bag that was sitting on the branch.

"You know Liam, if we ever get back to town, we're going to have to buy you some new bags. One that's more than a simple bag. One with handles."

"Come closer first and go ahead and grab that bag, but keep hold of the rope with your other hand."

Liam shrugged and sighed, "Well it nearly gave me a heart attack!" Still, he gladly accepted his book, stuffing it into his belt and making sure it was secure. He nodded at her comment of better bags. "I suppose so. It never really crossed my mind, since it usually stays on the carriage"

However, when he was told to grab the bag, he looked at her confused. "But if I have the bag in one hand, and the rope in the other, how can I climb?"

She grinned.

"Trust me on this! The great Lia Starweaver will definitely not let you down!" She beckoned towards the bag, waiting for Liam to grab it.

"O-Ok..." Liam said as he grabbed the bag hesitantly. for some reason, though the girl had been nothing but helpful since her arrival, this one request left him feeling like there was a pit in his stomach. Gods don't fail me now... He thought in half-prayer.

Lia blew a shrill whistle.

"Alright Lem, just move on forward!" Lia commanded from below.

[info]Taking 10 for handle animal to use Work trick for the horse to move forward: 14
If you think I need to roll:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+4 : 5 + 4, total 9[/blockquote][/info]"Now Liam, just keep your balance as you walk up the cliff, and hold tight to that bag! If you slip, the rope tied around will catch you." Grinning, Lia started making her way below Liam again, just to make sure that the elderly man wouldn't slip and fall.

[info]No need to roll, as the ropes are secure and there is no rush to the task (no imminent danger).[/info]

"Ah!" It dawns on Liam once Lia whistles. "Right! The horse!" He follows along, walking up the cliff side using the rope for balance against the wall. As it wasn't a normal action, it felt very awkward, but things seemed to be going smoothly. Suddenly, at around 20 feet from the top, the ropes stopped moving and you both stopped ascending. "Huh!? What's happened?"

Then, you began to slowly descend at about half the speed. "Uh oh, this isn't good." Liam looks to you in panic.

[info]Handling check semi-failed. You gained ground, but are now losing it. Make another check to correct it, or you're back where you started.[/info]

"You're going the wrong way! You're going the wrong way!" Lia yelled out.

[info]Handle Animal
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+4 : 13 + 4, total 17[/blockquote][/info]

You hear a whinny from up above, and the ropes once again begin moving in the right direction, reaching the top at a steady pace. Upon making his way back up over the edge, Liam sighs thankfully. "I haven't had my heart race like that in a while." He laughs and begins undoing the ropes around him. He walks up to you and offers his hand, "Thank you."

"You had nothing to fear for the great Lia Starweaver is definitely one of those capable sort." Lia puffed up her chest, but she takes up Liam's proffered hand.

With that done, Lia began grabbing her pack again and wearing it on her back.

"So Liam, where are you headed?" She asked as she began untying the ropes on herself as well as her horse's, then storing it away in a bag.

Liam couldn't help laughing over Lia's bravado. "Right right, of course. How could I ever fear?" He teased casually, but his expression portrayed his gratitude. While sorting through his own merchandise, as well as placing his bag and book back on the carriage, he answered Lia's question over his shoulder. "I'm headed to Ceren, the capital. I've managed to procure some goods that tend to be of high demand by some of the vendors. Due to the low quantity, I can safely undercut competitors in a quick, one-time sell without ruining anyone's business. I'd hate to make enemies in the capital, after all!" He chuckles off the thought.

He turned back around to see you looking to him expectantly. "Ah, of course, your reward!" Liam turns back to the carriage and rummages through until he's found a bag and a chest. He takes his time carefully counting out the currency before him, sure to be fair and accurate to his word. With a smile of gratitude, he turns back to you, presenting the bag. "50 gold, as promised. Thank you for the help, and the small taste of adventure. Meeting with and acting alongside a kindred soul is something I haven't done in a long while. Well, at least in the case of adventure; there's another, more familiar kindred soul in my life." He winks, and you recall his mention of having a wife.

"Might I ask where it is you're headed, Lia? If it happens to be Eastward, I'm happy to give you a ride."

[info]Mission complete!
Base experience: 200
Experience multiplier: 150%
Total experience: 300

Gold earned: 50g

Note: If Lia was returning home, she is not heading in the same direction as Liam.[/info]

In truth Lia was headed back to the guild hall. In truth after all these years of venturing out in the wilds across the country she started missing home. In truth she wanted to see her fellow guild members again after the three years of absence.

But instead Lia grinned.

"I haven't been to Ceren since a year ago!" Lia proclaimed as she hopped on her horse. She smiled wistfully as Liam offered the bag containing 50 gold coins. She shook her head as she made up her mind.

"How about this Liam! How about I hire you for 50 gold coins to escort me to Ceren?"

In truth, more than anything else, she loved a good adventure.

Liam blinked a few times before grinning and withdrawing the bag. "Consider my carriage hired! Let me get everything in order again, and we'll be off." He tosses the big into the opened chest and locks it, then goes around inspecting the horses and carriage for anything abnormal. Despite how he'd acted during the climb, you could tell now he was certainly a seasoned traveler.

[warning]50 gold was returned. No gold reward.[/warning]

After nodding at a few points during his inspection, he hopped onto the driver's seat of the carriage, and called back to Lia. "Let's head out! We've a lot of ground to cover before sunset!"

"Aye!" Lia agreed readily as she moved her horse to travel alongside Liam's carriage. Soon enough the two disappeared from view, with Lia on to her next adventure.

---

Traches 18, 2024 AE

Today I met another wandering traveler! Travelers usually come in three main forms. One, they just ignore you. Two, they attack you. And three, they need some sort of help. Luckily it was the third type, and indeed the great and amazing Lia Starweaver was there to help. His name was Liam, an older man, but he seemed to need my expertise! He dropped his bag off a cliff, which included his own personal sketchbook. Thankfully it managed to just barely get stuck. Just a slight tremor would have sent the bag spiraling down to oblivion, never to be found again! His work of a lifetime would have disappeared just like that. As I am definitely one of the helpful types, along with the fact I couldn't simply turn a blind eye to a fellow keeper of notebooks, I quickly went to work! After all, I, Lia Starweaver, was his last hope. Of course I couldn't simply hog all the experience to myself. I am quite generous too! So I had Liam help. I like to think I helped Liam to be a bit more confident and just a bit more independent, so both he and I made our way down to grab the item. We had a so many close calls! I swear the skill required to have done what we did could only be done by professionals! But thankfully, thanks to my skills, we made it back up in one piece!

Today I decided to go to Ceren, this time I'm having Liam accompany me! Woe to all cliffs from now on, for never shall they get their hands on our notebooks!

Hurrah!

On the page immediately after was a quickly drawn sketch, with a recognizable Lia smiling wide as she pulled down on an older merchant.